Friday, January 30, 2015

Marlbough Bra - 3rd times the....

Nope! Not quite. This is my third time making this pattern and it's still not quite right.  It is wearable and if I had purchased it I would not be fretting over it, so there is that.  But I sew and I want need the perfect bra pattern.  That way I can go into neener-neener mode and thumb my nose at the RTW manufacturers that keep taking away my comfortable bras just as I find them.

So, I didn't make any additional changes to my pattern, just used the recommended widths of elastic.  The recommended width at the top and bottom of the bands is slightly wider than I had available the first two times.  This pattern recommends 1/2" elastic for the top band in the larger cup sizes.  Beverly Johnson recommends in her Craftsy class the 3/8".  My preference, after trying both, is the 3/8", it just seems easier to use and I just can't tell that much difference in the support.  For reference I am using the 40DD size.  Even with the 1/2" elastic at the top (which lowered the underarm by 1/8"), it still is rubbing at my underarm crease, so I will probably lower at little more in that area next time.

I ended up with some strange vertical wrinkles around the strap area, that I had not had before. Again quoting Beverly Johnson, your cup is too large, try again.  But I'm looking at it in the mirror and I'm thinking not necessarily.  The bottom of the cup and wire seem to fit pretty well.  So off to do some more research on that.

The panties are made from the Burda Cheeky Panty pattern, which is free!  Very comfy, but high-waisted, I will lower slightly next time.  And as when I made them for my daughter, be sure your stitches have enough stretch.  There is no elastic in the waist of these, so they rely on negative ease to keep them in place.  I did some testing on scrap fabric to make sure my zig-zag would not pop.



I made them in a perfectly serviceable cream color.  What I call candlelight or the "non-color" color and knew I wasn't going to leave this set in that color.  So I stitched with the a peach thread I had on hand and dunked in an acid-wash dye bath.  I'm pretty sure I used the Jacquard Acid Dye in Cantaloupe from Dharma Trading, again I 've had it awhile so I won't swear to that. 


Anyway here are before and after pictures -

 
 



I have so much trouble getting accurate colors inside.  This looks kind of peach, but in real life it really is more a light cantaloupe color.


Happy Sewing, Suzanne

6 comments:

  1. Oh - these are so beautiful and amazing. I really want to try my hand at making unmentionables. I'm so tired of having bras that dig into my underarms and panties that fall down. I can't imagine how fancy wearing a matching set that fits must be! g

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    1. Thank You! It's really not that hard once you get started! Give it a try, you might find, as I did, that's it's a little addictive.

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  2. Gor-gor-gorgeous undies! I'm yearning to try dyeing, and that feeling is now reinforced by your lovely results! Isn't lingerie sewing absolutely addictive?

    I've yet to get the Marlborough to fit me just right, but since I'm outside the cup size range of the pattern, I have to work some more on enlarging the cup (I love the cup shape --- it's not pointy at all!) :D. I've made it twice for my niece, and it fit her just perfectly right out of the packet. However, she's a B cup and I'm a G --- in the chasm between lies a world of fitting challenges!

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    1. Thank You! Yes I am just "slightly" addicted.

      Yeah, I really like the shape of this pattern, too. Just one more reason to get the past the fiddly fitting part. I don't think my skills will cover grading that far outside the size range. Good luck and I look forward to seeing what you make.

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  3. That dye job is amazing! Peaches, cantaloupes, it all sounds good :)

    I hope you finally master the bra pattern. It would be so satisfying to have the perfect-fitting bra pattern that you can make again and again and again...

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    1. Thank you, the dyeing is a lot of fun. Especially since I am not too fussed about getting an exact shade.

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