pin-up harriett bra

I have had an idea for so long to make this bra (or something along these lines). In fact this vision has probably been the driving force behind wanting to learn how to make bras in the first place! Maybe not for this exact article, but for the pure reason to be able to make lingerie in the fabrics and colours I love with the detailing I find most appealing whilst knowing the shape is going to fit. My biggest gripe about shopping for such items is that feeling when you see all the pretty things and realise that only the one you liked the least actually suits your shape. Jeans and bras. They are the garments that never fail to disappoint!

I have long been influenced by vintage/retro lingerie and have been storing up ideas of how I can incorporate it into my own wardrobe. The styles I'm talking about are not "me" per se, but elements of them really are (if that makes any sense). I am a bit of a romantic I guess and I love the shiny salmon pink fabric and the topstitching that is synonymous with these styles, but wouldn't have a clue about how to wear or indeed feel confident enough to wear the quite accentuated bullet shapes. Of course, as well as actual vintage examples I also refer back to modern representations or re-issues.

Here are some of the pieces that have guided me.

A very crumpled original longline bra definitely steered my fabric choice. Being up close and personal I realised this is made of a much sturdier fabric than you'd imagine. I got a spot on match with some cotton backed corsetry satin. I believe this is the one I ordered!

You can see how the inside is finished with loads of twill tape. I love the inside as much as the outside!

The Jean Paul Gaultier corset/bodysuit famously worn by Madonna. This piece was actually my introduction to lingerie making. Whilst at university over 10 years ago I set about drafting a pattern and making a toile to match the original as closely as possible. It is obviously not an exact replica, but I look at it now and am pretty proud of it having had no previous experience of this type of construction. It has stood me in good stead and the research I did to get to that point has been something I have referred back to in my more recent lingerie endeavours.

This next one is a modern repro of a vintage style by Playtex. I just keep it for reference as, although pretty, is not me. I love all the details and the construction, but I find it too strappy and actually uncomfortable for a soft style.

So back to my make. I see this as a kind of graduation in a way. I have done a lot of work over the past year (starting here) getting to know my way around bra construction and pattern drafting as well as trying out different bought patterns. It has been rewarding in many ways and now I am in a place where I can pick and choose my construction method as well as pattern adaptions. I feel very at ease with the process. This bra definitely represents that. I just confidently cut into my fabric and set about constructing the whole thing carefully and considerately knowing that the end product would be fit for purpose. Of course there are elements I would like to refine (isn't there always?), but I wasn't rushing through it, desperate to find out if it had worked or not which can be the case when you are new to bra sewing. I am feeling very Zen... ;-)

I used a silk strip to encase the seams of the lower cups and lined the upper cup. I really wish I had covered the wire casing with silk or something (just being picky).

The prettiest bra straps and findings. I think the shop I got these from is now closed. Sorry!

Sorry if I've been a bit gushy, but I'm really pleased with this one! Learning the skills to make a good bra is not actually that hard and fitting is not as painful as you'd think. You can push yourself further if you want to, but you don't have to and it means you no longer have to endure the drudgery of bra shopping! FYI, this was made using the fabulous Harriet bra pattern by Cloth Habit. I suggest you read her blog from start to finish for her inspiring bra making journey! xxx

Harriet bra

Hello hello!!!

I have not been doing any personal sewing for so long I have forgotten all about my blog, but I have broken my silence and been lured in by the brand spanking new and fabulous Harriet bra pattern by Cloth Habit. I love the Cloth Habit blog and it is one of those ones which I have read from start to finish as I didn't want to miss anything useful or inspiring, so when Amy released her latest pattern I bought it right away.

I have made two versions since and this pattern is probably the only bra pattern I ever need EVER. You may remember my experimentation with bra sewing and drafting over the summer which gave me loads of great experiences with construction and fit, well that has been super informative when beginning with this pattern. The bra block I drafted over this time is great to use as a comparison when selecting my size. I measured myself against the chart and came up as a 34C, but I often find bands a bit too snug from the patterns I've made up so I went for a 36B instead for my first Harriet.

The fit is good and after wearing it for the first half of the week is so comfortable I forget I'm wearing it, but it is probably not as snug as it could be. I needed some minor tweaks to the cups anyway, but I think the bra band is very true to size, so I could go smaller. I absolutely love this version though, so it will get regular wear and I may even move the hooks inwards slightly if it starts to feel too loose. All elastics were dyed by me using Dharma Trading acid dye in 'Radioactive'. In fact I followed Amy's advice for dyeing elastic here.

The second version I made is this silk satin one.

Taking into account what I learned about the fit from my first lace one I went with the same cup size with adjustments, the next size down bra band with the 36B centre bridge as I have a wide gap there. Oh the beauty of making your own bras and learning why RTW is never comfortable!!! I completely altered the style lines on this one to create a princess seam cup without the top section. I really like and prefer this cup, but I made the curve too pronounced at first and some dodgy alterations I made mid construction meant I had to hide the seams with this grosgrain trim. So annoying as I really just wanted a plain navy bra. It's really beautiful and comfortable though, so I can't be too unhappy with that! Again I dyed everything myself to co-ordinate and used a foam lining to give a smooth shape.

Note - The seam on the foam was nice and flat before dodgy alteration...

I feel like this pattern has been a breeze to get the fit spot on which I don't know if this is because of all the work I did over the summer or what, but I really think this is a top quality pattern. I didn't follow the instructions, but I shall be making this a few more times over the coming months so I have a decent  selection in my drawer. The bras I made over the summer are in a box in my sewing room and have been mainly good for teaching me about bra making. My bra block is great to have and again I learnt a lot from making it, but it is mainly good for helping me assess fit and I don't love it as much as I love the Harriet.

So there you go. Gushing over and if you want to try making an underwired bra then you could do worse than trying this pattern!

P.S. photographing lingerie is really hard...

One last hoo-bra!

Ah the summer holidays are almost over and so too is my lingerie madness! It has been a wonderful summer project to learn as much as I can in this time about lingerie construction, design and drafting, but I am ready for a change. It was important for me to take a break from designing garments and sewing in general because it can be all time and space consuming. My son is about to start primary school and I wanted to remain completely undistracted from the business of having fun. Best decision ever and it has been a special time, but the lingerie has given me enough of a focus to make me feel I am still doing something for myself.

Here are my two latest bras and I would say that the fit is pretty spot on (until I learn that it actually isn't).

This first one started out as another experiment that I was convinced was going to fail and was pleasantly surprised about how well it turned out! I just wanted to play with scallop matching and creating a neat decorative top edge, but it started to go really well and I kind of had to back track with my construction to make it neat. Like I said, I was only playing really!

It is a princess seam cup from my bra block with a straight top edge and scoop back. So pretty!!!

This next one is also very pretty and also an experiment. I was feeling frustrated about the fabrics I was finding (or not finding), so ordered some dye to tailor the fabrics and elastics to my requirements. After watching this video on Cloth Habit I used Dharma Trading Acid Dye. I used Blush pink and Radioactive! Everything in this make has been dyed by me from cream or white!

The main fabrics are silk velvet and a cotton/nylon lace with a scallop edge elastic.

A lovely detailed bra strap elastic and power mesh I found on ebay.

Some plush bra clasps. Not what I wanted, but they will have to do. I don't think fuzzy plush looks very fancy ;-)

Each of the fabrics take dye differently. The power mesh just laps it up, whilst the lace takes a lot longer, so I had to have a few goes to get a subtle enough shade on the mesh.

Some silk satin binding to cover the side seams.

I used a pale pink silk organza as lining. Pretty luxurious sounding, but I think the wrong choice as it's probably going to disintegrate pretty quickly!

I'm exceptionally happy with this 90' throw back bra. It is pretty and comfortable and bright! I love the textures and unexpected colour combination. I believe I have found my look!

So with that I am probably going to do some winter sewing for a bit and lay off the undies for now. I have thoroughly enjoyed the whole process and in the end I have not made my 'dream set' like I hoped in my last post, but this new skill isn't going anywhere and I have plenty of time to get around to making something spectacular. What I have learnt more than anything is that it is important for me to step back and try and broaden my skillset from time to time, not that we ever stop learning. It's one of my favourite things about sewing.

I have no firm plans for the winter. I have a pattern add-on to finalise in the next week or so, but am still not planning on working on any new patterns for the time being. Instead I am going to take my time on some shirt dresses for the winter. Have you seen the new named collection (who am I kidding, of course you have)? I am currently working on a Helmi tunic and planning several more. I was actually working on a shirt dress pattern before the summer (which I still love), but there are so many around at the moment that I don't think it's right to bring it out any time soon. So as well as a hundred Helmi's I am also thinking a coat? Maybe vintage, but maybe a coat version of the Falda by Pattern Fantastique.

Loads to think about and fortunately my stash is bursting with eligible fabrics!

Hopefully I'll be back soon with that pattern add-on! ;-)

Adapting knit knickers to woven

Hi hi, here is just a quick post to explain how I adapted my jersey briefs block for woven fabrics. I a really keen on woven briefs. The main reason being that the fabrics can come directly from my stash of scraps (I never seem to have useful jersey scraps), but also they are so soft and breathable.

So, I basically just slashed the block (minus the seam allowances) and spread it the desired amount. I was looking for a pretty neat, non poufy fit so spread the pattern to the width of my measurements(ish) at the hip. Because the woven is cut on the bias there is some stretch in it, so the fit is comfortable.

I increased the width of my pattern by a total of 4cm on the front and 8cm on the back (pictured below is half this measurement because it is only one half of the garment). On the back I spread in a couple of areas to help retain the leg shaping.

I also increased the length of the pattern by 2cm.

These measurements are only a guide as you will need to measure your pattern and yourself to see how much you need to increase, but this clearly shows the method.

Mark a new diagonal grainline to cut on the bias and smooth out the lines. The crotch piece remains unchanged!

Because the pattern you are using may differ in the amount of ease included you will have to measure up and maybe make a trial run or two to check the fit, but I hope this helps!

Have a good weekend! x

P.S. Here are some links to some pretty great free knickers patterns!

Woven mini brief which could easily be adapted for more coverage from the secrets of sewing lingerie book. You do have to register your email and name, but you don't have to revive junk emails.

http://www.lovesewingmag.co.uk/free-sewing-patterns/item/520-knickers-sewing-pattern

Another excellent pattern is sozo's free jersey knicker pattern download. So generous and there's even a vest!

http://sozowhatdoyouknow.blogspot.co.uk/p/free-patterns.html

Drafting knickers and feeling overwhelmed

So I am continuing with my summer 'learn to make lingerie' project and I am feeling pretty good about my bra block. I am about to return to it so I can start planning a nice set to really demonstrate to myself that it is truly working for me, but before I do that here is where I have got with my knickers block. It is from Kristina Shins book again. I have made some tweaks to the initial block (I used the basic brief) as I prefer a lower leg etc... but it was very easy to draft. I normally wear maxi waist height briefs. Since having an emergency C-section with my son I cannot bear to have any kind of elastic or anything rubbing on my scar. I do feel though that they are not the most flattering, so I am experimenting with midi height instead. The benefit of making them is that I can play with the tension on the elastic to strike a balance between baggy saggy pants and too tight. I'm pretty pleased with the pattern and have also been playing with different elastics and fabrics.

This close up shot of a lace pair I made last week is definitely my favourite finish yet. It is so professional looking, but not at all difficult. I didn't pull the lace trim very much as it has limited stretch and just lined the scallop edge up with the fabric edge whilst topstitching on with a zig zag stitch. I then trimmed away the excess knicker fabric close to the stitch line. So delicate!

Here is another pair of cotton lycra with the same lace trim in a different colour. I did well on an ebay purchase with a job lot of odd pieces of stretch lace. It's great, because I can play to my hearts content without the worry of having spent loads of money on something special. The cotton lycra was sent to me by a friend who saved it (and loads of other pieces of fabric) from being chucked!!!

I really love this finish. Up until now I have only used FOE (fold over elastic) to finish knickers, but this is much better. Ignore the not so neat trimming of fabric in the below pick.

As well as these I also adapted my block for woven fabrics. I basically added 8cm to the overall back width, 4cm to the overall front width, 1cm in length to the leg openings and 1cm in length to the hip. I shall try and do some visuals for a future blog post to demonstrate, but if you divide the pattern into a grid as per the aforementioned measurements and then just slash and spread to your desired width and length. You just need to compensate for the lack of stretch in the fabric (even though cut on the bias). The waistband elastic on the pair below is too loose in this pic, but I did go to the trouble of unpicking and re-stitching it after this pic was taken. Let me tell you that it was not a fun exercise!

These briefs are a close fit, but not tight. I didn't want the poufy ease that you sometimes find in woven briefs.

Next up I am just about done refining a French knicker block and also would like to draft a petticoat block. I kind of feel a bit like I'm losing focus at the moment with so many possibilities and the potential to get lost in the vastness of this area of design. I need to pull myself back and really draw a line under what I have learnt already, so I'm thinking/hoping that by designing and making a bra and briefs set as outlined at the beginning of this post will help me bring all of the skills I have learnt so far together and draw some sort of conclusion to this first part of home education. It makes sense and is how you do things in formal education. You learn something, you practice and then you demonstrate.

I am a beginner designer all over again. It's easy to see why you can spend your whole life or career specialising in one area of a subject. I obviously have many of the vital skills, but there are so many minute details that need to considered in the drafting, construction and fitting. I could spend so much time just working on my bra block. I must have made close to 20 toiles of that block alone and am certain that as I progress it will require further tweaks. Some of the toiles are teaching me about fit, but then others are teaching me about fabrics. Too stretchy, too slippery, too synthetic...it never ends!

Right enough chitter chatter and back to the blocks! Bye bye xxx

Summer of enlightenment!

I have taken a break from pattern stuff over the summer. I consciously want to avoid self imposed deadlines during this kids school break as no matter how I try to switch off, I inevitably get stressed like the pattern I'm working on needs to go out NOW!!! Nobody really cares. I know that, but I get so focused that it all becomes an unnecessarily big deal. To counter act this I am studying all things lingerie like a crazy person and am filling all my evenings with pattern drafting and research. It is such a brilliant summer project and I am learning a tonne already.

I have basically flicked through 'Patternmaking for underwear design' a million times and have read through 'demystifying bra fitting and construction' a few times too. Funnily enough, I came across this post yesterday on Mellissa Fehr's blog and she recommends these two reads exactly! I have also bought 'Pattern cutting for lingerie, beach and leisure wear', but am yet to really get into that. To be honest, I have found Shins method in 'pattern making for underwear design' so successful for the bras I am designing and playing with at the moment that it will probably be a while before I really refer to the latter.

So, as well as drafting I am looking at all sorts of construction by looking mainly at garments and reading through old sewing books. I am interested in modern construction techniques, but also more traditional approaches as a to way inspire designs that rely less on having the perfect shade elastic in 4 different finishes to hand. It is endlessly fascinating!

With regards to drafting, it is so refreshing to return back to paper and pencil and not be stuck with my head down in a computer all day. Since selling patterns I manage the whole process digitally from start to finish. It makes sense to me and means that every seam on the final product gets thoroughly tested in the same format. Digital is a fantastic way to work for many reasons. You can reduce your work space (a really important factor for me), work quicker and more efficiently and also reduce the storage space. I like to retain every stage of a pattern for reference from my original changes to the block, to subsequent adaptions and so on. This is easy on the computer and my files are supremely organised and any changes easily traced. Drafting on paper is so satisfying though and it's great to have the physical pattern pieces in front of me at all times. I have made an envelope for storing my block and have a separate compartment in it to store all redundant iterations of it, plus the master copy. It's brilliant and I have the same feeling looking inside at all the pretty pieces that I used to get when I had new stationary for the new school year. Whichever way I tackle it, I love the process of drafting patterns and it's reviving the fun to be challenging myself in new ways. Everybody should find new ways to challenge themselves, but sometimes it's not that easy to work out how that might happen.

I'm sort of treating this experience as if I were learning in a formal arena and critique as I go, but it's quite hard in reality as I am plagued with self doubt at all stages as to whether or not I am addressing the correct fit or sizing issues. This is good by the way! Self doubt makes you work harder! When you do a degree in fashion, it's pretty common to be told that you haven't quite captured a brief or the balance in a design is not as pleasing as it could be (in your mind they are saying you are shit and everything you do is shit). Luckily I have the inner voice that tells me I'm shit without a lecturer present ;-) Seriously though, it means that I am striving to do the best I can as long as those inner voices are present. When I can't hear them is when I get complacent and find I have to go back and correct a seemingly stupid mistake!

So far then, I have a good solid bra block (made to fit me) and I am toiling lots of different styles to see what I like, what I don't like. There are loads of pattern drafting suggestions in Shins book, but I find the idea of re-creating them too boring, so I am designing my own things and drafting patterns for them in my own way. It's good to have the book to hand for any similarities to my designs, but for the while I find it more useful to my skill development to just go for it with what I want to make.

What a load of waffle! Not sure if this is interesting at all, but I needed to write what's in my head! I'll try and update my progress as I go with what I am making now, next etc... Since making the bra in this post I have come to realise that the fit was not quite spot on. Demistifying bra fitting put me right there and I noticed that the under wire was not in exactly the right spot. Once you notice, you can't un-notice, so that bra has been retired as a development sample that I can refer back to!

Once the summer is over and I can get more time to do stuff I would love to return to the idea of this zero waste dress and mull over what I can do with it. It is not clear to be just yet, but I just need to dedicate some time to the idea. That's it for me for now, so byeee and I'll be back soon! x

self drafted basic bra

So I am falling down a deep hole of bra making and I can't get out! I never ever thought I would summon up the energy to make my own lingerie let alone draft some, but I am increasingly getting more drawn into everything there is to know about bras. I find the process very pleasing actually in that a bra is not quick to make and you can become very involved in the fine little details (and pretend you are a couturier).

I am certain one of the reasons that I am enjoying it so much is because even though I am an average size (36B), I have never felt that shop bras fit me particularly well. Actually, the truth is that until I measured myself for my Watson bras I thought I was a 34B or 36A, so that's probably the main reason. Ooops! That explains a lot in terms of why the cups always felt like they were in the wrong place, so there's a tip. Get yourself measured or measure yourself properly!

Armed with my new found bra size and some very specific measurements I used the book I received for my birthday back in April (pattern making for underwear design) to draft a basic bra. This is the first pattern in the book and probably the most useful.

It is definitely a book for someone with prior pattern cutting experience. Even basic knowledge would help, but it might seem a bit technical if you are coming to it with nothing. It provides all the information you need to measure yourself and get started and the drafting seems pretty straight forward. When I first looked at it though, having not made a proper underwired bra before I felt confused about knowing how to pick the correct wire to start drafting (you need the underwire for your size to draft the blocks). Now I have some wires that seem ok, it seems a lot more straight forward, but just this one thing did stop me from getting started straight away. There is also no problem solving in terms of fit issues, so if you run into any problems during the drafting process then you have to figure it out alone. All that said I kind of hate saying that you need to know this or that to get started, because if you are determined enough to figure it out then you probably can!

Note - there are also blocks and for knitwear such as t-shirts, knickers and leggings which seem much more straight forward.

I turned my block into the pattern and made up a quick toile to discover it did not look right. At this point I would have been confused if I hadn't already made the Marlborough bra recently, but when compared I could see that I had pivoted the underwire out too much on the outer side of the front band, so pivoted it back in a bit. One toile later and I was pretty shocked to find the pattern working. Really and truly I was surprised!

After a quick rummage through aaaall of my scraps I settled on some silk satin that had failed to become anything. I bought it with some birthday vouchers from work a long long time ago and started making a dress which didn't work out. I then refashioned it into a top which I also abandoned part way through and was pretty much going to bin it, but it's too lovely so I am happy it now has purpose. I paired it with some cream power net and got thinking.

The construction kind of worked itself out as I went along. When I was cutting the power net I decided the selvedge looked nice along the inner edge of the upper cup which gave a nice clean finish and sort of dictated how the rest came together and I was able to use the remaining selvedge as the elastic trim across the outer cup and back band.

Because I hadn't planned it well enough from the very beginning I failed to resolve the top point of the upper cup where it meets the strap. It would have been so nice to have a mitre there, but I couldn't achieve it with the way it was cut. No matter because it's all part of learning new things, but it does bug me. The style is too minimal for a bow to hide it, but I have sewn a loop of the selvedge to attach the strap and I think it is as good as it's going to get.

Because the look is so fine and delicate I chose to make silk under wire casing that I underlined with nylon to give it a little more durability as it certainly won't be hard wearing (the front bra band is lined with power net for strength). Any elastics or trims I have are just too heavy, so I bound the side seams with the silk and used a doubled power net strip for the bottom band. It works so well and is really firm, stopping it from riding up!

I didn't want to topstitch the silk wire casing down because I didn't want stitching on the front band (fussy). I hand stitched it to the power net lining and topstitched the first 3.5cm only on the top of the inner and outer wire. I felt some machine stitching was necessary to keep the wires in check so this is a compromise. I shall try doing things in a different order next time so I can try and machine the casing to the power net. The bra actually looks just as nice on without under wires, so I could completely change the construction to omit the casing, but I kind of like the detail and the added shape it provides.

I still can't quite believe how well this has come out and the fit is like a dream. The style has morphed into a sleek, very light weight and supportive long line bra with a low scoop back. Totally love it! Need to make some pants next to complete the set!

Here are some pics on my (generic) stand. She's too small for it but trust me, it looks so good on!

I definitely wouldn't have had the confidence to do this if I hadn't tried out the previous patterns from this post, but I am all pumped up to try all sorts of things. Using the selvedge of the power net as a trim has got me all excited about making trims too. The absolute worst thing about bra making is finding trims, so I'm going to dive into making some. I have been flicking back through 'the secrets of sewing lingerie' and am definitely going to tackle making my own hooks and maybe fabric covered elastic as a bottom band?

Never stop learning! ;-)

Bras, bras, bras and knickers!

Hi all! I have been having a blast these past few weeks discovering all there is to know about sewing and fitting bras. I have reached a point where it's a case of do it or buy it, because my options are running very low indeed. I really, really, really hate underwear shopping, so finally bit the bullet and made some. I have dabbled with lingerie sewing, but never really spent a great deal of time analysing it or me. I asked for and got a book for my birthday called 'pattern making for underwear design' so decided to start there. I like to work backwards! I have studied lingerie a little and taken a lot of notes in the past on construction, but it is still pretty unchartered territory for me. I drafted a pattern using the book, which was ok but I knew it wasn't what I wanted. I then draped a pattern directly on me (as difficult as it sounds) and still I wasn't happy so I bought a pattern to sew. I chose this one and made view A. It did not come out as I'd hoped (a mix of not checking the fit first and choosing too small a size), so I sulked a bit that I'd used a beautiful bra kit on it having not made a toile first and then salvaged as many bits as I could to sew up a Watson.

Is this pattern nice or what??? So slow to catch on and I honestly thought that the triangles would be very unflattering on me, but I loooove it and immediately made another one!

The pants included with the pattern were not quite to my taste, so I made them bigger and more granny like! Only Instagram pics I'm afraid, but the blue cotton jersey and the floral ones complement the bra's I made perfectly I think!

Next on my journey of discovery was the underwired bra! I discovered the free Maya bra pattern here and have seen some lovely versions popping up on Instagram so thought I would try it. I salvaged some underwires from an old bra and have a load of foam from uni, so got to work! I was scared of making underwired bras as I expected it to be deeply uncomfortable, but guess what? It wasn't! This first one got dismantled as did the second one, but it is a brilliant pattern actually. I am just plotting my third 'perfect' attempt and along with the Watson have two great patterns in my bra making repertoire! The only real change to this pattern was to adjust the bridge slightly (slash the centre front and pivot the bottom out by 0.5cm) as well as swap the back wings for the Watson pattern which offers more support in my opinion.

Did I stop there? No I did not! I still hadn't made a bra that I was really, really proud of. Enter the Marlborough bra. This held the biggest promise for me as it is soft (no foam), underwired and also just very pretty. I made the quickest of toiles and decided it was pretty perfect, so jumped straight in with the good stuff! I seem to be the same size on all three patterns shown here and chose this based on the Watson instructions for measuring.

I wanted this one to be special so raided my stash and pulled out a rigid lace trim that I have had for a long time and have no idea where I acquired it. It matched well with some beigey silk crepe scraps I had and was able to use as a lining. I'm not sure if silk crepe is advisable as lining as it may not hold up over time, but it is so lovely. I like neutrals combined with bold accents, so went with bright orange straps and wire casing. The straps weren't quite long enough on their own, so I extended them with some royal blue strap elastic I had in the same width. It is a really pretty, but modern match with the pale blue power net I used for the back band. The only fitting issue I ran into was the back band being a bit snug, so creatively extended it! ;-)

Note - I bought the power net and a lot of bra supplies from this UK company on ebay and they seem pretty good!

I am so extremely happy with how this turned out. There are certainly things I could still improve on, but I have really discovered an aesthetic and fit that I like. Actually the style of  lingerie is not something I have analysed much over the years, but I prefer delicate materials in vintage type colours or with a bold kick from the trims. I probably should have referred to my pinterest board a bit more and saved myself a lot of figuring out on that front!

Oh, I made co-ordinating granny pants so I actually have set!!! The most exciting thing! They do not photograph well, but when on they flatten out and look nice (honest). I chopped up my pattern to make a front panel and altered the top front piece to accommodate a non stretch fabric for the silk and lace. The bottom front is power net lined with cotton jersey.

The front sided panels are just power net.

The back of the pants is just cotton jersey in a matching turquoise that happened to be in my stash, so they are fancy-ish, but comfy.

Here are some more pictures of the bra because I love it so.

It really feels like I've achieved something special and I am so excited to be able to make bras instead of shop for them.

I have some ideas for a future bra too! I made this gaultier bodysuit at uni many moons ago when we were given a project to copy a designer garment. I did not get my hands on the original garment, but instead researched vintage lingerie for construction information. It was a really fascinating project and although the bra cups are awful (totally flat and wrong), there are some interesting details to draw inspiration from.

By the way I have never worn this!!!

I have also got a vintage item that I have in my collection of inspiration garments. I believe this is a cathedral style? It's a bit squished from bad storage at the moment, sorry! It's fabulous though and has lots of stitch detail and velvet lined straps.

This will definitely be a look I will be exploring in the future. I may try again at drafting my own made to measure bra too! I keep getting asked if I will release my own bra pattern when I post things on Instagram and the short answer is not anytime soon! It is not an area I have experience in and is a specialist area in terms of design. I would need to do a lot more work and research before that would be even a remote possibility, so no!

Anyway, I hope you have enjoyed reading this lingerie making journey. Have a good weekend! xxx