More OhhhLuLu

Made another pattern from OhhhLuLu which is her longline bralette. Thus far I have been quite happy with the fit of these patterns as I need to do only little tweaks. It is usually in the band that I need to do slight modifications(normally end up taking out a couple of inches in the back). I am quite long through the torso which is why I really like the look and feel of the longline. I did notice in her notes that she says it fits up to a C cup but I feel it is catered more to B cups like the other bralettes I have made from OhhhLuLu. The modifications to fit a smaller or slightly larger cup would not be overly difficult to do. At some point I may have to try making an extra small to see if the band fits without any modifications. 

 The matching panties are the Grace pattern again but this time they fit better. It seems I am between the medium and large for her panty sizing. So it will always depend upon the fabric I am using and how generous of seam allowances I use.

I have been very happy with any of the patterns I have purchased from OhhhLuLu. They print out quite accurately with very little issue, unlike many other PDF patterns I have used. Her instructions seem precise though I am not the best to ask about this at times as I only use written instructions as rough guidelines. One of my many some may consider bad habits. Another feature many OhhhLuLu patterns have is that they can be used with either wovens, knits or a combination of both, which is a definite benefit in my books.

Wrap-Around Bralette and Panties

I had bought a variety of stretch laces from Sew Sassy, which by the way I am loving. So after the paprika panties I decided to make another pair, but with the wider lace and slightly longer crotch piece. Which I much prefer the fit of. Though the other pair is still better then most RTW pairs I have boughten. Have always found it hard to find panties I like the look of, plus fit and stay where they are supposed to. But then again I usually need to alter most RTW clothing of any sort to have it fit correctly.

The wrap-around bralette was supposed to be Sierra by Madalynn but I had to do a few adjustments aka hacks to the pattern. The main reason that I had used some of the yardage for my panties so I was short about a yard to make her pattern. So mine ended up with double neck straps, one from the fold over elastic I used  to edge bralette and other strap is same as stretch elastic I used for part of the back. 

Not sure whether I am going to like wearing this bralette, will have to give it the day long test. Definitely would not want to be any bigger in cup size. Not for anyone who is a large B cup or bigger. It is always surprising how the bra fit and style can effect how chesty someone can look or feel. 

Paprika Lace Panties

To create matching panties to go with my brown and paprika bralette I decided to make very basic stretch lace panties. This method is quite simple for anyone who has some sewing experience and there are many YouTube tutorials if you care to do a quick google search. For these panties I used a 6 1/4" wide stretch lace.

Here is the basics 1) Take your hip measurement subtract 4

 2) Cut your lace to this length and then cut in half
 3) Fold each of the two pieces in half

 4) Measure in 1.5" and 1.5' up from bottom. Cut out a piece as above on each folded piece on unfolded edge. Remember not to do it on the folded edge.

  5) You should now have two pieces that look like this which you sew together

  6) Turn out to right side and you have panties. Well just about. Now you need to add a crotch piece.

  7) Cut a piece of lace and stretch cotton to sew right sides together. I did mine 3" for this pair. Next time I would make the crotch piece at least 4" long.

  8) Turn right sides out and do a quick pressing.

  9) Sew crotch piece to main body of panties, right side lace together. Each side of main body, make sure you don't get the panties twisted while doing this.

  10) Should look like this

 11) Turn right side out and you have a pair of lace panties.

 12) Next time I will use slightly wider elastic probably at least 7" but that is my personal preference. These are still quite comfy to wear but they sit a little lower then I would like. A combination of the crotch piece being a little short for me and I actually have a butt unlike my lovely model in the pics. Oh to look like this again but alas I am not 20 anymore.

A picture of the finished set.

Pattern Experimentation aka Testing - Ohhh Lulu

This week I decided to try out a pattern package I bought from Ohhh Lulu, a Canadian based independent lingerie designer. It is a very comfy set and quite easy to make if you have any experience in sewing lingerie. It is the Bambi Bra and Grace panties. I had been reading various other bloggers saying they quite liked the Grace panties. They fit quite nicely but I should of went with the medium instead of the large. Was debating back and forth, she actually recommends trying them on quickly after doing the straight seams to see if they are gonna fit. But me being me I just went ahead and kept sewing instead of doing this. So they are a bit loose but are great for a comfy pair of panties. Maybe I will luck out and the fabric will shrink a little bit.

The Bambi Bra goes together very neatly. I decided to line the band also which helped with giving it an even more finished look. The cups fit really well - I went for the small - but I should have made the band a bit smaller. (I did remember to write these adjustments on the pattern for future use) I have a real tendency when sewing for myself to just plow ahead, I always have the best intentions to alter them later but very seldom does this happen. Yet am practically OCD when sewing for others but for some reason it doesn't overflow into personal sewing projects.

The fabric I used are both knits but the black with skulls has very little stretch. Thus I had treated it more like a woven cut on the bias. It will be a great way to use many novelty fabrics after I do a little tweaking with the sizing. Am very happy with the ease of use of Ohhh Lulu patterns so will definitely be checking out some others.