(Black) Betty Bra

So if I thought it was appropriate to swear on my blog I would.  That is how much I love this bra.  It's safe to say this is a new favourite.

I mentioned at the end of my last post that I was working on a bra using one of Erin's kits from her store, The Emerald Studio.  I purchased a black bra tulle kit and honestly can't rave about it enough.  There is plenty of fabric in the kit, buy plenty I mean I'll be able to make another bra or matching panties without worrying about running out of fabric.  To be honest I'm leaning towards the matching panties but I'm not sure what pattern just yet, more about that later.

For this bra I revisited the Marlborough pattern by Orange Lingerie.  This time I made a 36C (the same size as my Boylstons) and the fit is much better than my previous attempts with this pattern. I modified the curve of the lower up slightly to remove some of the pointyness I had experienced previously and as a result I am much happier with the shape of this cup.  It's resulted in a more rounded, more modern style which I prefer.

I was heavily inspired by Erin's Black Beauty Bra when choosing what to make.  I fell in love the the double straps and tried to recreate them here.  I also should have purchased this kit was a small findings kit, however I didn't know what I was making at the time.  Thankfully I already had a stash of FOE elastic on hand which was easy to substitute.  

This was my first time sewing with Bra Tulle and I think I'm converted.  I was prepared for my machine to try and it it and for it to be a nightmare to sew however it was the total opposite.  It was a dream to sew, my machine loved it, I loved it.  It only postage wasn't such a killer!  I used a double layer with opposing stretch and felt incredibly well supported when I wore it.  Of course my cup size isn't large but I can't recommend it highly enough for my size.  This bra did feel quite tight when I wore it yesterday however it did loosen throughout the day so with a few more wears it should be prefect.

One other thing I love about the bra tulle is the detail that appears with the double layer.  It might be my favourite detail in this bra.  I seriously love it.

As for a matching set I'm tossing up between a Watson, either completely from Bra Tulle or a bra tulle front and powernet back or a pattern with a ruched back like Ohhh Lulu's Lola.  I'm tossing up if I can modify something or just need to buy a new pattern, I'm leaning towards buying a new pattern, I think I do need to branch out from making Watsons all. the. time.

Anyway, if you're thinking about buying a bra tulle, or any other kit from Erin do it.  You will not regret it.

What new fabrics and products have you fallen in love with?

Popsicle Skirt

I walked into my local Spotlight the other day and all their clearance fabric was down to $4/m, considering I just went in for 3m of bias binding and some scuba knit it was very dangerous.  Needless to say I walked out with about 7m of clearance fabric.  I really need to start curbing my fabric buying habits.  I think I need to start limiting it to notions and fabric to finish specific projects, like a contrast, lining, backing or binding fabric.

To start with I grabbed 1.5m of a cotton linen blend and got straight to work.  I love it when fabric and inspiration strike at the same time!  I knew I wanted to make a button up pleated skirt so a quick google provided me with this tutorial from Sew DIY.  I didn't really follow the tutorial that much but it was great to ensure I was on the right track.  When I mentioned to mum that I was planning on making a button from skirt her first words were "oh those are really hard, you've got to get all those buttons sitting flat."  Well I'm pleased to say I think I nailed it.  It's time like these I'm very grateful for a machine that has a sensor buttonhole feature.

I used french seams for the inside seams and cheated and just turned up the selvedge for the hem, I'm all for making sewing easier when you can!  I interfaced the button panels and the waistband with a medium weight interfacing.  It's also got a button and hook and eye closure on the waistband, while a zip would have been cheaper than the buttons (Seriously Spotlight $3.50 for 3 buttons?!?!?!), I love the more relaxed look that the buttons give.

My very technical way of ensuring my pleats were even was to measure them with a pin.  This resulted in there being no pleats for about 4 inches at the back, I do really think I prefer it this way, less volume in certain areas is always a good thing. 

Also Miss Maddy would be proud to know I wore this skirt to work today, I think more skirts have to make it into my work wardrobe rotation.  Something else I noticed today is that this pleated skirt was much more resistant to blowing up in the wind than a circle skirt. 

Anyway I'm working on a bra using a kit from Erin's store The Emerald Studio and I'm blown away with it.  Plenty of fabric, amazing quality, I can't wait to see this bra made up.

Ten Things I want to sew - Update

Back in October I posted a list of ten things I wanted to sew.  I thought I'd do a quick update about how I was going with this list.

Thankfully I've managed to cross a couple of things off, some are long term projects, some are much shorter term.

1. Marlborough Bra
2. Swoon Quilt
3. A Quilted Half Circle Skirt
4. A Raincoat
5. Crossover Shorts 
6. A silk nightgown
7. Simplicity 1105
8. Simplicity 1104
9. A Maxi Dress for Summer
10. A winter jacket or cloak

A Marlborough Bra

                I've made a couple of Marlboroughs now and while they're okay, I haven't managed to prefect the fit or come as close as I have with the Bolyston.  I'm sure I'll come back to this again soon, but for the time being I'm quite happy to mark this one as done :).

A Swoon Quilt

                This one is a very long term project, no progress update other than I've been quilting again.  I'm not sure what fabric I want to use for this one either, I often think Make Life by Sweetwater would be fun but then again some lovely soft florals might be better.

A Quilted Half Circle Skirt

                 It's been much to hot to even think about this one!  Days well over 30 degrees means it's shorts weather and nothing warm needed!  I'm very keen to get this one going for winter though.

A Raincoat

                 Again, nothing happening yet, hopefully one day soon but to be honest it's not very high on my to do list.

Crossover Shorts

                  Cut out, half together, something didn't line up and they're somewhere in the bottom of my sewing room.  They'll be a quick finish when I feel like it :).

Silk Nightgown

                 No fabric yet but I did purchase Vogue 8888 the other day so I think I at least have the pattern sorted.

Simplicity 1105 

                   Done!  You can find the post about it here.  I'm rather tempted to make a shirt using a different view of the same pattern.  I think I'd get a bit more wear out of it being a shirt rather than a dress.  Again it should be a quick simple make, when I get around to it.

Simplicity 1104

                  I made a muslin of this one a while back with some scuba knit.  There was a CRAZY amount of ease in the pattern I ended up having to take it in about four inches to make it wearable.  At least I know this now and will cut out a more appropriate size this time.  I've also picked up some satin backed shantung to make the dress.  Lets hope it works!

A maxi dress for summer

                 There's always next summer right?

A winter jacket or cloak

                I now have fabric and a pattern! (Very Easy) Vogue 8959 and some fabric from deep in the stash.  I'm pretty keen to make this, one day when I can bare the thought of cutting out heavy fabric (It's been so long I think it's a wool blend but I'm not sure).  I'm planning on making view B (the middle length). The best bit is if I don't like it my mum has already said how much she loves the  pattern so I'm sure it will bet used.

I've also got a few additions...

A cot sized Come What May Quilt
                I've got to finish this one in about a week or so..... It's for my nephews birthday, he has a fire engine bed so what better than a fire engine quilt to go with it.  Expect to see this one soon, I've already started cutting it out.  The last time I made a quilt from this pattern I had it finished in a day, Lets hope I can knock this one out in record time too.

Vogue 1374 Sequined Ball Gown
                I scored this pattern the other day when I took advantage of Spotlights 2 for $12 Vogue pattern sale and I fell head over heels. I seriously need somewhere to wear this dress so I can justify making it.  I'm totally lusting after it.

Vintage Vogue 1172 
                I've been wanting this pattern for a while, I love the neckline and princess seams.  The skirt is a little too full for my liking but I'm planning on just not adding the godets. I've already purchased some navy delustered satin (at 50% off!).  Again I'm in no rush to make this one, it's a long term make and nothing I want to rush into for fear of stuffing up.

So these days my list looks something like this....  

1. Marlborough Bra
2. Swoon Quilt (one day)
3. A Quilted Half Circle Skirt
4. A Raincoat
5. Crossover Shorts (half finished)
6. A silk nightgown (pattern picked)
7. Simplicity 1105
8. Simplicity 1104 (Pattern and fabric)
9. A Maxi Dress for Summer
10. A winter jacket or cloak (Pattern & fabric)
11. Cot Sized Come What May (this week!)
12. Vogue 1374 Sequined Ball Gown
13. Vintage Vogue 1172

Ruby Nines Quilt

 

 I only posted last week about a quilt I made, I've followed it up this week with something just a little larger! I finished this quilt top and I'm totally in love with it.

For the top I used two Little Ruby (by Bonnie & Camille) charm packs and some Moda White (#98 from memory).  The pattern is a simple disappearing nine patch, it came together super quickly.  There are 16 blocks in the quilt.  This resulted in a quilt measuring about 59 inches square (once the border was added) and only 4 left over charm squares from two packs.

I'm a bit smitten with the prints in Little Ruby.  They are all miniature versions of prints from the older Bliss and Ruby lines.  The size of the prints make them so sweet. To say I'm thrilled with how this quilt has turned out is an understatement. This top is one of my favourites of all time.

I managed to score my backing fabric from my local quilt shop at half price.  It's flannelette from Miss Kate, an older Bonnie and Camille line.  The quality difference between this flannelette and that from Spotlight is astounding.  I think the flannel will be the perfect choice for this quilt, soft and snuggly. I'm a little nervous about quilting it but I plan on putting it on my quilting frame so that should make the whole process rather smooth.

I think I've settled on using the bottom fabric as the binding.  I dug it out of the depths of my stash.  I narrowed it down to this one from three options so I don't promise any of them will actually make it onto the quilt!

I've also been doing a lot of non sewing related thinking this week.  Like what I actually want to so with my life, how I'm going to get there.  I've never been excited about studying, I've never actually found anything I wanted to study.  Nothing that I actually wanted to spend my life doing doing anyway, or nothing that would get me to where I wanted to go.  Not that I really know what I wanted to do anyway.  Thankfully I've got a job I really enjoy, but I'm not sure it's something I can see myself doing forever.  I love the industry I work in, I love where I work and I'm thrilled that I think I've finally discovered something that can progress my career, even if it means going back to study. :)