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.

EMP Museum - Hello Kitty

The EMP Museum Seattle WA

The EMP(Experience Music Project) is one of my favourite museums in Seattle. It has exhibits like Fantasy, Science Fiction, Horror, Indie Games plus more. It even has a whole area with various sound booths so you can jam and record your session. Since moving here it has had a special exhibit on Star Wars costumes, Chuck Jones, Jimi Hendrix and now Hello Kitty. I personally have not been a big fan of Hello Kitty. But I have always thought it has had a large effect on fashion and counterculture. The exhibit covers the history behind Hello Kitty and its parent company Sanrio. What I was mainly interested in was the Fashion. So what you will see in the following pictures are some of my favourites at the exhibit.

Hello Kitty

Kitty McQueen from America's Next Top Model 2012

Some of the clothing inspired by Hello Kitty

Alice in Wonderland meets Hello Kitty

Pink Samurai from America's Next Top Model 2012

ColourBlocked PJ's

Low Rise Cotton Knit Tap Pants

Cotton Knit Racerback Tank

These are both made from fabric reclaimed from some t-shirts. They are great as PJ's, at least that is how I normally wear them. It is fun to play with the colour blocking and a great way to use up some of those touristy or giveaway t-shirt. The tap pants are made of a pink tshirt from a breast awareness marathon, the orange was a beverage tee, the blues were both from other marathons. The polka dot orange t-shirt was an old maternity top. 

Both the top and pants are patterns that I drafted for myself. Should find where the patterns went during the move and make myself another set. 

Finished Bralette

Here is the finished bralette using Kwik Sew K3167. I like my colour combination and the lace I found in my stash to use on cups is just a tinge darker then the paprika stretch lace. The dark brown cotton/bamboo knit I used for the cups was also something I had bought previously.This will be a very comfy bralette but not something when I am looking for support and shaping. Normally comfort is one of the top priorities for me, well that along with aesthetics and this fits in both of those categories.

If I do use the pattern again I would probably change the shape of the cups a bit, will decide this after I have worn the bralette for a day. Then the next test will be to see how the fabrics withstand their first venture into the laundryroom. 

Packages on my Doorstep

The stretch laces I just received from Sew Sassy Fabrics just seem to suit this Kwik Sew pattern. I see a new bralette and I think two pairs of panties in my near future.

This morning I found a package from the US Post on my doorstep. The mailman leaves packages on the porch and we get delivery every day of the week, sometimes twice, one of the great things about being in Seattle. So the package was a bubble wrap envelope from Sew Sassy Fabrics with the beautiful stretch laces I decided to try from them. Still trying to find a good fabric store here for laces and bra making supplies. But ecommerce is my friend in this situation. 

So the plan for part of this afternoon is to cut up some lace and perhaps even sew up a bralette.