Bra Bits

Thanks for the compliments on The Frivolous Dress from Tuesday. Some of the scraps from that project were pretty large, large enough to be of use. They went into the lingerie supplies box as bra bits for lace overlays. Also in the box was this embroidered green lace left over from my Christmas skirt left over from my Mother of the Bride skirt.

I'm making the second test bra for my daughter and wanted to try working with lace overlays. The pattern says to cut the lace and the tricot separately and then hand or machine baste together. Halfway through those instructions, I had a thought - use spray basting. Next time, I'll spray baste the two fabrics together first and then cut out the pattern pieces. Either way, it works like wonderful and was easy to do.




Here's what the individual pieces look like. They're flat, well stuck together, and easy to work with without having to pull out any basting stitches later or avoid them in the seams. The spray isn't sticky, doesn't add bulk, won't gum up the needle, and washes out later. Since I have a case of it from textile art, it's great to find another use.




This lace comes with a very pretty scalloped edge. I used that along the top of the bra cups. This is the first time I've done an overlay or a lace edging so there are tricks to learn. The lace is almost identical side to side but slightly off at the center. The center is not quite as neat as I'd like. Practice perfects so I know I'll learn more next time although...




... even with the things I'd change, it's going to be a pretty bra. Here it is before straps and elastic. The channelling and under wires are next.




The pattern I'm using is KwikSew 2374. Of all the patterns I bought, this one received the best reviews for larger sizes. The pattern is well done. The pieces fit together smoothly and all the angles and curves match up well. I like it much better than the previous pattern I used plus this one looks more feminine and less training bra like. I thought it was a three part cup except that that looks like a seam but it isn't really line on the drawing is just a partial lace overlay. That was disappointing. I wanted a three part cup when I ordered this.




I sewed two bras for myself in the workshop I took last fall and a first test bra for my daughter a few weeks ago. This is my fourth bra. I'm starting to figure out the flow and if I keep adding some learning each time, my skills will continue to develop. Lingerie is fun to sew and a great use for fancy, even knit, scraps.

The size Jessica - my daughter - wears is harder to find and quite expensive. For what she pays for one bra, I'll be able to sew her at least eight or ten. Our agreement is that Mom will sew a set of bras and possibly matching panties and after that, she's on her own. I'll give her the fitted pattern and if she decides to sew, bras are a great starting point. They are quite easy to sew and because they're an underneath garment, you can develop your skills without anyone really noticing. A perfect near beginner project.

The bras that I can buy are considerably cheaper and fairly close in price to what I can sew one for except that they only come in white and black. I typically only wear dark lingerie except that the last time I changed sizes there was no black bra so I had to buy the white one until some black ones came in stock. Last week, I accidentally dyed it grey so I decided to take it apart and make a pattern. Below, I've pinned the bridge to tracing paper and marked around it. There are five parts to the bra as it has a three part cup.

Taking a RTW bra apart was good learning for construction details. I noticed that they used a longer stitch on the seams and a shorter one for top stitching, a dense zigzag stitch at the end of the channelling, and a tricot trim over the lace edges inside the cup. There's a layer of lace and a layer of tricot and the lace edge is cut on rather than sewn on later. I transferred some of these techniques to the bra I'm sewing now and will try more of them later on one for myself... in a different color... maybe fuchsia or lime or purple. Something dark but not black.

I'm out for breakfast this morning and then back to sew. I had planned to be painting the exterior doors and trim this month but it keeps raining. I heard yesterday that July and August will be hotter. I hope so. Until then, I guess I get to sew. YES YES !

Talk soon - Myrna

Grateful - learning

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Personal Growth - What you create doesn't have to be perfect. So what if the eggs are greasy or the toast is burned? Don't let fear of failure discourage you. Don't let the voice of critics paralyze you -- whether that voice comes from the outside or the inside. - Dieter F. Uchldorf

After I posted the quote by Dieter Uchldorf yesterday, Katie sent a link to the complete talk - Happiness - Your Heritage - which is well worth reading. We can so easily deny or downplay our skills and our need to create. We can externally allow others too much power to direct our lives or internally berate and belittle ourselves. Comparisons can kill our joy. That's not God's plan. His plan is for so much more. It's me that gets in my own way. Sometimes, I need to just move aside and get on with getting on.