Making Bra's - Giving it a Try Anyway! - Part 1

Well, I guess I'm troddin' this trail alone. That's ok, I'd planned to do it anyway - and who knows if it will work or not? But you've got a front seat for my success/failure!

First, I used a bra I'd worn previously that I Liked, but it was a little too skimpy - if you know what I mean! So, I took out the wires. Just make a tiny cut in the wire channeling and pull out your wire. When you're done making the pattern, stick it back in and stitch up the tiny cut with a few stitches.

Ok, this is where I started -

Using one side of the bra, lay it on top of a large piece of paper. Heavier paper than tracing paper. I decided that I won't be using wires in the new bra, so I drew a straight line at the bottom. Also, draw around the outside of this side of the bra.

Draw a straight line, perpendicular to the bottom line, right where the cup ends, and the back begins.

Since you can't draw through the bra, I just made small marks above and below right where I wanted the straight line.

Then, repeat on the opposite side of the cup. (I've already taken the wires out.)

Draw around the underarm, to the straight line.

There is that straight line at the bottom.

Because you're using a flat surface to make a curved cup, there will have to be a seam. I'm also making this new bra, from a woven fabric. Like they did in the old days. Except I will use elastic on the bottom, and maybe (not sure yet) for the straps. I'm not completely daft!

Fold the cup in half (ish) and draw around the outside as shown.

Then, turn it over, and draw around the outside again for the other half of the cup.

Basically this weird contraption is what you end up with! But if you fill in the blanks right away, you'll remember where everything goes. Looking at it right now, I couldn't tell you anything about it!!!

Don't forget to draw the back part of the bra.

And remember, since I'm going from a bra that is all stretchy to mostly woven, my pieces are going to be bigger as there will be no stretch in them.

So, I filled in the remaining lines. I also made 3 marks on that center seam so that it would line up properly when I sewed it together.

Next time, we'll make the pattern pieces, and cut out our fabric. You'll need tracing paper, and the fabric you've decided to make the bra from. I'm using cotton batiste.

Yesterday my elastics arrived from Sew Sassy - I told you they were fast!

See you in a day or two! Karen

Make Your Own Bra's!

Well!! The subject this week, has been (unintentionally) brassieres'. So, if you remember, I had cobbled together a bra for my friend, but was pretty sure she wouldn't like it. I almost fell off my chair when she told me she loved it! (Except for the way it looked, that is.) So ...

Confident in my new role as 'bra-maker' (lol) Let's do a little bra-making. I'm going to make one for myself, and a prettier one for my friend. If you want to follow along, this is what you'll need -

• Your favorite bra. If it has wires in it, take them out. Simply make a little cut in one end of the wire channeling and slip it out. It'll go back in when we're done, no problem. 
• Plain piece of paper. Depending on your bra/cup size 1-3 sheets of computer paper taped together to make a large piece. 
• Tracing paper
• Pencil with eraser
• Ruler
• Scotch tape

We'll get started in the next day or so. I have NO idea how this is going to turn out, forget what I said up there about my 'new role' lol - but I do have a slight bit of experience.

Since I'm also into vintage articles of clothing, and especially lingerie, I'm going to make this from a woven piece of fabric. I'm not sure what kind yet.

I'm not completely into vintage - I do like my elastic. I ordered plush elastic today from Sew Sassy Fabrics, which has everything you need to make lingerie of all kinds and they are FAST shippers. 

Plush elastic is "A basic foundation elastic with one side soft and velvety and elastic on the other side." According to the Sew Sassy site. I bought 3/4" wide to go around the rib cage, and 3/8" for straps.

Anytime I get rid of a bra, I take all the hardware off of it and save it - for this day.

I know, so far an entire post with no pictures :(

But, on the subject of vintage lingerie ... I also purchased this PDF book from Mrs. Depew Vintage on Etsy. It doesn't have any patterns in it, buts "gives give each and every detail on how to sew every type of lingerie that was available in the 1920's through 1940's." (quote from her page)

I also bought this pattern

which I'll try after this 'making my own'. If you haven't been to this Etsy shop and you love vintage clothes - run, don't walk, run over there and check it out! Amazing things.

Ok, That's all I have - I'd love to know if you want to join me. I'll do the first post in the next day or two, and we'll just see what happens! It's a Bra Adventure! :)

Featured AUTHOR of the Week - LeslieAnn

I know, usually it is a featured artist here on Mondays but this time, although I am sure she has items she has hand made and is also an artist, today’s feature is on the author of Cast On Bind Off  .
I will let her explain;

Hi, I am Leslie Ann and, as the child of a composer and a reference librarian, creativity and an appetite for learning have defined my path in knitting. My mom taught me to knit (and sew and macrame and decoupage and……) when I was a kid, but after a few mis-shaped holey pieces, I let it slide. I picked it up again after college because I really wanted socks that would fit my small feet. I didn’t have alot of patience for big projects then and knit nothing but socks for the first year. Eventually I moved on to other things but it was a few years before I was really bitten by the knitting bug and knew I wanted it to be part of my daily life. I informed my parents that I wanted a knitting career and after their shock wore off my mother sent me a library of knitting books, which served as my early education in knitting technique.

After many years as a designer and knitter of custom sweaters, socks and other knitted garments I moved to Massachusetts and found my dream job – working and teaching in a yarn store. What could be better? A steady paycheck (noticeably difficult at that time as a designer/knitter) and the opportunity to be surrounded by beautiful yarns and creative and inspiring people! I have seen the knitting world change a lot over the last thirty years and what is so exciting for me is to see how today’s knitters are so thirsty for knowledge. They want to do more than just follow patterns, they want to try new techniques and understand the structure of the knitted stitches.

Cast On Bind Off was born in this environment of learning and growing. I had been collecting and learning new cast ons and bind offs, discovering the many ways the edges of your knitting can affect the quality of your finished piece. I had a file full of scraps of papers and notes and knew this needed to be organised in a much better fashion. The result is this book, one that I hope will be a useful reference tool for knitters to tuck into their project bags and pull out to find and learn what will work best for their project. Most people (myself included) stick to one cast on/bind off because that is the one they first learned. But oh what a big world of techniques is out there! I love teaching classes in these techniques because students get so excited when they realise that they can match the cast on/bind off to the needs of their knitting. I encourage people to learn and play with them, using small swatches as practice samples to compare how different edges look and handle. And there are so many to learn – some that will become new mainstays and some that you use only occasionally for specific situations. My hope is that this book will allow knitters to take their knitting to a new level and introduce them to new ways to cast on and bind off that will make their knits look even better.

 

 My featured artists will go on to be featured on two more blogs this month. They just came from  Louise's blog then to the Indie Mosaic blog and was just featured on Bridgett’s blog! So you get maximum exposure! Since we all do different things you will reach different readers on each of our blogs and you really get your name out there! It’s really great. And best of all: It’s free! If you enjoyed reading this and want to be featured, or know of someone that you think should be featured, leave a comment on this post, or email me at karengass144@gmail.com

 

Trying out Louise's Idea

I'm not sure - is this what you meant?

There would have to be some trimming...

And maybe this is all unnecessary anyway! Last week or so, when she was here, she brought a bra with her. I traced off the pieces, keeping in mind what she didn't like about it. I cobbled together a 'bra' from bits and pieces of this and that - well, it turns out she likes it!!!! The fit is comfy and it breathes well in this hot weather! so, now, all I have to do is make one that looks pretty! Cause the 'trial bra' I made, was definitely not pretty! Not even utilitarian pretty!!! Okay, it was ugly! lol

And it's a good thing, because these pieces for this bra - they don't speak my language! I'll show you those pattern pieces tomorrow. I feel like I've made progress! :)

This isn't as easy as I thought it would be!

Wow - this is like trying to put a puzzle together, with major pieces missing! This makes NO sense to me at all! Take a look at these pictures -

the arrow signifies straight of grain, nothing more

those pieces are in the back, the middle is Center Back

not a clue what piece this is

if you click on this pic it will be bigger, and you'll be able to see the markings

I'm SO confused!!!

Anybody out there have ANY idea about what to do? I may have to change patterns, this one is a stumper!!!

A bra from 1941

Have you heard of the Lutterloh system of pattern making? Rather than explaining it all, I'll give you the link to their site. It's been around for almost 100 years, and they have some really awesome designs from the 40's and 50's.

I'm trying to make a bra for a friend, without spending all the money for the proper fabrics, the hardware, and etc. So... it's off to the 40's I go.

Here is the picture -

the 'style'

and the pattern! 

I'm hoping with the picture close by my work area, and my knowledge of sewing, that I can manage to make a suitable one. Dare I hope for a wearable one? I'll keep you posted!

Featured Artist of the Week - Edna

Here is Edna for you all!

Hi everyone! My name is Edna and I am from Ontario, Canada!

Edna

My knitting passion started when I was a little girl. I don’t quite remember why I started knitting, but it was my mom who patiently taught me. My mom provided my sister and I only one set of 4 double pointed needles for the both of us and one gigantic mustard yellow yarn spool! The texture of the yarn was really bad and it wasn’t stretchy. I remember that when I first started to knit, I would have trouble because everything on the needle was very tight. Then throughout the years, I grasped the importance of tension. 

SO CUTE!!!!!!

I enjoy knitting scarves but I get bored easily when knitting the same thing row to row. My excitement for knitting toys happened when I discovered the book, “Knitted Toys” by Jean Greenhowe at the Library. My heart literally jumped out of my chest and my soul entered the world of knitted toys. I started only about half a year ago and I am still on an exciting learning journey! I hope to inspire more knitters to try something new and good luck!

Edna is absolutely right, you know? Try new things! Don’t be afraid! Specially in knitting, you can always rip back and use the raw material over….Go for it! Jump right in, feet first and have FUN!

If you are an artist, or know of an artist you think deserves to be featured, please let me know by leaving a comment here. 

 My featured artists will go on to be featured on two more blogs this month. They just came from  Louise's blog then to the Indie Mosaic blog and was just featured on Bridgett’s blog! So you get maximum exposure! Since we all do different things you will reach different readers on each of our blogs and you really get your name out there! It’s really great. And best of all: It’s free! If you enjoyed reading this and want to be featured, or know of someone that you think should be featured, leave a comment on this post, or email me at karengass144@gmail.com

I've discovered Cherry Pits!

These are the best things since sliced bread!!! They do a great job of holding either heat or cold, whichever you happen to need at the moment. With the heat wave we've been having, we've been keeping ours in the freezer. But it's no big deal to put in the microwave, heat for 2-3 min and let it work on those sore muscles! Wow!!

Small Cherry Pit Pad 

The small one is 5 x 14, and the ties are 21" long. Just tie it on, and go about your business!

At the small of your back - oh my aching back!

Tie it on - keep doing what you want to do!

Tie it around your neck - great way to cool off, or warm up those tense shoulder muscles

We've been using ours for awhile now, and love it. So, I'm selling them in my Handmade Artist's Shop - and I've order more Cherry Pits. I suppose I could just eat a lot of cherries, but who's got time for that? Have you ever tried one of these? I've tried all kinds of them, including the easiest, rice bags. But the cherry pits hold the heat/cold for much, MUCH longer!

What to do with $1 flip flops -

Lately, I've been finding all kinds of Flip Flop crafts around the internet. Decorating your Flips that only cost a $1 (and even if you didn't go to the sale, they are only a few dollars) and making them look like a million ... or maybe twenty-five bucks! First, I'll show you what I did to my Flips, cause it is my blog after all, then I'll share what I found while hanging around Pinterest and other crafty places. Sometimes you really don't know how you ended up at a blog with awesome tutorials, but after following links to another link to another.... well, you know!

I had this really cool trim, with little roses that were fringed on the edges

I glued it to the straps using this glue, probably just about anything similar to it would work

I added two little roses of pink and aqua, added a bow of b&w twine -

And in ten minutes I had - Pretty flips to wear with a cute dress

Pretty cool, huh? Wait till you see these pages!

From Andrea's Bow Cottage
Ribbon Braided Flip Flops

From Momcaster
The Ultimate Flip Flop Craft List

Want to add some straps to your Flips so they stay on?
They say a picture is worth a thousand words - what about Four Pictures?

Now go have some Flip Flop Fun!