I think we've all had bad experiences with the purple Dritz fabric marker with disappearing ink. So much time spent carefully marking all the important points on your pattern pieces, only to find them gone the next day. Or, you plan to use a purple fabric and the ink blends right in! What to do? Now, I can't take credit for this. I read it in some sewing forum, but I can't remember which one. The cheaper alternative: Crayola Washable Markers. Yes, the same markers your kids use. For about the same price as one of the Dritz markers, you can get a whole pack of the fine tip Crayola markers. I have used all the colors, and in my personal experience I have not had a problem getting any of them to wash out. I even used the red marker on a quilt with a white background, and found that my water bottle leaked inside by bag. The red ink was smeared all around, and I was afraid it was going to stay that way. When the quilt was finished, I washed it as I usually would and all the ink came out! Of course, always do a test swatch, iron and wash it to make sure the ink will come out. Another good marking option are the Pilot Frixion pens. I bought a 3-pack with red, blue and black, and someone gave me the pink pen. These make a very fine line, so they are good for very precise markings.
These markings disappear under heat, so once you iron over them they are gone. Well... not exactly gone... I read a story of a quilter who used one of these pens on her quilt top. The quilt was flown to a quilt show, and lo and behold the pen markings had returned!! How?? Apparently freezing temperatures brings them back, even after washing. So I would recommend using the frixion pens for markings that will be hidden in the finished garment, or just don't go into below freezing temperatures? And if you do accidentally erase your markings, try putting your fabric in the freezer--they might just come back! Do you have any unusual tools for marking?
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Awhile ago I made this set, and I forgot to share it! I thought of it again when I was writing my post about joining strips of lace. PatternsBralette: Bambi Bra by Ohhh Lulu Panties: Hellebore Hi-Cut This is my second time using the Bambi Bra. It is an interesting pattern because you can use knit or woven. I used bias charmeuse the first time and it turned out too big. The only measurements indicated on the size chart are the full bust measurements, and a note that Cup Size 1 is for A-B and Cup Size 2 is for C-D. I'm around a 32D, so I used Cup Size 2 and a size Small, but the band still felt quite big on me. The panties are one of my samples for my Hellebore Hi-Cut pattern. I enjoy making coordinating sets and wanted to use this pretty lavender lace again. Fabrics & TrimsMain fabric: Lavender heavy cotton-spandex jersey. I'm not sure of the weight or content because it came in a grab bag. Not terribly soft, but it has very good recovery, so it must have a high amount of spandex.
Back band: beige powernet. The pattern doesn't actually say to use powernet for the band, but the first time I used this pattern it was too big, so I made the band smaller and definitely needed firmer fabric in the back. Lavender lace: 2" wide, two pieces joined together. Also from a grab bag. Elastic (upper edges): Lavender matte elastic. I love matte elastic for panties, but this is probably not the best choice for a bralette. Mostly I used it because it matched well. It is thin and soft, but not very firm. Band elastic: 1/2" beige scallop elastic Do you ever find the perfect lace trim for a project only to find that it is too narrow? It has happened to me a few times now, and I wanted to share a trick with you. Using a zigzag stitch (and a bit of patience and slow sewing) you can join strips of lace together to make a wider lace. For my first Knicker November project, I wanted to make a pair of Daisy Briefs to match a new bralette. I have decided to combine both Style B & D, so I need some lace overlays for the sides. As you can see in the photo above, my lovely coral lace is just a bit too narrow for the pattern piece. Here, I have laid two strips of lace side by side. With the scallops perfectly aligned, there are big gaps at the lowest points in the lace. But if I offset the lace, with the big scallops over the lowest points, it fills in the gaps much better. Slightly overlap the lace. I have it laying on my cutting mat, but you might want to do this while you are at your sewing machine. It is a bit difficult to pin the layers, so you won't want to move very far with the lace. Use a medium width zigzag, centered over the overlap. Be careful not to stretch the lace while you are sewing, so that you don't get any ripples. In the photo above you can just barely see my stitching. A bit of steam from the iron will help the lace lay very flat; be careful not to have the temperature too high! Here are my pattern pieces cut out. Here it is all sewn up! My first pair of panties for Knicker November! I think it looks good, and I don't think the join is very obvious.
Have you ever wanted to use a lace that was too narrow for a project? How did you solve the problem? Happy Sewing! Have you heard about Knicker November? I found out about it on Instagram from Kirstin @smallbobbins. Kirstin, along with Laura @thespeckyseamstress and Romy @romy.kate are hosting a challenge to sew at least one pair of knickers (or undies, panties, underwear, whatever you call them!) during the month of November.
I already love to sew my own undies, but there is a chance to win prizes! As if I needed any more motivation! You can find more info here on Kirstin's blog. I'm already making plans to sew up at least one new pair of Daisy Briefs. Something fun with lace to match one of the bralettes from my upcoming pattern. Are you going to join in on the fun? Do you save your lace scraps? I have a small bag filled with odd-shaped pieces of beautiful lace, just because I can’t bear to throw them out. I love little lace details, so I try to find places to add in small pieces of lace. I had some long narrow pieces of lace left from panty project that didn’t work out, and decided to make up a bralette. This is one of the first few prototypes of my bralette pattern that I have been working on behind the scenes for the last couple months. The shaping of the cradle is a bit different than the final pattern. I added lace overlays to the inner and outer cups, and at both ends of the back band. Intially I had added in a piece at the center front of the cradle, and realized that it looked like a lace box, so I removed the center piece and ended up with something like a butterfly. While I mirrored the scalloped edges, I can see now that the lace pattern itself is not symmetrical. Oops! Mirroring the lace pattern takes some careful attention, and isn’t always conducive to using up scraps of lace. I still love how it turned out, and have been wearing this bralette frequently.
Do you save your lace scraps? Where do you like to add them in on your sewing projects? Here it is, my first bra made with my custom bra sloper using the drafting method from Bare Essentials Bras, 3rd Edition by Jennifer Lynne Matthews-Fairbanks. Pattern: self draft, 2-piece vertical seam cups with full frame. Underwire: Carmen by Emerald Erin Fabrics: Grey duoplex and powernet I think from Bra Maker's Supply. Elastics: 3/8" & 1/2" black picot elastics from Fabric Depot Co. Piping edge elastic along the neckline from Sew Sassy. Straps: 1/2" ruched strap elastic. Can't remember where I bought it, sorry. Bow: 1/4" satin ribbon, heart charm from Joann jewelry department. While I would not say that sewing a bra is hard, there are always a few parts I struggle with. Every time I sew a bra, I try out a new technique or two to see if I can improve my sewing experience.
This time around, there were two areas I wanted to try something new: encasing the ends of the channeling at the front, and making a strap attachment less bulky. For the channeling, I'd normally have the ends extend past the edge of the cradle, then close them off and trim them at the end after everything else is sewn. I think I learned this method from the Harriet Bra instructions. But after seeing a few Emerald Erin bras that use the neckline elastic to finish the top of the cradle as well as the cups, I decided to see if I could get the ends of the channeling under the edge of the neckline elastic. I started the channeling 1/4" down from the edge, since I was using 1/4" elastic. I didn't quite get the ends under the elastic, but at least they aren't sticking out past the top of the cradle. I usually attach the ring to a strap attachment that is part of the cup. So far that has led to a very bulky seam that usually breaks my needle with several layers of fabric and elastics all coming together. This time I decided to just let the armhole elastic extend past and thread the ring through that. I probably should have made a tighter loop against the cup; it stretches out a bit when worn, obviously because it is elastic. But this join was much easier for me to execute and left me with a much smoother fold. Do you have any tips for sewing channeling or attaching the straps? I'd love to hear them, leave a comment below. Happy Sewing! My pattern testers are busy working on my new panty pattern, which has finishing options for elastics, bands and binding. Have you every wondered what the difference is between bands and binding? Today I'm going to share with you some pictures of bands and binding, go over the pros and cons of each, and share a video that shows how I sew them. Bands and binding are good options for sewists who don't wish to use elastics. Some may find elastics uncomfortable or have a latex allergy, while others may not have access to lingerie elastics. Whatever your reason, bands and binding need to be made from fabrics with excellent recovery--meaning they don't stretch out easily. Cotton/spandex jersey and nylon/spandex jersey are generally good options. Fibers like rayon, bamboo and modal are not suitable for bands and binding but can be used in the main body of the panty. This is a good opportunity to experiment with contrasting colors and use up scraps from previous projects. In the photo above are two panties with knit bands. Both are made from cotton/spandex jersey and have self bands. The example on the left shows the band attached to the panty with a lightning stitch and topstitched with zigzag. On the right, I attached the band to the panty with my serger, and topstitched with zigzag. Knit bands are thin and soft, but the downside is that the seam allowances are exposed on the inside of the panty. The photo above shows an example of knit binding. The main body of the panty is made from a rayon/spandex jersey, while the binding is a contrasting cotton/spandex jersey. Binding encases all the seam allowances, so it makes a nice clean finish. The downside of binding is that it can be a bit thick, and would probably create a visible panty line. I used a lightning stitch to attach the first edge of the binding to the panty, then used my coverstitch machine to stitch down the top edge. Check out this video for step-by-step instructions for sewing knit bands and knit binding. Happy Sewing!
Hello, sewing friends! I have the last post of the Daisy Briefs tester roundup for you today. If you've missed the other posts, you can find them here: roundup 1, roundup 2, roundup 3, roundup 4 .
Today I'm sharing with you a couple briefs made by Zarina, @zarina_craft. Zarina lives in Malaysia and has her own sewing business, so it makes me really happy to provide a pattern she can make for her customers. Hello, sewing friends! In case you've missed it, here are the previous posts for the Daisy Briefs tester roundups: roundup 1, roundup 2, roundup 3.
Today I'm sharing with you the work of Susan, @sukie_b_123. She has a great sense of style, and I love all the pretty florals she chose for her Daisy Briefs. Hello, sewing friends! Today I'm sharing with you another tester roundup for the Daisy Briefs. If you missed the previous parts, you can find tester roundup 1 and roundup 2.
Today I'm sharing with you the work of Sherry, @toffee_apple_sweet_kreations. She has made quite a few Daisy Briefs for her daughter, and I love all the prints she has chosen! Hello, sewing friends! I'm back again with more tester photos of the Daisy Briefs. If you missed the first roundup, you can find it here.
Today I'm sharing with you the Daisy Briefs made in solid fabrics. Plain doesn't have to mean boring, and there's always room for pretty details. I've been a busy bee behind the scenes working on my next pattern. I realized that while I've been sharing Daisy Briefs tester photos on social media, I forgot to share them here! Whoops! So let's get to it, shall we?
Some of my testers have been very prolific and made themselves quite a few pairs of Daisy Briefs, so I'll share those in upcoming posts. Hello, sewing friends! Today I want to share with you a new (to me, anyway) method for sewing fold over elastic. I recently read a comment in the Bra Making group on Facebook from someone who uses basting in the first pass while sewing fold over elastic, instead of using zigzag. I tried it out, and I think I like it much better than using zigzag on both passes! Here is a video, showing this method in detail. Enjoy! Yesterday I sewed my first Darcey Bra by Evie La Luve. My feelings about it are a bit mixed, but I think I will sew myself another Darcey Bra in the future with some modifications to the fit and the fabric choice.
Do you find sewing an enclosed gusset confusing? Or are you wondering just what the heck the burrito method is? Today I filmed a video to show two methods for sewing an enclosed gusset. The first method, which I use in my Daisy Briefs pattern, attaches the gusset and gusset lining in separate steps to help you understand what it going on and (hopefully) end up with all the right sides of the fabrics facing outwards. In the second method, I show you how to attach both the gusset and gusset lining at the same time, making this method a bit faster and more efficient. Let me know if you have any questions! Happy Sewing. Yesterday I had a bit of time for some personal sewing, so I tackled a project I cut out awhile ago and left languishing in my project box. This is the Mirri Wrap Dress by Wardrobe by Me, top version. When this pattern was first published, I saw lots of tester photos and it seemed to be a universally flattering style. It also seemed like the wrap generally stayed closed on most people, which is always a big problem for me. I decided to try it out in a top before plunging into a dress. I was tired when I printed out the pattern and totally forgot about the layers option and ended up printing out all the sizes. So. Many. Lines. Do yourself a favor and print only the sizes you need! I cut a straight size 8, which seemed to match my measurements perfectly. I read the directions before I started sewing and it all seemed straightforward and clear, but I still managed to struggle right from the beginning. The first step was to form the pleats on the front and I had to pin the darn things three times. I think the directions seemed to say to pin the pleats one direction and the illustration shows them going the other direction. Also I was working with rayon/spandex jersey, which is heaven to wear but so limp while sewing. Anyway, I finally got the pleats to cooperate. The other step I struggled with was sewing the collar extension to the back neck, and then sewing the shoulders. Somehow I managed to sew the collar bit upside down, so I ended up with a big twist. I unpicked the seam (thankfully, I wasn't using my serger!) and decided to sew the shoulders and back neck all in one seam. Not as tidy, but easier to wrap my brain around. The rest of the sewing was easy and worked out well. Of course I had to include my blurry mirror selfie, haha. I always show you the clothing on my dress form and never myself. Well, I'm happy with how it came out. I wore my new top today, and for the most part the wrap did stay wrapped and my modesty was preserved. I think using a more substantial fabric would make it easier to form the pleats, and also for the wrap to stay wrapped. Next one will be one of the dress views, probably in a printed cotton spandex.
Happy Sewing! Hello sewing friends! I'm back to share another bra project with you. It seems like every bra I make is an experiment, and there is always something I want to do differently on the next one.
Fold over elastic: you either love it or hate it. I can understand why some sewists have a hard time wrangling this elastic. But it is widely available and comes in many colors, and even printed patterns. I'll show you two different methods of sewing, the typical two-pass method, and a single-pass method for the more adventurous sewists! Matte elastic is my favorite elastic to use when sewing panties. It is thin and soft, but provides enough stretch to hold the panties in place. If you'd like to try some out, you can find matte elastic in colors from Sew Sassy, and black and white from Fabric Depot. Both vendors can be found on my Resources page. Piping elastic makes a subtle but beautiful edge to your panties. Two different ways to sew it with very different results! Stretch lace is a beautiful way to finish the edges of your panties. So many different widths, styles and colors! In this video I will show you a few samples from my collection of lace, explain a term you might see on your pattern (lopol), and show you how to sew along the scalloped edge of lace. In this video you will learn about what picot elastic is, how to choose the correct kind of picot elastic for sewing panties (and how it is different than the elastic used in bra-making), and two different methods for sewing picot edge elastic. Yesterday I made my first partial band bra! Back when I wore store-bought bras, partial band styles were what I usually went for. So why did it take me so long to make one? Well... I guess I wanted to perfect the fit on my full-frame bra before jumping into more patternmaking with a totally different style.
I followed Beverly Johnson's instructions (from her Bluprint class "Sewing Bras: Designer Techniques") for making the partial band pattern, and I have to say it made me nervous. I understood adding an allowance for the channeling to the cups, but removing the seam allowance from the bridge just didn't seem right. But Beverly must have read my mind because she even said it might not seem right and to just trust her. |
CassieI design lingerie sewing patterns for everyday comfort and feminine style in an inclusive size range. Fill up your underwear drawer with beautiful custom-made bras and panties in your favorite fabrics and trims, designed to fit your body. Categories
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