le mani d'oro: Sous-vêtements

Who knew that sewing could be addictive

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More and more lingerie sewing

Slow is the new black
We live in world of speed and consumption. Do I agree with that, NO ... I have to hold on to my values and hold my horses for not consuming more than what I "need". Then again, needs are always relative to the observer's position as Einstein said. Since I do not like to conform, my answer to our world of speed is of course to slow down.

I am a runner and I run with a group, I am the slowest.

I am a house-cook and I cook slow food.

I am a seamstress and I sew, so very slowly.

This is how I am, this who I am. As Prévert wrote, I am who I am. Je suis comme je suis.

Last summer was a busy time in my life, in our life since DH was involve in all the movement. We redecorated our condominium, we got married and unfortunately, I lost my father. He passed away unexpectedly, 13 days before our wedding. In between all of that, I had the time to sew my wedding dress and other items like the lingerie pieces featured in the present post.

Lingerie sewing, unlike the rest of my sewing, was not natural for me. Lingerie sewing requires more attention then the rest of my sewing projects. I am encouraged by the fact that it gets nicer and nicer with every pieces One day, it will be as precise as the rest of my sewing.

For this project, I took some left over seersucker in white and red. It was left from a kid clothing project done in 2008. I wanted to have a bra that had/has a little retro flair. A bra similar to what I use to buy in France in the early 1980's or even the ones my mother wore in the 1960's.

Mission accomplished, it is like I wanted. So let me introduce the BB model. BB for Brigitte Bardot. Sorry the is the first name that came to my mind.

Boylston bra in cotton seersucker - pattern from Orange Lingerie

How is it cut and sewn?

The bra is made with 100% cotton seersucker. Since that fabric has no elasticity, all cotton pieces were cut on bias. Cutting the fabric on bias allows a little movement, essential for my comfort. If I remember well, this movement is called mechanical give in English. The front of the panties are also cut on bias. The bra's back band and the back panels of the briefs are in power mesh. The Boylston bra pattern calls for a single layer of power mesh for the back band. For durability and look inside the bra, I tend to use two layers of mesh sewn in order to sandwich the frame between the two layers of mesh. The finition is impeccable. If you want to learn more about that technique, Tailor Made Blog explains it very well. By cliking on the link you will arrive on the right page.

I like shooting my lingerie on a white plexi with strong lights underneath. Depending on the speed of the camera, I get this XRay effect or a less transparent effect like on the following picture. The XRay effect goes with the slow speeds on the camera.

Boylston bra with two pairs of Montgomery briefs, both from Orange Lingerie

The fun part about sewing our own lingerie is that we can decide on a certain number of things, like having two pairs of briefs. This way, I get to wear my bra two days before washing it.

Seersucker is a type of textured gingham. This is bra to wear with sweaters or shirts more then with a tight t-shirt. Though it might look stiff, it is superbly comfortable. I ranks high among my favorite bras. It is cute and red, what else is there to ask ;-)

The front of the Montgormery briefs is made with the same cotton cut on bias. It then give a bit of mechanical give. The back is made with a double layer of power net.

Inside back of the Montgomery brief.

The sewing technique developed by Orange Lingerie is so great! On top of not having an elastic that cuts your cheek in two, the back of the brief has a clean look and sleek finish inside and outside.

Here are more views of my bra

The comfort of this bra is sooo great. The fact that the straps are joining the closure in the back plays a big role in that comfort factor.

The front straps are made with a lace ribbon doubled with elastic. The same elastic as the one installed in the under arm region. All notions are listed below. I stretched the elastic just a bit so that the front strap would not pull on my shoulder and hurt. When the bra is on the table the front strap ripples a bit. While on me it lays flat and smooth.

Thought the cups seamed to be lined with foam, they are not. It is only the crisp of the cotton and me placing them with love and patience.

Pattern and notions

Patterns - Fabric - Notions

Patterns: Boylston bra and -Montgomery brief both from Orange Lingerie

Fabric: Cotton seersucker from Madeleine Soie et laine (now closed) - Mesh and the bra lining fabric (not shown) are form Bra Makers Supply in Hamilton Ontario Canada (on line). I used their regular bra lining fabric available in white or black.

Notions: All elastics, the closure and the bow were part of a Bra Makers Supply kit. I had enough elastic for 1 bra and 1 pair of panties. The rest was bought by the meter. The lace straps are form Laceville on Etsy.