Add a zipper to your bra
If you've always wanted a front closure bra, but couldn't decide which closure to use, you might have looked at the possibility of a zipper closure. If you think that might be a tough bit of sewing, don't worry. In this tutorial, we'll share…
Wireless Freedom Challenge Entries
Our challenge for March was Wireless freedom and so many of you have opted to make your bras wire-free. The most popular pattern was the Sweet Sixteen Bralette pattern - the second was Ingrid. Let's see how you did it with our Wireless freedom…
Things every low-contour breast owner should know
If you have trouble finding a ready-to-wear underwired bra that fits, you might be inclined to join the growing number of women who are choosing NOT to wear wires. They have chosen Wireless Freedom. But do you know WHY you find wires uncomfortable…
A Spring in Your Step
This month of April is all about making garments for an active lifestyle. How about jumping into the challenge and working with spandex, Supplex, wickables and other performance fabrics? Any type of activewear is eligible - be it shorts,…
Convert a wired bra to be wire-free!
In my last post, I showed that a wire-free bra could indeed be as supportive as a wired bra. In today's post, I'll show you how to convert a wired bra to be wire-free. That's great news for those who for a number of reasons do not wish to wear…
Can a wire-free bra be uplifting?
In my bra-making classes, I always have women who do not want to use wires in their bras. Yet they want to wear wires because they believe that only a wired bra can give support to their breasts. Can a wire-free bra be as supportive as a wired bra?…
Back to Basics Challenge Entries
This past month, we've been focusing on basic bra-making and sewing skills. If you have a tip or know of an easier way to do the basics, we want to hear about it. As in all of our monthly challenges, you threaded your way through this Back to…
Wireless Freedom Challenge
This month of March, we want you to experience wireless freedom! For our "Wireless Freedom" challenge, we ask you to make creative, unusual or off-the-wall crazy wireless bras and bralettes. Yes, this month we are looking at non-wired bras and…
Bamboozled by Bamboo?
One of the definitions of "bamboozled" is to be perplexed or confused by something. Have you been bamboozled by Bamboo fabrics? There is a lot of misinformation out there about Bamboo fabrics. Let us help you clear the confusion and help to…
4 ways to Elasticate Edges
When you are making your own intimate apparel, there are a number of basic skills you need to master in order to give you a Solid Foundation in the art. One of the most basic skills is working with elastic. Elastic can be very intimidating…
We’ve Got Your Back Challenge Entries
We've started a whole new year of exciting bra-making challenges for you! This year, our overall theme is A Solid Foundation. We are focusing on helping you become the very best bra-maker you can be. Our first month's theme is We've Got Your…
Back to Basics
One of the keys to great bra-making (and the theme for this year!) is A Solid Foundation of skills. This month, we go Back to Basics and challenge you to share with us photos of techniques you have found to make your bra sewing easier, faster…
A Bra Back for your Swimsuit
If the pattern you’ve chosen does not have a back fastening, you can add a supportive bra back for your swimsuit very easily. This bra-back keeps the suit on your shoulders while swimming, which makes it an ideal addition to the suit of competitive…
Our Bra-makers Marathon Winners
At the beginning of our 2018 Ultimate bra-makers Challenge, we wondered whether anyone would stay with the challenge for the entire 12 months. After all, that meant that every month, they would be sewing new intimate apparel according to a…
Three Essential Bra Backs you should know
If you are new to bra-making, you may be following the pattern instructions to a T. However, there are some changes to the back of the bra that will greatly impact your comfort, but they do not take a lot of drafting skill or sewing knowledge.…
Backstage with our Design Team
In keeping with our "We've got your back" theme this month, we'd like to take you back - literally. Would you like to go backstage to see our Design Team? We like to say this is where the magic happens. The Design Studio is where our team makes…
Let The New You Shine Through Entries
In our last challenge of 2018, we asked you to Let the New You Shine Through and add some sparkle and bling to your garments. Did you sparkle in this challenge? Oh yes, you did! Here are the sparkling "Let the New You Shine Through" Entries.
Agnes
This…
Best Bra-making Tutorials of 2018
In January 2019, our theme is "Looking Back". We'd like to kick off this year, by looking back at the Best Bra-making Tutorials of 2018. You may have missed some of them. Instead of you wading through pages of blog posts, we've gathered here…
The art of Fussy Cutting
We love Scuba for bra-making! Not only is it always beautifully coloured and printed, but it is also co-operative at the sewing machine. Who could ask for a better fabric? If you don't know Scuba, you might consider working with some in the…
We’ve Got your Back!
This January 2019, we've got your back! For this "We've Got Your Back" challenge, we ask you to make creative, unusual or off-the-wall crazy backs for your bras, swimsuits, corsets or underwear. Yes, this month we are looking at bra backs and…
Ultimate Bra-makers Challenge 2019
This past year, we offered up a Bra-makers challenge to you. Every month, we set a theme with supporting tutorials, designed to get your sewing motors revving. Why? We wanted you to expand your thinking, step up your construction skills and…
His and Hers Santa Shorts
The holidays are almost here, and for those of you wanting a gift for that special couple or for yourself, here's how we made the His and Hers Santa Shorts.
We used the Lillebror version of the Mens Underwear pattern to make the Mens shorts.…
Our 2018 Christmas Mannequin Tree
We were looking forward to the planning and decorating of our 2018 Christmas Mannequin Tree since the summer. What colour should we use? What style of dress should she have? Real branches or artificial? All these questions brought forth ideas…
How to Make a Piped Sapphire
We got a lot of comments when we posted this lovely Sapphire bra on social media. Denise, our talented instructor (and member of our small but mighty design team) made this using one of new printed fabrics. True to her style, Denise added piping…
Our Manly Challenge Entries
Here are our Manly entries for the Ultimate Bra-makers Challenge. Most of you used our Men's Underwear Pattern, but a few of you also took advantage of our FREE Men's Tank Top offer. I am sure the men out there are quite happy to be seated in…
Let the New You Shine Through!
You have almost finished the Ultimate Bra Challenge for this year. It's been lots of fun and some of you entered each and every month. It's been a great way to challenge yourself with new skills and sewing outside your comfort zone. You've become…
How to Convert Over-the-top to Front Access
Our Men's Underwear pattern has been getting rave reviews. It has an inner support sling and two stylish views, both with over-the-top access. That's a growing trend in men's underwear, in a manner of speaking. However, if your guy prefers front…
How to Make Professional Binding
I love the look of binding on the edge of a garment. (Not Fold-over Elastic, but proper double folded fabric binding) When I make my own knit tops, I almost always use binding on the neckline. Why? Because I have a lovely industrial cover stitch…
Breast’s Friends Challenge Entries
October's Ultimate bra-making Challenge was about being a Breast's Friend. We asked you to create a bra or a prosthesis for someone who has survived breast conserving surgery. Many of you told us that even though you personally did not know…
Support Your Man!
November is known as "Movember" here in Canada. In Movember, thousands of men join the movement to grow a moustache (also called a "mo") during the month to raise awareness for prostate cancer. Even men who never wear facial hair, let it…
A Pocket for Ingrid
One of the things women love about our new Ingrid bra pattern is that it is so versatile. We designed it as an everyday, wireless bra for the larger sizes, but apparently it can be used for much more than that. Women have turned that pattern…
An Amethyst for me
The newest pattern in the Jewel Collection from Pin-up Girls is the Amethyst Bra. Amethyst is a bra that uses lace edging on the upper cup and the front frame to create a designer look. It uses the same basic block as the Ruby bra. Like the…
A Peek Inside a Mastectomy Bra
It wasn't so many years ago, that mastectomy bras were a lingerie store's "shameful little secret", secreted away in a back corner. Linda Crawford of Uplift Custom Bras tells of a client of hers who, once she asked for a mastectomy bra, was…