Your Birthday Suit!

When someone suggests to you that you “wear your birthday suit” what do you think they are suggesting? That’s right – they are asking you to get naked! But this challenge is not about that at all  (good heavens…NO!) We are asking you to work with sheer fabrics – so you only appear nude but with support (the best of both worlds in my opinion!) That’s what our July theme is all about. We want you to sew a bra, bralette or panties that use sheer fabrics.

You can combine the sheer fabrics with something else, as long as the sheer by itself is visible and obvious from the outside of the garment. How much sheer you use will depend on your chosen design, but remember as long as the sheer is obvious from the outside, it still counts. In other words, don’t be putting sheer lining behind lace or a sheer power bar on the inside of the bra and call it a day! C’mon ladies, if you have never worked with sheer fabrics, this challenge will teach you a lot!

Sheer fabrics include:

• Sheer cup lining is a great lining fabric but because it is non-stretch, it can be used alone too for cups and frame. (I have even seen a corset made with only sheer cup lining and crystals in the …ahem…important areas)
• 15 denier nylon which has one-way mechanical give (that’s the fabric they use for negligees and belly dance veils)
• Matte glissonette (a stretch fabric that skaters and dancers use to appear nude in part of a costume)
• Stretch mesh (a stretch fabric with visible holes but very see-through)
• Superfine stretch mesh (same as stretch mesh only much finer holes and much firmer)

The Challenge guidelines

• The theme must be obvious. In this case, the theme is Your Birthday Suit, so it’s got to be something in sheer fabric. Any colour, any design.
• You can use or modify one of the Pin-up Girls patterns or draft your own pattern.
• The garment must have been completed during 2018.
• There will be a special prize for those who enter the challenge every month!

I do hope you consider entering the challenge. Send your photos to [email protected]  any time before July 31.  If the garment is complex, submit photos of the more important details.  Entries will be shown on social media (so if you are shy, don’t model it!)   Remember, the garment does not have to be on a model. You can even show off your entries to all your friends and family on Facebook or Instagram. Please include the hashtag #bramakerschallenge2018 so we can see too!  The winner will be chosen by random draw after the challenge closes. The photographs of all the entries will be published on this blog and in our social media the following week.

So master your skills with sheer and sew up your Birthday Suit this July!

Your Fairy Bra Mother,