Now here it is, my finished December set: Malborough bra with Watson Bikini:
Fabric:
Fabric and notions are from Sewy. The fabric is a microfiber. I still have difficulties when attaching the elastic with this slippery fabric. The lace is from my stash and probably from Elingeria.
Alterations:
I described the fit alteration I had to do in my last post here. The fit is ok, only the band is a little bit too short. I do not know why I did not compare the length of the band to my BHS10 bra. You live and learn….
I added foam to the cups. The Malborough pattern is without, but it is not difficult to add the foam. Just cut the cup pieces out of foam without seam allowances except for the bottom edge where the underwire is attached. Then sew the foam cup butting the edges together. You can use a three fold zig zag stitch. I use a stitch with the shape of a honeycomb. Then sew the fabric cup pieces together as usual. You need a 1cm seam allowance at the upper edge. Lay the fabric cup right side to the inside of the foam cup and sew both together 0.5 cm from the upper edge. Flip the fabric to the outside, adjust it so it lays flat on the foam and baste along the sides. Then you can sew the cup to the frame. I also like to sew with a zigzag stitch along the upper edge of the foam cup before adding the fabric. I do this so that the edge becomes more flat and the ridge is not so obvious.
You may need to increase the size of the cup a little bit when adding foam cups. I did not do that. I just cut the size I got after fitting the paper towel cups.
I had to make the end of the band a lot narrower to have it fit into my closure. Before sewing on the strap elastic I determined how much this would be and cut away the excess fabric.
Construction:
I added some lace to the cup pieces. I used a lace that was approximately 5 cm wide and cut it lengthwise. I aligned the raw edge with the raw edge of the cup piece and basted both together. After sewing the two cup pieces together I zigzaged along the outer edge of the lace so it stayed flat.
I added some satin ribbon to the seams of the foam cup. I just like the look of it.
The bridge is underlined with unstretchy tulle and the band pieces with powernet. All seams are enclosed. Maddy just recently wrote a nice tutorial how to do this.
I am not too happy with the construction of the straps. They are sewn to the upper edge of the band in the back and on the inside the excess fabric is just trimmed away. In my eyes this is kind of a raw edge, and I do not like raw edges. I also have the feeling that it is a bit itchy when wearing the bra.
There is not a lot to say about the Watson bikini. They are comfortable as always. I played a bit with the lace placement. I laid the lace over the fabric where I liked it, zig zagged along the outer edges and cut away the fabric underneath (yes, again raw edges…but this seems to be the method how this is done).
Here is the inside view:
I was not in the mood to set up my serger to finish the side seams. I just pressed them open and let them unfinished.
Conclusion:
My bust seems to be flatter with the Malborough than with the BHS10. This may be due to the pattern or due to my heavy alterations (and I am no expert, so maybe I did something wrong). It may also be due to the fact that the lower cup of the BHS10 is a little bit too small, but this gives a little push effect. As I had to alter the cups a lot, next time I will start with my BHS10 pattern and change the design. I think that this might be easier than starting with a new patten and go again through all those fitting steps (I hate fitting….). Nevertheless, I am happy with this pretty lingerie set.
This was my last sewing project for the year. Until the end of December I am reorganizing my stash and cleaning my sewing space to have everything neat for the new year. And I still have 4 garments and one knitting project to blog, so stay tuned!
