January bra: Merckwaerdigh BHS10 in lace

What better way to start off the New Year than with a new lingerie set!

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This is again my go-to pattern, the Merckwaerdigh BHS10 and three different panties: Watson Bikini, Milano Slip and Lacey Thong from Fehr Trade. I decided to use a well known pattern for the bra as I wanted to sew it with lace and without foam and this meant a few new to me techniques. There was a lot of try-and-error, a lot of unpicking (I had the feeling that I sewed this bra at least three times), some mistakes and wonky stitches, but I am happy how it turned out in the end and I am really proud of it. It looks like a real grown-up bra!

When I asked my teacher last summer if I should make any changes to the pattern if I wanted to skip the foam, she said I should just use non-stretch lace. So I did not change my pattern. As the lace I used is a stretch lace I lined the cups with a non-stretch tulle in nude color. Despite labelled as “non-stretch” it had a slight give in one direction. I placed the pattern pieces so that the give would be in the horizontally direction. For the lace I made sure to have mirror images for all the different pieces.

I sewed the cups like this:

I put the lining and lace upper cup pieces together and finished the upper edge with small decollete elastic. I made sure that the lining edge ends at the lower edge of the lace scallops.

I sewed upper and lower cup together with the upper cup sandwiched between the lower cup pieces (as explained here).

I sewed the lining piece of the side cup piece to the cup.

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I clipped the lining at the point where the upper cup ends:

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I trimmed the seam allowances and flipped the lining piece over. I layed the lace side cup piece on top and sewed with a 3-stitch zig-zag along the scalloped edge. On the inside every seam was enclosed and neat:

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You see that I also finished the inner edge of the straps with a small elastic. On the outside you barely notice the stitching:

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I thought a bit how to finish the lower edge of the bra as I wanted the scallops to show off . I did not found any tutorial how to do this. In the end I first sewed the elastic to the lining in the first step, keeping the lace free:

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I did not have any elastic without decorative edge at hand, so I used one with a piping. Then I turned the elastic to the wrong side and sewed through all layers. In the same step I attached the end of the back straps to enclose this as well.

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I did forget to check the width of the band and compare it with my closure. Luckily this was a rather wide one, but I cheated a bit as my band was still a bit too wide. You see that I just turned the edge of the elastic to the inside:

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Look at that pattern matching of the bridge:

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The bra feels more tight than my foam bras but it is comfortable to wear. I wore it already twice and barely noticed it. And this is also the first bra that really stays in place the whole day! Even with my other bras I have the problem that they tend to crawl up a bit, although to a much smaller degree than the RTW bras.

Now for the panties. I used three different patterns. First my TNT pattern, the Watson bikini. I added some lace for more interest. I did not care too much about any pattern matching for the fabric.

IMG_7243_Bildgröße ändernI did forget to trim the seam allowance….

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The second pattern I used is the Milano from Spitzenparadies in size 36:

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It features a nice lace inset at the front piece. Else it is very similar to the Watson bikini.

IMG_7239_Bildgröße ändernLast I tried the Lacey thong pattern from Fehr trade. I found it a bit tricky to sew the lace to the crotch pieces and I did not get it right for the front.

IMG_7240_Bildgröße ändernIt should look like this:

IMG_7241_Bildgröße ändernI am not too happy with the inside, it is a bit bulky where the lace meets the elastic:

IMG_7242_Bildgröße ändernBut I still like how it turned out. Next time I will shorten the crotch piece a little bit, and also make a bit smaller. Else the fit is good.

Fabric and elastic: Spitzenparadies

Tulle and powernet: Sewy

Small decollete elastic: Wien 2002

Lace:  Elingeria (this shop does not exist anymore)

 

 

15 Replies to “January bra: Merckwaerdigh BHS10 in lace”

  1. That is such a pretty set and your sewing is extremely neat!

    1. Thank you! It was really worth to take my time with this one, even if it took me nearly three weeks to finish the set.

  2. That is very impressive! Great job.

    1. Thank! I try my best 🙂

  3. Very pretty set.

    1. Thank you! The color reminds me of spring, not too bad in this still dark season….

  4. I am so glad I did! I admit I always lurked those blogs showing handmade lingerie and I wanted so much learn how to do this.

  5. The whole set is fantastic! Beautiful job. Love the lace you used in the bra. A+

  6. Your sewing on this gorgeous green bra is just a delight to read and look at. Gorgeous!

    1. Thank you so much, Melanie! I really appreciate this from someone whose sewing I always admire.

  7. Poh, das sieht ja toll aus! Super schön ist alles geworden. Auch die Farbe ist gefällt mir sehr gut!!
    Liebe Grüße Epilele

    1. Vielen Dank! Das Set erinnert mich so sehr an den Frühling.

  8. We like your post a lot, but we are sorry, to take part MMM you have to wear the clothes!
    Please yoin us again next time
    Sybille MMM Crew

    1. Thank you for the hint. I guess I should have read the rules before taking part.

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