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Tuesday, July 28, 2020

Future plans and fun undies

I've been quite busy lately. I decided to keep my Instagram feed updated with all the new things I make, the new Facebook group (if you'd like to join us, just click here!) is also keeping me busy, some times more than others 😬.

I've also been busy drafting my own panty patterns and learning to grade them. The plan is in a few months to have developed, drafted and graded my own designs and be ready to fully open my own online lingerie shop!😊
The plan is to start small, with a couple of panty and bralette designs. I haven't yet decided the size range but I want to be able to offer more than the standard S-M-L sizing.
I already have some fabrics that I want to have in my collection and you might have already seen them here, in the blog! This is one of them!

 
 Searching and buying fabrics, elastics and trims is one of the most fun parts of it all, if you have the funds πŸ˜…! So to help fund my future plans, I put a couple (like literally, I have 3 at the moment!) bra/lingerie/panty kits for sale available in my to-be-lingerie shop on Etsy: Aurora's Tales! (Go and have a look!πŸ˜ƒ)

As said above, I have started drafting my own patterns and so far, I have 2 basic designs with which I've been playing with! Here are some of the panties I've made with them. Some of the fabrics used are just scraps or even upcycled clothing (for example the blue string is a t-shirt of mine I never really liked!). I try to minimize fabric and elastics waste by using scraps and scraps of scraps!πŸ˜‹

They say the best way to learn is by doing and ooh have I been doing the past year...! I have made so many bras and panties... They don't even fit in my drawer anymore...! I've gotten so much better and faster at it!

The first draft is of course the full panty aka granny panties! From there, I started playing with reducing the waist height and making higher leg cuts. I tried wearing the brief/bikini style versions and even though they fit me really well (yay me), I can't find them comfortable...!πŸ˜‘ So I made a couple cheeky versions and of course a string!

First up we have the granny panties!






The last one pictured was an idea of one of the members of the Facebook group. She cut out a little paper pattern for me, the whole panty is cut in one piece! There's a short seam and a long seam on the middle front and that's it! Great idea but for bigger sizes, the fabric 'wasted' is a lot.

What do you think? Do you have any favorites?😏


Tuesday, June 23, 2020

Testing the Afi Chic bra pattern

So, the monthly makes thing, yea I'm too undisciplined for thatπŸ˜…

That doesn't mean I haven't been busy though!
Among other things that I've been making (including a new Facebook group for lingerie!)I had the chance of testing a new bra pattern, the Afi Chic from AFI Atelier !

Afi Chic


Package 1 has already been available for purchase for a while now but Ana has been busy with the bigger size range.

If you've been reading my blog, you know by now that I love the Maya bra pattern from AFI Atelier and I have made so many of them...! I've been using size 70G for the Maya so I assumed I need the same size in the Chic as well. I spoke with Ana and she said she'd sent me the same size as a starting point.

For the first bra, since I'm not just making a new bra pattern for myself, I'm testing it, I made it as is, no changes were made. I assumed that I would need to make the usual changes that I have to make on all purchased patterns for it to fit me perfectly, but I wanted to see how it was going to fit me/look out of the box. That's why I made the entire bra, excluding the wings of course, out of bra tulle and elastic scraps.





The cups looked good, no weird wrinkles or anything. The bridge was as expected, too high for me and a little wide, they are both common changes I have to make to all patterns. The underarm was also too high, also a common issue for me and there was something weird going on on the side seam  (it looks fine on Roxanne but what does she know, she ain't squashy at all...!). I spoke with Ana about the issues (she is always so quick and eager to help!), after I showed her the fit, we agreed on just making my usual changes and see how it looked/fit then.

So white tulle bra was made!





The cups fit great, the bridge was πŸ‘Œ but the underarm was still too high. The band still did some weird shit at the right side and right back side.
At that point we were both unsure about how to deal with it. Ana suggested I'd give it a break and she'd get back to me.

But I am an impatient one, so I went ahead and made another one but with foam padding this time. The only changes I made was to lower the underarm even more and straighten the bottom of the back band (the pattern piece has a curve to it).
And it's awesome!πŸ’•







This might be the most comfortable bra I own ( maybe even including the wireless ones but I'm a weirdo)! The weird band shit is mostly gone, the only thing that is happening with the band now is that, on the right side only, it's flipping up which didn't really bother me. Later on I noticed that the same flipping up situation is happening on other bras of mine as well... πŸ’. It might have something to do with my posture or my natural ''padding'' there, either way, it doesn't bother me, that's what it's all about, right? That you like and are comfortable with what you wear.


And then I found this fabric at a local store...


Initially I found the same fabric in gray, bought only a meter (or was it even half a meter?) to make a fun(ny) set for myself. I made a set from my self drafted bra pattern and it turned out πŸ‘Œ(you can have a look at it on my Instagram )! I made it a bit strappy and really liked it!

It was time to go in search for more of this fabric. At first I was disappointed that the gray was sold out but then I found this, the pink version! And I had to use is immediately...! I thought, I've now made the Chic in pretty lace and muted colors, how about I make another one but a lil bit louder this time? 😏




I changed nothing from the previous Chic I made, there was no need for any changes, it fits great! I did add strappies (like I did on my self draft, they are obviously not included in the pattern).


I don't think I have to talk about liking the pattern or not, I think I've already made it clear: Possibly the most comfortable bras I own with beautiful rounded shape. Also the fact that it only has vertical seams makes it much easier to fit, if any adjusting is needed in the cups.

What do you think? Quiet and lacy or loud and fun? πŸ˜‹ Which one is your favorite?



Saturday, June 20, 2020

Underwire bra pattern list

I put together a list with all the underwire patterns I know of and could find on the interwebs! All patterns in the list are available for download (apart from the Pin-up Girls which, even though not available as a PDF, they are a few of the most known patterns and that's why I've included them).
I wanted this list to be patterns that everyone can purchase, no matter where they live in the world, and not have to spend extra on shipping costs (they can sometimes be quite high). I have of course not tried all these patterns myself (duh, they're many!).
If I've missed a pattern(s), you can always leave a comment with the name(s) and I'll add them!
By clicking on the pattern name, it takes you to the page of the pattern!

DesignerPattern nameSize Range
AFI AtelierMaya bra
AFI AtelierAfi Chic bra EU 60-85 A-E Package 1
Orange LingerieBerkeley Bra30-40 A-DD
Orange LingerieBolyston bra30-40 A-DD & 30-40 DDD-J
Orange LingerieDevonshire bra30-40 A-DD & 30-40 DDD-J
Orange LingerieEsplanade Bra30-40 A-DD
Orange LingerieFenway Bra30-40 A-DD
Orange LingerieLansdowne Bra30-40 A-DD
Orange LingerieMarlborough Bra30-40 A-DD & 30-40 DDD-J
Orange LingerieMystic Bra30 B-DD & 32-40 A-DD
LilypadesignsLamina bra 29” - 42” band 4.0” - 7.1”BCD
LilypadesignsLabellum Bra 29” - 42” band 4.0” - 7.1”BCD
Emerald ErinBlack Beauty Bra28-40 B-DD & 28-40 E-G
Make BraDL01Various
Make BraBra DL02-3Various
Make BraDL03Various
Make BraDL04Various
Make BraPetite Bra65 A-C & 70 AA-B
Pin-up GirlsClassicBCD 2.25-7.5
Pin-up GirlsShelleyBCD 2.25-7.5
Pin-up GirlsLindaBCD 2.25-7.5
Pin-up GirlsSherriBCD 2.25-6
Pin-up GirlsRubyBCD 3.0-6.0, 26?(65 cm)-40?(100 cm)
Pin-up GirlsAmethystBCD 3.0-6.0, 26?(65 cm)-40?(100 cm)
Pin-up GirlsSapphireBCD 3.0-6.0, 26?(65 cm)-40?(100 cm)
Pin-up GirlsDiamond BustierBCD 3.0-6.0, 26?(65 cm)-40?(100 cm)
Pin-up GirlsAmanda and Alyssa32B – 42E
Pin-up GirlsAnita and Amelia32B – 42E
Ohhh LuluCindy Longline30A-DD - 38A-DD
B.WearAngie´s Twin70-85 A-I & 90-105 A-I
B.WearJessica70-105 A-I
Hari ItoRafale32A-40H & 40A-48H
Cloth HabitHarriet 28-42 A-E & 28-42 E-H
Booby TrapsBalconette Bra8-18 B-E
Booby TrapsBaroque10-18 B-E
Booby TrapsBOO214-24 C-DD & 8-14 A-C
Booby TrapsBOO310-26 A-E
Booby TrapsJayne10-18 B-E
Booby TrapsJulie10-14 B-C
Booby TrapsClaudia10-14 A-D
Booby TrapsDart Bra10-18 B-E
Booby TrapsLaura Cupless Bra8 - 18
Booby TrapsMolded Cup Bra8-18 A-DD
Booby TrapsPlunge Bra8-18 A-E
Booby TrapsVanessa Bra10-16 B-I & 18-30 C-I
LingerieSewPatternsDaphne 30-40A-D & 30-38DD
LingerieSewPatternsOphelia30-40A-D & 30-38DD
LingerieSewPatternsGinger 1/4 cup bra30-40A-D & 30-38DD
LingerieSewPatternsVictoria shelf bra30-40A-D & 30-38 DD
LovelyOwnBraAgnes80,90,100 DD
LovelyOwnBraTeresa80 AA-D
LovelyOwnBraIren70,80,90 AA-D
LovelyOwnBraAnjelika80 AA-D
LovelyOwnBraGeorgette80 AA-D
LovelyOwnBraKarolina70,80 AA-D
LovelyOwnBraEveAA-D 80
LovelyOwnBraMargo80,90 AA-D
LovelyOwnBraAnabel70,80 AA-D
LovelyOwnBraFlorens80,90 AA-D
LovelyOwnBraBeatrice80 AA-D
LovelyOwnBraKetie70-80 AA-D
La Bella Coppia Josey30 H – 30 I, 32 G – 32 I, 34 DDD/F – 34 J, 36 DD/E – 36 I, 38 D – 38 H, 40 C – 40 G, 42 D – 42 DDD/F
CorsetsbyCarolineUnderwired braBCD 63mm-146mm
CorsetsbyCarolineCRESCENTBCD 65mm-127mm & 114mm-162mm
Bravo BellaBravo Bra #232-48 D-I
Bravo BellaBra Elite30-44 AA-DD
Bravo BellaQueen Bra Elite34-48 D-H
ElisePatternsChelsea30-40 C-E
merckwaerdighBUTTERFLY34A - 48A, 32B - 46B, 30C - 44C, 28D - 42D
merckwaerdighWINGS34A - 44A, 32B - 42B, 30C - 40C, 28D - 38D
merckwaerdighSIDEBAR-XL42A - 54A, 40B - 52B, 38C - 50C, 36D - 48D
merckwaerdighCURVE30A - 42A, 28B - 40B, 28C - 38C, 28D - 36D
merckwaerdighBALCONY34A - 48A, 32B - 46B, 30C - 44C, 28D - 42D
merckwaerdighSCOOP34A - 48A, 32B - 46B, 30C - 44C, 28D - 42D
merckwaerdighCLASSIC E+36E - 46E, 34F - 44F,32G - 42G
merckwaerdighCUT-OUT4A - 46A, 32B - 44B, 30C - 42C, 28D - 40D
merckwaerdighSTRAPLESS32A - 42A, 30B - 40B, 28C - 38C, 28D - 36D
merckwaerdighPUSHUP32A - 44A, 30B - 42B, 28C - 40C
DesignCutAndWearBasic Bra BlockAA-D
DiggyBeeDesignsLYSSA32-40 D
DiggyBeeDesignsGRACI32-40 D
ZaziePatternsZazie underwire braunclear
HariItoLingerieRafale Bra32A-40H & 40A-48H
rebeccajpageBianca28AA to 48M
De Lingerie AcademieCYBELLE70F-H, 75E-H, 80D-H, 85C-G, 90B-F, 95B-E, 100B-D, 105B-C, 110B
De Lingerie AcademieAURORA70C-E, 75B-E, 80B-E, 85B-E, 90B-E
De Lingerie AcademieDIANA70A-D, 75A-D, 80A-D, 85A-D, 90A-D
PorcelynneEve Classic BraAll



Sunday, June 14, 2020

Wireless bra list

I have made a list with all the wireless bra patterns that I know of and that I could find. The links take you to the publisher/designer's webshop/site. I have of course not tried all of these patterns so I cannot speak of their fit and sizing. I thought this would be handy for everyone who's into bramaking!

 
Last updated: 15-06-2020 22:43



Pattern name Creator
Ingrid  Bra Makers Supply
Sweet Sixteen  Bra Makers Supply
Lotus Lilypadisigns
Watson Cloth Habit
104/102 EZI SEW
Jasmine OhhhLuluSews
Brigette Triangle Bra OhhhLuluSews
Romy OhhhLuluSews
Anna OhhhLuluSews
Bambi OhhhLuluSews
Amber OhhhLuluSews
Scarlett OhhhLuluSews
Josephine OhhhLuluSews
Lili OhhhLuluSews
Sarah Longline OhhhLuluSews
Ulla
Bralette & String Set
Endurance sports bra Greenstyle
BS10
Sporty
Soft XL
TRIANGLE Bikini
RACER
CROP Top & Bralette
GYM Sports Bra Bikini
BANDEAU Bra
SPORTY
3131
Christina
Laurel
Eve Classic
Xo EvielaLuveDIY
Darcey EvielaLuveDIY
Mighty Sports Bra EvielaLuveDIY
Willow EvielaLuveDIY
Queenie EvielaLuveDIY
Havana EvielaLuveDIY
Mimi Bikini EvielaLuveDIY
Jamie EvielaLuveDIY
Poppy House Morrighan
Dahlia House Morrighan
MARA Studio Costura Shop
HANNA Studio Costura Shop
8436 Madalynne X Simplicity
8437 Madalynne X Simplicity
8228 Madalynne X Simplicity
8229 Madalynne X Simplicity
8711 Madalynne X Simplicity
Noelle Madalynne
Sierra Madalynne
Barrett Madalynne
Raquel Madalynne
Maris Madalynne
Eloise Madalynne
Athen Deine Dessous (German)
Pia Sewy (German)
Caro Sewy (German)
Isi Maxi Sewy (German)
Milla Mood Fabrics
Emilia Sports Bra Mood Fabrics
Wrap Bralette Mood Fabrics
D’ARCY Mood Fabrics
Mako Falgun Creations
Axis Tank Sophie Hines
Cartesian Crop Sophie Hines
Euler Bralette Sophie Hines
Gail Boobytraps
Grace Front Opening Boobytraps
Joy Boobytraps
Kerri Boobytraps
Lynnette Boobytraps
BRIGIT De Lingerie-academie
Watson Cloth Habit
Dana Seamwork
Kaye Seamwork
Florence Seamwork
K3594 Kwik sew
GBSB soft cup bra Hardie Grant
The Bralette So Sew Easy
Barbary Sew Projects
Sports Bra Rebecca Page
Lucky Lingerie Rad Patterns
Ororo Rad Patterns
Cosmos Afternoon Patterns
Simple bralette LazyGirlLingerie
Bella DaydreamPatternsShop
Soft Cup Full Band Bra / Bralette BraThatLovesYou
Sports Bra BraThatLovesYou
The Staple Bralette ModernSewingPatterns
Athena EclipseLingerie
Forget-Me-Not The LIngerie Formula
Epervier HariIto
DAKOTA HopeAndTailsShop
ANNA HopeAndTailsShop
BRIDGET HopeAndTailsShop
Iris PrimroseDawnDesigns
Daisy StitchLoveStudio
Lily StitchLoveStudio
Bralette Sewing Pattern SewSwimmingly
Lexington OrangeLingerie
Lana Made for Mermaids
Bridgette Bralette & Nightie Made for Mermaids
Bryn Brami Made for Mermaids
Last updated: 15-06-2020

Monday, February 3, 2020

Monthly makes: January

I've been watching Lizsews' videos lately and I find her monthly makes videos so inspiring that I thought to try and do the same here 😊.

The first thing I made this month (this year even) is my lil waist cincher. This is waspie Anna from AraneaBlack. I believe I made a size F with no changes at all. I used cheap thick cotton fabric (it's called ruwdoek in Dutch, no idea what it is in English..), the plan was to test the pattern thus make this little corset as budget friendly as possible. So I bought nothing and only used materials that I already had. I also thought it would be good practice to try some flossing. I used spiral steels combined with flat steels for the back and front and a couple of zip ties since I didn't have as many spirals as boning channels.


The shape is beautiful! The fit is good but I think it's on the big side since it's kinda twisting on me as I move around.





(Unfortunately the shape doesn't show 100% on ma pillow, it's quite curvier when worn!)
I'd still call this a great wearable mock up, can't wait to make more of them!

It was time to try and get further with my self draft bra pattern that I stopped working on a few months ago. There were a few issues that I had to fix. First I had to deal with extra fabric next to my cup under the armpit. Pinched out the excess, it ended up being 2-3 centimeters, and made the first padded version of this draft.




And that's the disadvantage of bra foam padding, you see every detail of the pattern, in this case how pointy my pattern is. I accidentally made an almost bullet bra 😳. It's a bummer that I used my hand dyed lace for this... oh well, I'm still going to wear it, under thick jumpers though!





The third bra made from my draft turned out better. I rounded the apex of the cup and changed the style lines a bit. I didn't quite like how big the side cup was, I also didn't want to fiddle with the curve of the top cup. I straightened the top cup line and split the side cup in two. For this one I used the leftover lace from the previous bra and this cotton jersey I died together with the lace. It turned out cute, right? 😊 I still find it too pointy for my liking but it's definitely wearable!




Number 4 turned out great! I made it a longline bra and rounded the apex even more. This one took a much longer to make, everything is made of two layers, I also added plastic boning to it, I didn't want it riding up all the time. I added underwire casing in-between the 2 fabric layers and added plastic boning in the channels.



I wanted to make a set so I drafted a high wasted thong to match my longline bra.
I love this setπŸ’™!




I've been loving the look of bralettes lately and I got my eye on a couple of patterns I want to buy at some point. I already have the Lotus and I've made quite a few of them but I want to try something else😬.
I thought why not give a try at making my own pattern based on the basic bodice draft? Let me tell you, not the most accurate method to make a boob holder. I cut the paper pattern out, taped it and pinned it on Roxane. Hmm..πŸ˜• Pinch and pin and make darts all around transfer the changes and try again. Paper pattern taped together, pin on Roxanne... Still not really.. I made a few of those, making new darts and pinning e.t.c., eventually I had something that looked like something and decided to make it out fabric.

I had this pair of pajama pants that never fit right, some weird low crotch situation, whatever. Great piece of fabric to use for my mock up, cotton jersey with a bit of stretch. Also grabbed some lace scraps from who knows when.
Surprisingly enough, it turned out rather nice! A bit on the small side but not bad! I made matching panties too! Bedazzled and all πŸ˜‹.




And then I made one more! I started with the padding and was looking around my stash trying to see what fabric I wanted to make it out of. I'm pretty sure this one is a swimwear fabric but I love the colors. While making this bralette, I wasn't sure which way it was gonna go, am I making a bralette, a bikini top or some sort of sports bra? *Shrug* , we'll see what it turns out to be!
I decided to name it a sports bra! I think it'll look great under a sheer top in the summer 😊.



 The last item on this month's list is a clothing item! I need to make more clothing 😳! I saw a beautiful blouse in some online shop and I wanted to make something similar. It's quite simple, A-line blouse with puff sleeves and elastic cuffs. The fabric was a pain to work with though.. I call such fabrics liquid fabrics...🌊. None the matter, one more blouse added in my closet!







Phew, I made a bunch of stuff this month, didn't I?

Off to the next!πŸ˜ƒ



Sunday, January 19, 2020

Corset making: A first attempt

No, I didn't quit sewing nor going to my sewing lessons, I've been making all kinds of things,the latest being corsets(❗). I also made a few bras, bodysuits and some clothing of course.

I also started drafting my own bra patterns. I have by now made a few of them following Beverly Johnson's books. I gotta say, I was really impressed with how my first one turned out. Definitely wearable and nothing like the bras I drafted before.
The method is simple and easy to follow (some parts I even find that she's overexplaining which ends up confusing me πŸ˜…).

But that's not what I wanna show you today, today I wanna show you the first corset I've ever made!








I have to say, if you thing that lingerie and bra making is expensive... Corsets are even more expensive...! It also took me a long time to make, I did enjoy every minute of it though.

It all started during one of my sewing lessons, the teacher asked me if I've ever made a corset before and if I'd like to make one. I hadn't but it was something that I wanted to try some day so I went for it. I drafted my basic bodice pattern, drew my style lines and that was my pattern.

At that point I knew pretty much nothing about corsets (and by corset I mean the historical garment, with boning channels, steel boning e.t.c...). So i started doing some...research. I've been a member of a facebook group that focuses on corset making for a long time,months  or even a year. It's amazing what people can make when they know what they're doing! I've just been looking around and admiring their creations, now it was time to have another look at the group posts and focus more on what everyone was saying, not only looking at the pretty pictures!

Youtube must certainly have some videos about corsets, right? Of course it does!
First I found Lucy. If you're into corsets then you know who Lucy is, she has so much information, videos and reviews on her channelπŸ’“. If you're curious about corsets, that's the place to look! She doesn't make them but if you have a question about corsets, she probably has a video on it! She talks, among other things, about what happens to your body when you wear a corset and what does not, what to look for when buying a corset, e.t.c.

At this point, since I've been looking at the corset facebook group from another perspective, I stated noticing Ms Aranea Black's posts about a corset bunnysuit (?), dafaq is that I thought, it was a link to this youtube video about how she made one. And I started watching... In 12 episodes she basically shows how to construct a corset πŸ™€. Exactly what I needed since I got no fπŸ’₯ckin clue what I'm doin!

I took my pattern and made a mock up which ended up being too big. I pinned the excess,transfer my changes to the pattern and cut my corset out of some random fabrics I had laying around. I fused my top layer with cotton interfacing for extra strength since I got no clue what this fabric that I'm using is. The second layer is also made out of some questionable quality fabric,it seemed strong enough though.

Since my budget was low for a most likely failed project, I decided to use zip ties instead of boning, like Katarina did on her bunnysuit. Took a bit of searching for a store that had em but I managed to find 8mm wide zip ties. Got some cheap ass paracord and a package of grommets (they are NOT cheap for a lil piece of metal...!) and tadaa!

It was definitely fun making! The fit: what can I say, ok?😐 I shall demonstrate my amazing creation on this pillow because Roxanne is a bit hard and it doesn't fit on her.





Whoever thought of displaying corsets on pillows is a genius!



Since I used zip ties, I blamed the fit partly on that, I had to try and fix it so I went ahead and searched for a store where I could buy some proper boning and see if that would improve the fit. Well, somewhat better but the style lines that I made where just... wrong... Also, it probably needed more bones... it also needed to be longer at the back so the longer sides could be supported better and not collapse when you tighten the whole thing... I mean, it's not that bad for a first try, right...?













Oh yes, it no longer has any boning in it, I took it out and used it for the next corset I made! Can't keep ordering boning, ehπŸ˜•.






But yea, the way I drew my 'corset' makes more of a bustier than anything else, especially if you use the thin plastic boning my teacher was talking about. I'm not really interested in making that though, what I wanted to make was a real corset, a waist reducing one even! Just to see how I like it, if I can even stand it and maybe... maybe get some support for my aching lower back. 

This didn't really offer me any support and by now I've become very interested and curious about corsets and the right fit. I started watching more and more videos and learning more about corsets before I attempted making another one. Yes, I made another one and one more after that!
To be continued πŸ˜‰