#bramaking

[bomberqueen17]

Lotfus Bralette Sewalong: Construction 1

ok things I've learned: it'd be easier if I used a different fabric for main and lining, and it would be easy if that fabric had an obvious right and wrong side. Despite all my labeling and stickering and everything I *still* sewed a panel in wrong, and it was a nightmare making sure everything was mirror-imaged correctly.

All that said, I had to unpick a total of one seam (but unpicked two by accident, argh), and there's a sudden point where you have everything assembled and you're like..... none of this needs labels any more, and you have to peel them all off before you can continue. And it comes suddenly. So.

I'm not finished but I'm really near the end. It's a lot of fussy little sewing, but the seams are like ten inches long max, it really doesn't take very long.

This being my muslin, I have focused on getting everything put together and have not paid attention to seam finishing, trimming, grading, pressing etc. My next version, I will do those things, but I've omitted them from this version because I still don't know if the thing is going to fucking fit, I'm not topstitching something if I might have to tear it all back out, though let's be realistic I'm not going to disassemble this thing, if it turns out unwearable I'm just going to cut the notions off and start over. It's not that much fabric. I will make minor tweaks probably, but generally it is not going to be worth it to pull this apart. (Exception: if it's too large I would cut seams off and sew it smaller. But it will not be too large, I already know that from the approximate shove-my-boob-meat-into-a-half-of-it not-exactly-try-on-- it is certainly not too big, but I can't tell if it's too small because without the elastic and fasteners it's not pulled closely enough to me to be sure. It feels like there's not enough fabric to go around, but I know the wide band elastic covers a lot of territory, so I'm reserving judgement.)

So. How far did I get? Well.

[img description: this is the cluttered basement setup. Image shows a blue rubbermaid tote lid with a tall rim leaning on a pile of stuff on a cluttered desk, and on the lid is a Kindle with the sewing instructions loaded up, one half of the bra cup assembled, several pattern pieces, and next to the rim is a large box of yellow-headed quilting pins.]

I sent this setup photo to my family groupchat when we were discussing what we're doing with our weekends. (One younger sister is camping in Vermont with husband and kid, the other was gardening and found a big shed snakeskin which was cool, Mom was visiting a brew pub in fort edward and sent a photo of what looked like a pole to me and said "there's edward" and i don't get the joke, and the oldest sister had just taken her daughter to get her ears pierced, which among our people is a sign of young adulthood. Not that it's relevant to the sewalong but this is my blog after all, LOL.)

I had to unpick a seam but progress was quick after that.

[image description: an assemblage of fabric, with a pin in it, going through the throat plate of a sewing machine. The lower fabric is pink, the top fabric white. Both are decorated with Sharpie marks around the edge. The pink is nonstretch nylon tricot, the white is heavy duty powermesh.]

When it came time to attach the powerbar to the cup lining, I felt that the video sewalong had said to have the powermesh side up. The issue here is that the bra cup and lining are non-stretch fabric, as the pattern is written, and the powerbar and back band are stretch fabric, specifically powermesh (which has superior recovery to other stretch fabrics and so is indispensible in bras and compression garments). And attaching stretch to nonstretch is always a little bit of a nightmare, and generally is inadvisable, but bras break the rules in many ways and that's why so many of us are intimidated about bras.

I discovered immediately that sewing with the nonstretch side against the feed dogs and the stretch side against the presser foot was a NO GO. The stretch fabric would get pulled by the presser foot wildly out of shape, and I kept having to raise the presser foot and shove at the fabric to keep it aligned, and I kept wobbling my seam all over the place and it was awful. So I flipped it over and put the stretch fabric against the feed dogs instead, and then had zero further issues. I have not re-checked the sewalong, and the pattern instructions do not specify, but for my own reference, always put the stretch fabric against the feed dogs, that is unambiguously what worked here.

I also broke my anti-topstitching-on-muslins stance here and did topstitch the seam after I attached the back band to the cups. I wasn't doing it anywhere else, but I think it's necessary there, to hold everything down. There's gonna be SO much strain on that seam.

[image description: a pale pink, quite substantial bra, though it only looks fully assembled, lying on the talbe in front of a sewing machine. There's no center gore so it's only arranged as if assembled. But the cups are visibly partly self-supporting, because they're now three layers of fabric, so they're approximately boob-shaped, and hilariously fleshtoned in this light, I did not think this through.]

I got this far, both cups and linings assembled, with the powermesh in the middle. And then I had to make the center gore, which didn't go together the way I expected at all. You sew it in two halves, and then sew the halves together, which I had not expected and could not make myself understand. I did it, and then re-watched the sewalong afterward, and i'm still not sure I did it right, but mine did go on and looks right so I guess even if I did do something not the way the sewalong suggests I did it right enough that it works.

The frustrating thing is that you make the center gore and then set it aside, though, LOL. So I had to make it, then put the neck elastic on, and then check again.

I was SO confused by the elastic. You sew it on right sides together, and then flip it to the inside of the bra and topstitch it from the outside. So you want to sew it in such a way that just a little edge of it, which may or may not have decorative picots because it depends what you bought, will overhang when you flip it. So you want to sew it down along the MARKED SEW LINE on your strap, and if there's a bunch of extra wobbly edges and shit, sew to the inside of that, and you can trim them off after. This is where you compensate for wobbly cutting and wobbly sewing and wobbly putting-layers-together, and it's brilliant.

I didn't do it right but I will next time now that I understand that. And Jenn from Porcelynne *does* explain that, explicitly, in the sewalong, but I watched the sewalong ahead of time and couldn't remember in the moment. So this is me reinforcing it: your whole neckline edge, sew that elastic just so and once you flip it, it will look like you lined everything up perfectly. And you don't have to stretch as you sew for the whole strap bit, and there's only a tiny bit of stretching as you sew down around the cup, and it ends right where your powerbar came in, so it's a nice continuous band of stretch all the way around your boob.

And THEN you stick the center gore in, sandwiched, before you flip the elastic, and it looks weird as hell and no way could this be right. But then once you flip the thing, sure enough, there's just a cute decorative bit of elastic between the cup and center gore, and it looks good as hell.

(I mean, it doesn't on my muslin, but it will when I make a nice version. My muslin is hideous LOL, and I'm not worried in the slightest.)

[image description: an expanse of pale pink fabric with disconcertingly peach-colored elastic running down the middle of it.]

That's what the elastic looks like topstitched down, and there's the center gore with a big sharpie mark down the middle because i meant to turn that bit to the inside but put it in backwards. Oh well.

and this is the back, where the elastic's sewn down: if I was doing a finished one, I could trim off all those odd little bits sticking out where the three layers of fabric didn't quiiiiite go together evenly, and it would look finished and polished and lovely.

[image description: a bit of pale pink fabric flipped to the back. The peach elastic at the top has a couple wobbly lines of stitching on it, and some sharpie-bordered white fabric is sticking out and looks wobbly and terrible, and there are unclipped loose gray threads from construction everywhere.]

I'm not even saving that much time by making the muslin shitty, LOL. I'm just figuring, I need to see how it goes together before I get hung up on the cute details. I have enough of this exact fabric to use it again, but I also have a cute kit, a bunch of salvaged notions, and an intense desire to use a whole variety of other nontraditional bra fabrics, so I'm not that worried.

I should buy cuter elastic though. Elastic can't really be salvaged, not nicely. I'll have to pick up some cute stuff with decorative picots and whatnot. The supply list doesn't specify that you need picots, but then the instructions assume you have them, which confused me. The point is, you should sew the elastic at a point where some of it will protrude past the turned edge, because that's the correct look and function, and you should buy elastic that's not too scratchy.

I know a lot of people are concerned with bras being scratchy. I personally have never been irritated by the seams or fabric of a bra, but I HAVE been wildly irritated by the edge of the hook-and-eye band, the tips of side boning if there is any, and the STRAP elastic being shitty. So I will be focusing my energies on those.

I'm also thinking about making a bra in one layer, with binding over the seams and the powerbar made of stretch lace with a decorative edge, and put on the exterior of the single layer. That would be possible. The two-layer construction of this is kind of bulky and I get why it's like that, but my heavy-duty chestmeats aren't necessarily that heavy-duty.

I'm also going to make this in knit fabric, and am perusing all the Cashmerette Club discussion boards (where much of the pattern design team does lurk) for pointers on alternate materials and such, and I'll compile what I learn and post it here don't worry. (The number one thing is that if you make it in knits, size down one cup size. The number two thing is that if you make it with a fabric that stretches, match the stretch between the outer and lining fabric, it HAS to be the same. And example one is a fellow-commenter told me she made the whole thing in powermesh, sized down one cup size as per recommendation, and it worked perfectly. So we have that as a datapoint.)

(I don't love powermesh for its own merits but I cannot deny, it recovers perfectly, until it doesn't and you throw the bra out, so from a functional standpoint, it's The Thing to use. I'm taking apart old bras for notions and that's the thing I see-- when the powermesh went, I had to stop wearing that bra. But most of them, I busted the underwire channeling or the hooks first. Because they were DDs and I was a J, mostly, but. Hey. Yeah some other time I'll write a post about my horrible struggles with bras and how long I spent with everyone telling me it wasn't possible to be more than a DD and i must be having a body wrong somehow.)

ANYhoo.

I had to stop to make dinner after attaching the neckband elastic and center gore. So at some point today I will venture back down and keep working. The next step is the underarm elastic, and then the straps, and then the hook and eye closure, and then it's done. So I'm pretty close really, but my cat just got into my lap so I won't be headed down there imminently, LOL.

cat tax:

[image description: a white lady in a chair heavily overshadowed by a small gray cat with a white chest patch in the foreground looking extremely smug]

She's helping me post.

[izzyv1o]

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bramakerssupply

New Pattern coming soon! We know you've heard of the bullet bra, but have you heard of the mullet bra?

That's right ladies! It's business in the front, and a party in the back. To complete this bra, every pattern will include a full set of hair extensions in your preferred colour - what a deal! You can choose to wear your mullet down, for casual wear, or in an updo for those active days.

Keep an eye out for the pattern drop!

this is majestic

[gorgon9969]

[smallercommand]

Underwire resources: SewSassy.com, braandcorsetsupplies.com, or salvaging from a dead bra that has nice wires. Bramaker’s supply has printables to show the size and shape of underwires; it looks like sew sassy has started taking pictures, but I’ve had limited luck with the larger sized wires. (They had more splay and warp than I was looking for; ymmv.) Someone mentioned Porcelynne in the notes; she has some of the firmest wires I’ve ever encountered.

If you need to cut one down to size, I think plastidip was being recommended for a while; I’ve used shrink tubing with good effect. Also just filing down the edges.

For anyone considering going into bramaking (or even dipping your toe in): START WITH A KIT AND PATTERN. It will make your life SO MUCH easier.

i am losing my goddamn mind trying to find a replacement underwire that's both big enough and also teardrop shaped. why is every replacement underwire so fucking wide. I'm suffering.

[sepdet]

Have you SEEN the original moon landing feed, especially the scary bit near the end?

Now stay with me. I grew up hearing about these few minutes from my parents (in fact I took the TV they watched it on to grad school; DS9 and Babylon5 worked well in b&w).

This is even crazier than it looks like.

My parents were both scientists, my grandmother a planetarium director, and my dad was just about to land his job at a rocket company that built 95 small rockets that were part of the UpGoer Saturn V. (Yeah. Just the small ones. Saturn V was a BEAST.)

So my parents had a fair idea how dangerous this was, how Neil going manual was a bad sign, and just how close he was to running empty and crashing. They knew the problem that every ounce of fuel you carry requires even more fuel to lift off, so the Eagle was built light, carrying no excess weight even in fuel (it had to lift off the Moon with no rocket, after all).

But they didn't learn until years later just how jury-rigged and bespoke Apollo technology was. Every vehicle and part was designed like a Mythbusters build: extremely customized for the procedures it had to accomplish, using parts and even technology invented for specific mission tasks.

rope memory, predecessor to modern silicon chips: 1s and 0s woven by women (of course) at a Massachusetts textile plant

At the time, computers were the size of rooms and very touchy. Apollo's computer memory was core rope memory, never used before or since, to save space. The read/write guidance computer, too, was woven: physical media could better survive the rigors of space travel. (I suspect even my parents don't know it also used some of the very first integrated circuits, soldered by hand under a microscope by Navajo women).

Spacesuits were (and still are) designed and hand-stitched by Playtex bramakers. The lunar rovers' wheels were titanium meshes woven with piano wire to let dust through, and even had a clever navigation system despite no GPS or magnetic north.

They couldn't test these rigs with computer modeling. They didn't know for sure what the moon's surface would be like, apart from basic parameters like low gravity and near vacuum and a temperature ranging from 250°F in the sun to -250° in the shade. And it was nearly impossible to test for or practice in those conditions on Earth.

And then there were the unknowns. A massive solar flare between Apollo 16 and 17 might have killed or sickened them too much to operate their ship.

While the spacesuit and to some extent the rover design carried on, a lot of these hacks were so unusual that they might as well be alien tech. (I'm sorry woven technology fell out of vogue for several decades.) That goes some way towards explaining why humans haven't left Earth orbit since I was two.

The other problem, of course, is expense. Tech for human space exploration requires as much R&D and testing as fighter planes, which have developed through a century of multiple countries' military budgets. Human space programs are lucky to last two presidents; the next president usually doesn't think giving glory to his predecessor is a good use of money.

So for 40 years, NASA has mostly worked with other countries on human spaceflight or built robot explorers that can be launched in 3-4 years before Congress or the president can axe the program. They're less likely to shut down a mission when 99.99% of the money's been spent, and all that's left to do is download data and uplink occasional instructions.

TL:DR; Congress and the White House keep flashing the equivalent of that computer error message, every time NASA gets ready to send humans into space again. Overload. Abort mission.

Unless, you know, American citizens start saying Go. Go. Go. Go. We have some pretty important priorities down here on Earth (which Amazon and Disney and oil companies should be footing the bill for, though they try not to), but I bet the military can cough up the cost of a few fighter jets.

[heids9584]

#Braugust2021 Day 7 sporty or lacey Why isn't both an option?!?  You can like both...and velvet too!  Here's the @mmadalynne #marisbralette made 3 ways.  The black/silver lace doesn't stretch as much, so I altered the sizing, it has a back closure and convertible straps.   It's completely lined with a lightweight black mesh (not powermesh). The Looney Toons one was made to be a little more sporty on purpose, it doesn't have a closure, and has criss cross straps.  The darker looney toons fabric is the same fabric with black mesh over top, the rest is lined with white mesh so it blends in better.  That 3rd velvet one was for fun. Fun tidbit: Making the Looney Toons one only happened because I saw that elastic on clearance for super cheap.  I cut out the pieces to line it out of black, but was afraid it would show through, so made that start velvet version.  The whole project was due to an impulse and happy accident! #SewYourOwnWardrobe #Sewing #MakingStuff #Sew #LingerieSewing  #Braugust #HandmadeWardrobe #Lace  #BraMaking #DIY #TailorMadeShop #MarisBralette #MadalynneIntimates #Sporty #Lacey #Velvet #DreamWardrobe #MyStyle #HandmadeWardrobe #Create https://www.instagram.com/p/CSSxikXsbZh/?utm_medium=tumblr

[nooby-banana]

it is an absolute nightmare!! i feel lucky that i’m able to sew and have the time/energy to devote to fitting a bra pattern to myself because a single look into any department store bra section gives me hives.

as far as “important” stuff i’ve learned, oh gosh there’s so much info and tbh most of this is either gleaned from the bramaking subreddit or various bramaking shops. there are some great books i’d like to check out once i can get my hands on a library copy.

it’s been helpful to basically think of a bra as a boob harness. there should be no gaping or pinching and the boobs should be gently cradled in the cups with no bulging or loose areas. the band should be doing 80% of the support, and 20% from the straps. side note: did you know the part between the cups, called the gore, should be touching your chest? fixing that can immediately get rid of a lot of fitting issues.

if your bra has an underwire, it should perfectly follow the curve where boob meets chest. it should NOT be uncomfortable, ideally you can forget it’s even there. there are also different shapes of underwires, because not everyone has the same boob shape! RTW bras tend to all use the same shape, which works for a lot of bodies, but it may be worth doing an underwire fit test if you’re having consistent fitting or comfort issues.

this is just the tip of the iceberg and i haven’t even gotten into cups. i may write more if people are interested, but full disclosure i’m a newbie and this is just me rambling about a new interest.

for someone who wants their tits removed i’m sure putting a lot of effort into researching bra engineering

[jessejunkocreates]

I debated not even sharing this but as a Custom Fashion Designer every step of the process is an important communication tool. However not every step of the process ends up being a part of the final garment. For Anna K’s #SomethingBoldSomethingBlueBridal the original Prototype ended up being completely redesigned and the final pattern ended up not being anything like the first draft. Having a fitted bodice was very important to achieve the level of support Anna needed to feel as comfortable and elegant as possible on her wedding day. Seams, cups and gathers were how we initially tried to create that support, but as we fit the Prototype and began taking notes and feeling into the dress we recognized many opportunities for improvement. As an expert I know when - and how - to change course to best serve my VIPs. Upgrading a design from it’s original concept is always available to my Custom Fashion Clients and I’m honored to rise to the occasion. Custom Fashion has a base price that includes the full process short of upgrades like redesign, formal fabrics, couture elements, embellishing, dyeing, etc. If you’d like to bring a Custom Fashion idea to life with an experienced Fashion Designer and Seamster comment or DM now! Availability is extremely limited and I book out far in advance! Accepting new Custom Fashion Clients beginning in January for March deadlines and on into 2023! ✂️ 🪡 🧵 . . . #customfashion #custombridal #patterndrafting #fashiondesigner #fashiondesignprocess #prototyping #bramaker #seamster #seamedcups #cups #bracups #fashionexperience #flxfibers #brasupport #support #bramaking #custombra #oneofakindweddingdress #upgrademystyle #upgrade #dressupgrade #dressmaker (at Themis and Thread) https://www.instagram.com/p/CiIE_yVA5To/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[imickaamo-blog]

New arrival 12mm wide picot edge elastic bands for you guys. #picotedge #bramaking #brás #brasewing #braelastis #elasticbands #elasticband #elástico #elasticstrap https://www.instagram.com/p/CGSRJ3XngtO/?igshid=mlxpzq41fl6b

[thelatexfreeseamstress-blog]

Working on a Latex Free (Coating, bleached, additive, you name it free) Bra for this allergied up woman! I haven't been able to wear bras for a while (even latex free ones I react to due to the jersey fabric) and all patterns call for elastic to make them So...I am finally making my own one up! Sew far sew good! 👍 #sewingsunday #lingerie #sewistsofinstagram #sewist #thelatexfreeseamstress #bramaking #bras #brasewing #patterndesign #patternmaking #patterns #lingeriepatterns #sundayvibes https://www.instagram.com/p/B8EFgm8JXle/?igshid=mpl7vzvsbt3n

[mjrojasart]

Made a second #watsonbra out of some sunny yellow nylon spandex fabric I had in my stash since...early 2000s? Yeah, I'm that terrible with hoarding fabric! 😑 At least I finally found some use for it! There's also enough of it leftover make some skivvies and a longline bikini set. I have a third one in the making, and planning a fourth one with some grey nylon spandex fabric that I bought at the same time as the yellow one. 😆 #clothhabit #sewing #sewingproject #handmade #bramaking #lingerie #longlinebra

[fiberistanora]

Happy Wonder Woman Day!!! Snuck some selfish sewing time this week and made these super cute scalloped, high waisted shorts and AND a Wonder Woman bra!!! Shorts were a @deer_and_doe_patterns tweak (I added back pockets because DUH) and the bra was a @mmadalynne free bralette pattern with GOLD SPANDEX aaahahahahaha. Bring on the movie!! #wonderwoman #bramaking #sewing #imakethings #itsgotpocket

[sophievanclapdurp]

Ze lijken vrij gelijk. #pleasedwithit #bramaking #drapage #lingeriemaking #lingeriedesigner #lycra https://www.instagram.com/p/BttN4J6CbZa/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1x9vwvgm68zl4

[badassindistress]

The past two days I have used my unexpected free time to follow the free Foundations Revealed corset pattern drafting tutorial.

It was easier than expected, the explanations are really clear. I don't have access to my boning or closures right now, so I can't finish this mockup yet, but I'm already happy with how it fits!

[heids9584]

#braugust2020 #braugust Day 25, classic @tailormadeshop @themadcutters Classis, haha that's kinda funny. I have friend who used to get annoyed because I was always "dressed up". I wasn't dressed up, I just wear a lot of classic clothes that you can wear for any occasion. Lingerie works that way too. You can pick a very traditional or classic patterns, and make it into something else just but changing the color or fabric. So, how about classic, with a twist. #sewing #lingeriesewing #sewyourownwardrobe #makeyourownwardrobe #makingstuff #sew #hobbies #inspiration #fabric #diy #handmadeswimsuit #bramaking #mystyle #staysafe #fashionisfun #makingclothes #sewingsupplies #swimsuit #handmadewardrobe #handmade https://www.instagram.com/p/CEVhGdHAMvH/?igshid=qkic6kn9b87w

[stylesatchel]

#bra #bramaking #sewing #lace #lingerie #intimates #ruffle #design #make #sew #fashion #bramakingwithmadalynne #instadaily #instagram #pretty #art #create lace from @tailormadeshop