Madalynne Intimates Barratt Bra / So Zo... Knickers

Easter is my favourite time of year, but with the nationwide lockdown in place I was more than a little worried about wasting it. Four days off in a row is usually my idea of sewing heaven, so why was I feeling so uninspired?

Unsure how long we are going to be trapped indoors for, I wanted to be sparing with my stash. With no just nipping to the market to buy buttons I wanted I was going to have to be as resourceful as possible.

In my printed PDF patterns folder I came across the Barrett Bralette - another free download from Madalynne that I'd forgotten I'd actually downloaded. Win! The pattern is a softcup bra with cute little cutaway, made from just three pattern pieces and some elastics. The download also includes a super handy walkthrough with really clear instructions.


I had an array of stretch fabric leftovers in my stash, I was concerned that my elastic supplies wouldn't make the cut- but I'd completely overlooked this picot-edge plush elastic that I'd bought in a bundle from Abakhan ages ago. I was excited to find it didn't look too naff against my black and gold lycra. In fact it served well to make my fabric look more cute and slightly less... gangstery! The yellow seemed a good choice for Easter weekend. My supply of powermesh is slowly depleting but I figured there would be enough for this pattern- It's only 3 pieces after all... Come on let's sew!


Madalynne is a great advocate of using adhesive spray to attach your fabric to your lining. Sadly there are no such luxuries here during lockdown! I tacked the inside and outside together using big hand stitches. You only need to do the centre front cups as you will need to sew the side cups and back band separately in order to sandwich the seam allowances inside the bra.


The instructions are put together sooo perfectly, so I don't really have to extra-explain any of it for my future self. I did make the back band 2 inches shorter as it seemed a little loose around the back at first try on. Next time I will take this extra length equally from the front and back so that the side seams are exactly at the sides! Obviously this extra fabric was also taken off of the lining piece before sewing. I also decided to topstitch the cup seams, just because I always like the finish this gives on bras.

I would like to remind future me to really pay attention when sewing that centre front though. The seam is only a couple of cm long but you must stop sewing before you get to the edges to ensure you have room to sew your picot elastic to the top of the cups and the edge of the cut away.

Stitching the elastic is both the fun part and the infuriating part! The elastic is sewn to the front and then flipped over to the back and secured with a second row of zigzag stitching. I didn't stretch out any of the elastic as I sewed, however when trying on the bra I realised the elastic could be a bit more body hugging at the underarm.... Would you believe if I'd read the instructions all the way through that's exactly what they suggested! Doh! I unpicked and re-stitched, applying extra tension to the elastic at the underarm only.

I guess you can sew it however you want- but the pattern suggests attaching the bottom band directly onto the bottom of the bra instead of stitching then flipping it to the inside. You need a bit of careful consideration when manoeuvring around the cut out. The gap should measure 2 1/4" (I made a size 12, if you make smaller then it should be around 2"). I pinned the elastic on, starting from just before the cut out and then marked 2 1/4" on the elastic so I could be sure to be accurate. I then continued to pin all the way round as suggested in the pattern and tried on. I did a bit of jiggling at the centre front- I found I needed to take the curve off of the underbust area on the front panels for the elastic to sit without gaping. Must be something to do with being a bit flat I think, but I'm cool with that.

In my bid to be resourceful I salvaged some straps off of an old bra. This also saved me the fiddly bit of sewing my own straps and weaving all the ends through the sliders.. Always confuses me! I used quite big rings to attach the straps to the front (the same shape and style used for the centre back of my Noelle bras) as regular bra loops were a little too small to fit all the elastic bulk through comfortably.



I really enjoyed using plush elastic as the stretchy black lace I usually use for finishing isn't quite as robust. I have some pink and blue from the same bag that I just need to team with some appropriate stretch fabric and we'll have another Barratt on the way!

For the briefs I used the same FREE pattern from 'So Zo' blog that I always use. I adore it but I will encourage myself to step out of my comfort zone and try a different pattern next time I make kickers.

I made my usual front panel hack to give myself opportunity to use all the fabrics I'd used on my Barrett Bra to make it match, as well as using the same two elastics. The only other thing I needed was a tiny bit of t-shirt Jersey for the gusset.


I used the same 'sandwiching' method to encase the seam allowance between the fabric and lining of the front panel. Doing the second side can be a bit fiddly as you have to kind of twist it back on itself to get inside. Its only a short seam though, so once its sewn you can fold it back to the inside and your seam allowance is hidden!
I then tack the lining and the fabric together so I can treat it as one when attaching the leg elastic.

Besides that it's pretty plain sailing! I loved using matching fabrics and notions to my Barratt Bra, I feel super sassy in this matching set. I love the sexy gold meets cute yellow! I'm pleased lockdown has forced me to dream up up this combo... Perfect lockdown lounge-wear!

x

Location: Halifax Hall Memorial Gardens, Sheffield
Currently Listening to: Do You Remember The First Time?, Pulp

Simplicity 8228, Racerback Bra

I've made two of Madalynne's Free Lingerie Patterns available from her website and I have been really pleased with the outcomes so far. I thought it only right to purchase a pattern from her collaboration with Simplicity patterns and see if this was as good as the freebies!

This bra had been on my to-make pile since I got the pattern for my birthday in May last year. I'd been put off by not having any 8" wide double galloon stretch lace in my stash. I recently had a big stash busting session and listed things I had, and things I needed to make those things I had into actual things. Turns out all I needed to make this bra was some lace, so I added it to my Abakhan list then I was away!

I can't lie, the reason I decided to make the racerback version of the bra was simply because there was no fastening... Is that cheating? The pattern came together quickly though so will definitely be making the halterneck version next time round.


The pattern pieces are cut so that the galloon lace edges the cups and the back band, so you have to make sure you line everything up following the pattern lay plan. The mesh lining is then cut a little smaller - using the same pattern piece but without the scalloped edge. The pattern suggests using a spray adhesive to stick the two layers together so that you can work with them as one. I didn't have any spray adhesive though, so I went about it the old fashioned way and loosely tacked the lining to the pattern pieces. This was the most time consuming bit of the project! But totally essential in getting my fabric to behave.

Once everything is prepped putting the bra together is pretty fun. I love how it instantly transforms the moment you sew the first seam! Suddenly cups appear! The key to making this bra look super profesh is to really nail the topstitching. Basically every seam is topstitched. I would recommend using a straight stitch for any vertical seams and a little zigzag for any horizontal to allow for stretch. As the lace and the mesh don't fray nothing needs overlocking (this makes for flatter seams/less rubbing etc), but then extra care needs to be taken to keep the edges neat, then the topstiching can kind of keep things under control.


The pattern suggests pushing the centre front seam allowances of the cups to one side and the centre front seam allowances of the band to the opposite side to reduce bulk. I chose to press all the seam allowances open, as the asymmetry of pressing the seams in opposite directions just didn't seem right! This just meant two lines of topstitching (one each side of the seam) on the centre front, the top back pieces and the straps.

Stitching the bottom band to the cups really takes the shape of the bra. I was so excited when the bottom band curves really started to resemble actual bra-shape.


The top and bottom back band pieces are the same, just one has the scallops at the top and the other at the bottom. The central seam joins with the underbust seam at the side seams, so pay attention when stitching together!


Making the top back is fun. It's really important to make sure all the lace it cut symmetrically, then it makes a really pretty shape. The top back neck is edged with some picot elastic which is sewn to the front and then flipped to the back and stitched again, with the picot edge peeking out. This is the only area of the bra that requires picot elastic so you don't need much (great for sewing leftovers! ❤️). I used a narrow zig zag stitch to attach.

To attach upper back to the band you have to lap the band over the triangley bit and stitch from the top. As long as you made sure everything is straight and symmetrical looking, and take care pinning this is quite simple.

I thought the bra seemed a little bit too small, simply as I'd be lifting over my head as there was no fastening. I decided to stitch the side seams up with 0.5cm seam allowance- so I will be adding this onto the paper pattern for next time. I may try cutting the C cups just to test the difference in size. The B is a good fit and there is definitely no gaping but would be interested to see the difference.

Once the side seams are stitched and topstitched (I pressed these to the back, not open) it's time to sew the elastic around the top of the cups and the top of the back band. This attaches the lining to the lace at the outside edge. I didn't add any tension to the elastic as I stitched- just sewed it down flat to the edge of the lining using a zig zag stitch so that it would stretch but not pucker. The support comes from the shape and structure of the bra, not super tight elastic.


Straps! The final step! Again, I made sure they were cut symmetrically so that both straps and both sides of the straps look the same. They are first sewn to the back- my back piece seemed a little lager than that strap width, but I snipped into a couple of the scalloped edges so that the strap blended into the back nicely.

Now is a good time to try on and check the strap length.

The pattern suggests lapping the strap under the front cup but I decided to sew wrong side to wrong side as in this instance it seemed like a neater seam. Check everything is lined up nicely by making sure the central seam of the cup matches the central seam of the strap.

Fin! I love how professional handmade underwear looks just by adding a lining to the pattern. I would like to experiment with different coloured linings - this bra would be totally different if I'd used a flesh tone for the mesh. I'm also very much in love with the yellow version on the pattern packet (Angela, don't forget this would mean buying yellow elastics too!). There's lots to play around with and all you really need is some pretty lace! I'll definitely be making the halterneck version before long

x

Location: Sheffield
Currently listening to: Downtown Lights, Frankie Lee

Noelle Bra // So Zo Knickers, Lingerie Set

This fabric... Am I right guys?! It's been in the stash for almost a year because it's just been too bloody beautiful to use. I'd been through all my favourite stretch patterns in my head, but none of them were doing it justice. I wanted to make something tight (do we call it 'close fitting' to sound more profesh?), but was scared of those problem areas on tops (underarms and lower back) as I didn't have enough for a practice run. A skirt would have looked glam, but the fabric is too thin for a wiggle skirt and I didn't really fancy a circle skirt.

I love the Noelle Bra pattern from Madalynne. I've made a couple and I love them both, but since toning up a little there is a little more room in them than necessary. There were a few areas I thought I could improve on, mainly just a closer fit, but also neatening up that bottom band and just generally slicker stitching. Since making my last Noelle I've bought a walking foot which I was eager to try out... So that sold it! Noelle no.3 coming up!

I opted for my glammy gold fabric on the front panel and front band, both lined with some power mesh. The back a double layer of power mesh and the band a pretty lace. Lace elastic was my go-to from the Button Shed, delicate with just the right amount of stretch. The only other notions I needed were some straps (cut off an old bra that decided not to fit anymore) and some rings for attaching the straps. I chose these slightly larger than normal gold ones for a little extra impact.

Cutting the fabric was an important one here. The design is very eye catching so had to ensure that it was all perfectly central. As luck would have it, the bust darts lined up perfectly with the design, so two of the squares turned into lovely diamonds! I cut out flat so that I could make sure all my pieces were symmetrical.

Fitting-wise I doubled the seam allowances on either side. The fabric now stretches over my bust just the right amount (hi boys)! I took the same amount in on the bottom band to ensure the side seams would match up.

Oooh, while we are on the subject of side seams, this time I ensured all my seam allowances were hidden inside the lining and pushed forwards so they were hidden behind the fabric that isn't see through. This takes a bit of twisting the fabric round so that you can get 'inside' the garment but totally worth it once you get your head around which side is sewn to what.

I stitched my elastic on so it was on the right side 'facing downwards' if you know what I mean, then turned it to the wrong side and stitched again.. I was particularly pleased with how neat my zig-zagging was! Super satisfying.

Attach the straps and you're about done! All that's to finish off then is...

Matching knickers!

I'm sure by now you've aaaaaalllll used So Zo's free knicker pattern . It's absolutely fab, the only pants pattern you'll ever really need! I'm into the habit of altering that front piece into three so I can use contrasting fabric in the side panels. I cut the front panel from my lovely gold fabric, then duplicated this in the power mesh to make a lining. Again it stitched the side panels so the seam allowance was hidden between the front and the lining, this involved some more twisting but we're pro at that by this stage yeah?!

The gusset seam is also sneakily hidden inside the layers of fabric. Zo gives us a handy how-to on her blog so that you can ensure all the layers of fabric (ie, front back and gusset) are all laying the right way round when you stitch so that when you flip it all right side out it looks lush! The walking foot really came into its own here. In the past these layers have liked to slide and stretch around a bit but none of that today!

I attached the lace elastic before sewing up the side seams so that I could get a nice join in the lace when I stitched up. I decided to do the waist elastic the same way which was maybe not the right thing to do. I hate doing the 'join' when the rest of the garment is sewn up. I had visions of a bulky seam and thought it would be easier and neater to incorporate this with the overall sideseam. It worked fine, but I think the waistband tension would have been improved by doing this in one piece of elastic.

And that's it really. Symmetrical pattern cutting was again of course essential to get the design running straight down the centre front and back. The cute criss-cross elastic was some I found in Abakhan again a while back that I've been too scared to use!

I've got plenty supplies left... So bring on the lingerie sewing!

x

Currently listening to: Come Around, MIA
Location: Studio Holland