Entries by Beverly Johnson

The Graduate

Are you ready to graduate from this bra-making challenge? It’s been a wonderful trip to Brallywood to see your fabulous creations. Now let’s celebrate by doing your last challenge , in order to graduate! We’re going back to the 1960’s classic film, the Graduate, where we see Anne Bancroft in “that” animal print bra and […]

The Bra that loved me

There’s lots of Spy Action in Brallywood this coming month. Lets’ celebrate all the Spy thrillers, from  James Bond to Austin Powers all the way to  Bletchley Circle and back. Create a bra that draws inspiration from the women in those movies. Are you a Mata Hari woman or more of a Fem-bot kinda gal? […]

Gone with the …

You thought we’d say “Gone with the WIND”, didn’t you? But this month in our Brallywood challenge, it’s all about Gone with the WIRES! You can create any bra, sports bra or bralette as long as their are no wires involved! Go metal free this month and be gone with the Wires! The rules for […]

Pausing for a Brief Moment

7We’ll pause our pursuit of Brallywood for a brief moment… to announce that March is our BRIEF month. Lets’ celebrate underwear in all its renditions – from grannies, to g-strings! Show us your makes this month in any style of underwear, for women or men, and from any fabric.  The rules for our Ultimate Bra-making […]

It’s Rom Com time

It’s Rom-Com (Romantic Comedy) month in Brallywood. Be inspired by any Rom-Com, vintage or modern and create any Romantic underwear, bra, swimwear or corset from any material, laces or trims. Does it have to be red, or pink? Nope – just use whatever colours and materials whisper “Romantic” to YOU. The rules for our Ultimate […]

Our very own Golden Globes

While the rest of Hollywood has their Golden Globes awards, it’s time for Brallywood to celebrate our very own Golden Globes! Make any bra, underwear, swimwear or corsets, but it must be GOLD. Any gold fabric, or fabric adorned with gold. Make it outshine anything else you’ve got. And why not – your sewing skills […]

Puttin’ on the Glitz

Create your own version of Brallywood this month of December to create something Glitzy!  Use any sequined, sparkly, bejewelled or crystallized fabrics you want to create any underwear, bra, swimwear, dancewear or corset. The rules for our Ultimate Bra-making Challenge are, as always, quite simple: the challenge this month is to create a Glitzy garment. […]

Who’s your Leading Man?

Push your sewing skills outside the drawer this month of Movember to create a little Brallywood for your own Leading Man. Use any material or fabrics you want to create any underwear, loungewear, pajamas or swimwear for any man, young or old. The rules for our Ultimate Bra-making Challenge are, as always, quite simple: the […]

Sheer Delight

Sheer Delight Do you love the look of those sheer bras in ready-to-wear but have hesitated to use sheer fabrics in your own bra-making projects? Why is that? Working with sheer fabrics is not more difficult (some would argue that they are easier) than traditional bra fabrics. They are certainly easier than working with stretch […]

Oh, the HORROR of it!

Push your sewing skills outside the drawer this month by being inspired by any Hollywood Horror or Thriller film, vintage or otherwise and conjure up your own Brallywood creation!. Use any materials, fabric, laces, and/or trims you want to create a chilling (or thrilling) bra, corset, swimwear or underwear.  Channel your inner Evil Queen, or […]

Are you ready for the Big Audition?

Push your sewing skills outside the drawer this month by auditioning unusual fabrics to use for lingerie. Use any unconventional material, fabric, laces, or trims and lay them out together to see how they look together. Remember that even the most unlikely choices can look fabulous in a bra because bra cups are generally mirror […]

No Power Net? We have alternatives!

We’ve all gotten excited about a new fabric to use for our bra-making, haven’t we? But what do you do when there is no power net in a colour to match your lovely find? Here are a number of alternatives to solve the challenge of using gorgeous fabrics with nothing to co-ordinate for the back […]

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Ladies – we have your nudes!

When looking for a bra that is virtually invisible under any clothing, lingerie shopping experts advise buying a “nude” colour; in other words, a colour that matches your skin tone. But there are dozens of skin tones from very light to very dark and not enough suitable bra cup fabrics to match them. If you’ve […]

Are Your Bras Spooky Enough?

Are your bras spooky enough for this year’s Halloween festivities? While most people don’t “celebrate” Halloween with a complete wardrobe makeover, there are lots of folks that love Halloween. They don’t want to miss any occasion that gives them an excuse to bring out their fabrics, sewing machines and sew up some Halloween spirit. Here […]

Petticoat Junction Challenge

In May, according to our theme of Hindsight is 2020, we look back to the era of the petticoat and its little sister – the slip. Their hey-day was from the 1800s right up until the 1980s. You can make petticoats, slips, camisoles, even bra slips in this month’s 2020 Ultimate Bra-maker Challenge. We challenge […]

100-year-old Underwear Challenge Entries

We challenged you to sew underwear using inspiration from the last 100 years (or the next 100). With our opportunity this month to stay at home and sew, many of you now have 100 minute-old underwear! Here are the entries to last month’s challenge. Kathleen Whenever I make a new bra I promise myself to […]

Waspies & Waist Trimmers Challenge

Keep trim in a Waspie. What’s a waspie, you may ask? Think of a waist cincher, which could be as simple as a glorified wide belt to a full on under-the-bust-and-down-to-the-hips-waist-cincher-with-garter-clips-to-hold-up-your-stockings creation. Whew! That’s a lot of hyphens to describe such a tiny garment. Here’s a video on 100 years of Shapewear to give you […]

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Making masks!

I prefer to think of my time these days at “I get to stay at home” rather than “I am stuck at home”. That being said, sometimes you have to go out. I get that. You can make a mask for yourself or your loved ones just in case they must go out the door. […]

Bullet Bra Challenge Entries

Our first bra-makers challenge of 2020 is to re-create the iconic Bullet bra of the 40s and 50s. With its distinctive cone-shaped cups and circular stitching, it was “the” bra for any sweater girl of the time. We challenged you to re-create a Bullet Bra in today’s fabrics. A few of you got right into […]

100-year-old Underwear Challenge

Underwear has not been around forever. The first underwear you might recall might be what is affectionately known as “granny panties”. This month, we celebrate 100 years of underwear! Whether you make thongs, g-strings, granny panties or even underwear for men, the choice is yours! Here’s a fun video on 100 years of Underwear to […]

Need Wider Lace? Make Some!

Busty Girl Problem: You want to use a particular lace, but when you lay out the pattern, the lace is not wide enough to accommodate the pattern piece (usually the lower cup). What can you do? The solution is simple: if you need wider lace, make some! You wouldn’t believe how many times this solution […]

The Baby Doll Challenge

Oh, what a night! Late December 1963… Remember the 1960’s where Baby Dolls were on every teenager’s pajama wish list? Here’s your chance to re-make that iconic nightwear look in today’s fabrics and today’s patterns. We challenge you to sew Baby Doll pajamas or your modern interpretation of them. How about making the Sweet Sixteen […]

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Make Ingrid into Baby Dolls!

Baby Doll (pajamas) were all the rage in the 1960s. Women of a certain age will remember (with fondness, hopefully) all the frilly styles that were especially appealing to teens and young women. The Baby Dolls almost always had a full skirt, often with a ruffle along the bottom edge. They were feminine to the […]