Making a Bra

Well the last two afternoons have seen me kept busy trying to make a bra, not a floppy one but a structured one with bones.  Now rather than go about it  the usual way and make sure I had everything in place and some decent instructions to follow, I dived in a deconstructed an old bra of mine.  Now this in itself took a while and I have to say what a lot of faffy little bits there are.

Here I am part way through unpicking.

Now I had ordered some lace weeks ago (described as lingerie lace) and some of the notions for bra making.  The lace arrived and my husband said what are you making with this green net curtain! Well I am not sure about net curtain, although possibly? But it certainly was not what I had in mind so really I should have held fire on using that straight way.  I didn't in case you are wondering I ploughed ahead and cut out my pieces!

As I didn't have any moulded cups other than the ones from the old bra I had a go at covering these, in some soft jersey. They didn't hold their shape well with something on them and I felt I was constantly giving them a little smooth out to be sure.

There were also other little mishaps with the lace type, it felt like it was snagging on my hands constantly and I don't have rough hands.  Still in the spirit of not letting it win on I went.  From unpicking and restitching I do feel I have learnt quite a bit about how the garment comes together and I am sure there are lots of little tricks out there to save time, improve fit etc. 

Here are the suspicious looking net curtain pieces. Ha ha

Right this is as far as I got before I decided that this is never going to be worn as it is itchy net style fabric grhhh... I have gathered quite a bit of info from working on it though so all is not lost, the cups sit correctly, it has bones and I have had a play around at trying to sus how to make cups fit without the moulding (but I do need a  bit of that).  In the picture above I had not added the elastic, straps or bow as I would only be taking them off again for my next try.  I don't want to waste any bits.

I will source some better lace and try again, I feel it is important to show that not everything always goes well and that I am constantly learning too, the actual act of hand stitching some bits of the bra was very relaxing as I don't mind that so I will push on and try again. 

Late Summer Blouse with Slit Sleeves

Todays make is a floaty chiffon and was supposed to be nice and quick, it very nearly was but I snipped it with my very sharp scissors and sat and stared at it for ages!  The problem was a bit of cotton sticking up I thought I'll just get rid of that, then oh dear!   Well I had already decided on the style of the sleeve this just meant they were open a little further up than I planned and as it happens they are probably just right now.

I bought this fabric in Devon earlier in the year for £5, just one metre and I had thought that once I got it home it was a bit matronly however it has grown on me.  It is a cheap and cheerful make and I'm sure it will get lots of wear.  I suppose you just have to find the right idea for every piece.

I thought I would show a neutral image on the mannequin first.

Here you can see the effect on the sleeves.

So this was cut out roughly on the kitchen table, pinned on to stand and then overlocked.

I have found draping fabric on here helps me get an idea if I like the shape I'm making, it is so much easier than constant trying on although I do still do that a lot.

I pinned the neck and to be honest all it really needed was a very narrow hem, the fabric is so fine I thought any bulk would spoil it.

The skirt I am wearing in this image also had a makeover today, it was a bargain ebay buy a while ago.  It was a bit loose on the waist, well you could just pull it way at the back so it gaped, also it was that sort of length to the k nee that stops you walking quickly.  No good for me I walk very fast and I am out with the dogs a lot so I don't need anything restricting my stride.  I decided to shorten it and take it in.

I cut out a V each side because there are belt loops in certain places and this was the easiest option.

Here is the amount I cut off the bottom, it is much more versatile now and in the cold weather I will wear thick tights with it.  You can do something with most items that don't fit, it is always worth a go especially if you intend to throw them out.

Shoe Refashion and Strap Adjustment

Hello I have just come back from a holiday in Somerset so there hasn't been any sewing for a week or so, but now I am back and I just had to tackle these shoes...

Now I bought these before I went away and they are too small as the elastic strap is too tight across the ankle, the other problem was that they are far more colourful in real life than in the picture so I wasn't sure about them either.  The top bead is a really bright yellow plastic and it just wasn't doing it for me.  I thought I would send them back but no the lovely company just sent me a larger pair! 

Well the larger pair were too big as my feet are narrow and just slid straight to the front, also there was still the problem of the bright yellow bead.  My mum loved them so she has the larger pair and I thought maybe I could adjust the strap on the ankle. So I just cut it at the inside foot, then I played around a bit with a bit of narrow ribbon.  When I was happy with the feel I stitched it into place.

Now as I had started I got a bit carried away, I removed all of the beads but I was left with a gaudy, glittery fabric underneath...

I also didn't like the shape of it at this point so as you can see I cut it straight up the sides, I then covered it with lace as you can see on the right and now it was looking more like something I could wear.   Oh I did leave a few beads around the top as you can see as they were not quite so in your face!

It is amazing how comfy these sandals feel now that I have added that bit of ribbon, and I feel the lace gives a much softer finish.  I know some people will feel they looked better before but they were just not me and there is no point in keeping things we will not use or wear.

Happy feet

Here is the ribbon at the side, not the neatest but not noticeable when they are worn.

So now these are done I will look at shoes in a different way, how many pairs have we got rid of that easily have been given a new lease of life? It makes you wonder, while the lace was tricky to sew on it wasn't impossible. I did prick my fingers a number of times but that is nothing new.  With the range of shoe dyes, fabrics, weather proofing spray etc, that is out there we could all be shoe designers.  I will be on the look out, if you decide to do something similar based on this idea please feel free to link back.