Last weekend I had bras on the brain. I couldn't stop thinking about them! I've been meaning to get back into bramaking for a while, but you all know how that goes. After working all week on finishing up a commissioned project, I decided to spend a day working on something for myself. And that's seriously all it took to make this bra - 1 day!
If you've already ooooh'd and ahhhh'd over Sarah's handmade lingerie line, Ohhh Lulu, then I'm sure you already recognize the pattern! This is her Jasmine bra.
I love this pattern because, even though it's a PDF, the pieces are so small that there is almost no taping involved! There are only 3 pattern pieces. So nice!
I had some concerns about sizing because the smallest size offered is 33"...two inches bigger than my bust. But this was easily solved by grading down one size. The band size is easy to adjust as well because you can just wrap the elastic around your ribcage and cut whatever length feels comfortable for you.
I omitted the back closure since I didn't have any white bra backs in my stash that would fit this band width. Luckily, the fabric I used is stretchy enough to fit over my head. I forgot to topstitch the back seam allowances down, I've just been too lazy to rethread my machine and do it.
I used some coral knit fabric from Girl Charlee Fabrics and some dotted stretch netting that I picked up last year from Gail K Fabrics in Atlanta (someone give me an excuse to go back there! It's only a 5 hour drive, right?). Everything came from my stash. The wide strapping that I used is the only thing I dislike about this bra, but it's all I had. I may replace it later once I get some more bra supplies in.
The lining was cut from a thin, white rayon t-shirt that I've grown to hate because it's too slinky and see-through to wear with anything. But the fabric feels amaaaaazing so I knew it would be perfect for this.
The thin jersey was difficult to sew with. My machine kept trying to eat it, so I wound up using some tissue underneath and then tearing it off. Works like a charm! I only had to do that for the first few seams, then I had enough thickness to work with that the tissue wasn't necessary.
I left an opening at both sides for removable padding. This is a really easy modification - just cut the sides of your lining pieces shorter than the outer pieces and don't attach the two at the side seams. I simply basted the outer and lining pieces wrong sides together since the edges will be finished by the elastic. I have several comfy bralettes that have removable padding so I just borrowed some from those. It's easy to swap them back and forth between bras.
This is not something I'd wear every day, but it's perfect for lazy days when I'm sitting around the house sewing or just running errands around town. It also works well under loose-fit clothing. It's nice to have pretty lingerie to wear underneath my blah t-shirt and jeans on those days that I don't feel like getting dressed up. Which, honestly - don't be fooled by all the pictures you see here - there are a lot of those days! I try to save my handmade skirts and dresses for work, otherwise I'm in a loose shirt and jeans.
If you've been wanting to give bramaking a try but don't know about dealing with all the crazy underwires, channeling, bridges, and fit issues - give this pattern a try! It only takes a few hours to make and it's a great way to use up scraps of t-shirt material and lace.
Labels: bras, finished projects, sewing
