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If you have ever wanted to glimpse into a fascinating world of which you know nothing, I strongly suggest you take a class in which you learn how to work with latex. I took such a class recently in Amsterdam, where I went with 19 other ladies (and one gentleman) on the European Lingerie Tour. One […]
Once you’ve got that first bra under your belt, so to speak, women often turn to the Shelley Bra pattern for their second bra. It’s a great pattern. However the seam join between the power bra and the strap can be bulky. So what do you do then? Some women add a short strap extension […]
Our lovely Shamrock Valley bra was created using our Shamrock Valley Quartet. If you haven’t used a Quartet as a starter to sew up your own DIY bra, then perhaps this bra will serve as inspiration. There are three unique areas we focused on for this bra. a netting overlay on the cups and frame […]
After our recent posts on getting inspired by the Marlies Dekker bras our student showed us, we are ready for some really sexy strapping! Are you? This is the original bra, with leather hardware connectors joining bits of elastic and some wide strapping. Notice the square grommets and leather connectors. This is the back of the […]
We used our Classic Bra pattern and the Pink passion Quartet to create a stunning Pink passion Bra. Here is the Quartet, which is available with either fuchsia or black findings. We chose the fuchsia findings for our bra. Included in the Quartet is the black poppy lace, black sheer cup lining, fuchsia duoplex and black power […]
Recently I wrote a post showing a selection of Marlies Dekker bras from ready-to-wear. They were all beautiful bras that a student brought in. I showed that all three styles of the “Marlies” bras could, in fact, be made using our MA style foam cups. I also told you I would take you step-by-step through the […]
Have you seen a Russian doll – where one fits inside the other? A matryoshka doll, also known as a Russian nesting doll is a set of wooden dolls of decreasing size placed one inside another. Recently we had a situation where we thought the principle of the Russian Doll might be a good solution for […]
It’s the season when love is in the air, and what better tutorial to offer than one that deals with Tying the Knot? Hold on – I’m not talking about getting married! It’s about a vexing little bra-making issue you may have had in the past. Have you ever had a bra where the bridge is […]
Are your pre-formed bra cups and the pattern you’ve perfected for them your go-to bra style? Are you looking for a little more excitement to get your sewing mojo going? Do I have a treat for you over the next couple of posts! We will be looking at how to make three bras from one cup style. […]
We’re going inside men’s underwear to have a look at the inner support we have built into the Men’s Underwear pattern from Pin-up Girls. Along the way, we’ll go through the construction steps one-by-one. It is easier than you think to make the man in your life comfortable, supportive underwear. Supportive, you say? Yes, each view in the […]
The dictionary defines a chevron as “a line or stripe in the shape of a V or an inverted V, especially one on the sleeve of a uniform indicating rank or length of service.” Today, I am not going to show you how to make your own sergeant’s stripes, but rather how to turn stripes into […]
How to make a trimmed neckline Don’t you love this beautiful neckline? A tiny sliver of red peeks out from the edge. How did we do it? I’ll show you how to make a trimmed neckline. It’s easy with a couple of secret weapons every sewist should have in her sewing room. Start by assembling the trim […]
People always ask if there is something a little more exciting and creative when it comes to bra straps. After all, the Classic bra “only” has fabric straps with elastic trim down each side. You may tire of that after sewing a few bras! If you are hankering for more play time in your sewing room, […]
How to Sew the Ezi-sew Nursing Bra To add to our posts on nursing bras, here’s a tutorial on how to sew the Ezi-Sew Nursing bra. We actually wanted to see how easily it sewed together, and also how it fit after finishing it. Then we can compare how to sew the Ezi-sew Nursing bra to the self-drafted nursing bra I […]
Happily Ever After – How to Sew a Nursing Bra In this post, I will go through how to sew a nursing bra the construction steps on . In my last post, I showed you how to draft a pattern with the same look as a vintage nursing bra, on that I thought would have great […]
Happily Ever After – How to Draft a Vintage Nursing Bra In a earlier post, I showed you the Vintage Nursing Bra in my Once Upon a Time series. In this post, I’ll show you how to draft a Vintage nursing bra made of modern bra-making materials, hardware and sewing methods, so that new nursing bra can […]
Once Upon a Time – the Vintage Nursing Bra Once upon a time, nursing bras were limited to two choices – take it…or leave it. Or were there other nursing bras we just didn’t get to see? Maybe so. A little while back, I found a wonderful Vintage Nursing Bra that I dated to between 1955 […]
How to Sew a Gothic Arch Of the things you can do to your bra to make it instantly more comfy and more stylish, the Gothic Arch has got to be at the top of the list. Bot only is it attractive on and off the body, it can keep the elastic from rolling up. […]
Gothic Arch One of the most recognizable shapes in ancient architecture is a Gothic Arch. It symbolizes strength, and serves as support for the structure above it. All the early architects understood that the Gothic Arch was an integral part of the support system. However, to recognize a Gothic Arch in a bra may not be so easy. A […]
I like to make up words for my students so they remember the technique associated with them more easily. (Do you remember what DoGS means?) So when it comes to fitting bras, it’s no different. So lets’ talk about Almonds and Bulges… In dressmaking, when we need to remove fullness, it is called a Dart. […]
How to Draft a Garter belt Garter belts were an essential foundation garment – there were no stay-up stockings, nor had panty hose been invented yet. Putting on a garter belt was an everyday activity. Not today. Garter belts have entered the realm of sexy vintage lingerie. Obviously you want one! I’ve seen many patterns […]
Cloning a Seamless Cup It is very rewarding to clone a bra you love from RTW (ready-to-wear). You already know it fits. Besides, Cloning a Seamless Cup can save you time and money if you can get the fit on the first try. In order to clone as explained in my blog post here, you need […]
Can We Make a Seamless Swim Bra? The summer is here! And what better way to celebrate summer than with a custom swimsuit you make for yourself? I have no doubts that your hand made suit can rival the suits you buy in the shops. The question is, can we make a Seamless Swim Bra like we see in expensive […]
Promoting your Breasts to a New Job! In a previous post, I talked about the job your breasts have been preparing for since your teenage years. When you are pregnant, you may get away with a retro fitted “regular” bra such as the Classic or the Shelley. However once your breasts get the promotion from […]
Are Your Breasts Getting A Promotion? Breasts are not purely ornamental. As much as you may want to disagree with me on that, your breasts were given one job to do and that job was to feed a baby. Are your breasts getting a promotion in the near future? OK…. maybe your breasts are unemployed at […]
How to Sew bras with your feet Did the Title of this post, How to sew bras with your feet, catch your attention? I was hoping it would! Well, did you know that National Sewing Machine Day was June 13? Can you believe it’s been nearly 200 years already? Where does the time go? But which […]
When Life gives you Grapefruits… Sometimes I hear breasts called different food related names, such as fried eggs, lemons, grapefruits or melons. You get the idea. We can deal with that. When life gives you grapefruits… or even a set of melons, that’s one thing. But what happens if you are blessed with both a […]
Double Lace over Foam I have a surprise for you today – not one bra but two bras in different colour ways – double lace over foam! They look completely different from each other but the techniques used to create them are essentially the same Here are the two bras – the yellow lace bra and the […]
Perfect Panty Gussets Ready to wear does some impressive sewing, like the enclosed perfect panty gussets (we never call it a “crotch”) on a pair of panties. Even inexpensive panties will have both ends of the gusset enclosed like this… Why should we even want to enclose both ends? After all, we see ready to wear panties with one […]
Big Boobs and Soft Belly Swimsuit season is fast approaching. In our part of Canada, the Victoria Day weekend is considered by many to be the first for swimming (yes, the water is still cold!) No matter when you start swimming – it’s time to dig out those patterns, shop for some spandex and start […]
Peachy Pink Lace Bra Here’s just the thing for spring – a peachy pink lace bra. This one was featured in the Craftsy Class – Sewing Bras: Foam, Lace & Beyond. Let’s go Behind the Seams to reveal its drafting and construction secrets. Features of this Peachy Pink Lace bra include lace edging on the […]
Alpha to Omega You may have found that you buy a bra only to find that the wire is way out toward your underarm and pokes you? Or after a few hours (or minutes) the wire slides down your rib cage. Often, there is a flat area of fabric next to the wire where the breast […]
The White Vintage Bra Recently a student brought in a white vintage bra, so we’ll take a bit of a breask from the blog posts on Behind the Seams of the Craftsy bras. It is very enlightening to see how far we’ve come in bra-making, so I appreciate seeing these vintage bras close up! I love […]
