Day 29. All my pretty knickers

Day 29.

I did say knicker making was some of the best fun a girl can have with her sewing machine...

 

I've decided to take a little journal writing holiday for a couple of months but even though I'm putting my feet up, sewing patterns and GIFT SHOP items will be shipped as normal.  

Undies, knickers, panties, briefs...bottoms up!

Day 28. new pattern BRALETTE

 Day 28.

The BRALETTE made up in a woven Liberty print classic called Toria.  The sewing pattern is now available from my Etsy shop in sizes 8-12 and is suitable for A & B cup sizes. 
 

The BRALETTE is worn together with a matching LOWRIDER designed to sit low on the hip but with full bottom coverage.

The bra strap elastic, hook and eye closure, sliders and rings all came from Bra Makers a brilliant on-line resource, lingerie and underbust elastic from Lindcraft in Malvern and the fabric was found at Tessuti in Melbourne.

Day 27. HOW TO attach adjustable bra hooks

Day 27.

A little detour for a couple of days into the wonderful world of bra making.  To complement the LITTLE 'GIRLS' TRIANGLE BRA a new soft cup bra pattern called the BRALETTE has just been released.  Once again it's designed for smaller women with A and B cup busts.

If you're making bras you'll need to know how to attach the adjustable bra hooks at the back.

1.  First It's a good idea to familiarize yourself with the bra hook.  Lay it down so the parts are facing in the direction they will be in when it's on the body.  For a reference pull out one of your existing bras and take a look.

 

This is what it looks like from the wrong side.

 

2. I always attach the hooks last, that way I can fit my bra onto the body and check that the underbust measurement is correct.  Starting with the left side run a line of stitching 5mm from the edge and trim away the excess elastic

3. Open up the two layers on the left hand side and insert the end of your bra in between. Pin in place and then using a zig-zag stitch secure in place, I like to go back and forth a few times.

 

4. Prepare the right hand side in the same way as the left, trimming away the excess elastic and running a line of stitching 5mm from the edge.

Keeping the right side hooks flat pin evenly to the end of your bra and using a zig-zag stitch secure in place.

5. Flip the bra to the wrong side and fold the end of the hook attachment along it's fold line so it encases the end of the bra completely.  Slip stitch in place and you're all done.
   

Hopefully you end up with something that looks like this.

I purchased my hooks, rings and bra strap elastic from an online store called Bra Makers.  The narrow knicker elastic and underbust elastic came from Lindcraft in Malvern.

Day 26. HOW LONG does it take to make a Triangle Bra?

Day 26.

In an age where everything comes to us instantly via a device never out of reach, the question of HOW LONG will it take has insidiously imposed itself upon all our interactions, dulling memory and slowly erasing skills.  We are impatient, even our relationships have a transactional taint.

I learnt to sew at a very young age.  Sewing slows down time, for me the process, like the completed object, is of equal reward and if nothing else, when you make something by hand, it reinforces the true value of the things we buy and less tolerant of inferior quality.
 

HOW LONG does it take to make a Triangle Bra?

9am
Gather ingredients, take a photo and then leave the house for several hours to drink chocolate, read the paper and run errands.
 

12.30am
Trim down the outside edges (I'm experimenting), attach lingerie elastic to the sides, underbust elastic along the bottom edge and ribbons to the front.

2pm (1 day later)
Attach bra straps and darn in thread ends.  Just a note about loose threads, I never just chop them off, each one is threaded onto a needle and then darned into the back invisibly.  This took a full half hour but it ensures that there are no little threads sticking out or unraveling at a later date.

So to answer the question, 26 hours. 

 

The LITTLE 'GIRLS' TRIANGLE BRA sewing pattern is available from my Etsy shop in Australian sizes 6-12 A & 8-14B.  The bra is designed for lightweight woven fabrics (in this case the Liberty print Mauvey)and is suitable for petite women with smaller bust shapes.  

For this adaptation the hook and eye closure at the back has been replaced with ribbon ties at the centre front.  You can view a second bra I made using the same technique right here along with a detailed HOW TO.