Pouf! I made a petticoat, and a skirt.

This one has been in the making since about October I think.  My sewing time has been very sporadic so everything is taking me AGES!!

After helping my niece make a petticoat, circle skirt and blouse for her end of year school social last year, I desperately wanted to make myself one.  I'm really trying to get a vintage vibe into my clothes and what says that more than a poufy petticoat?

My niece's petticoat

Then a fabric opportunity arose and who can resist?  My daughter had a minecraft themed birthday party last year, and we used green net to make a tree.  With all of the 8 metres returning to my sewing room after the event, I was getting a green petticoat whether I liked green or not.

A Minecraft Tree

I had found an online tutorial to make my niece's, but I just made this one from memory of doing her's.  It's made of 3 rows each 8" tall.  The first row (closest to waist) is 2 metres around, the second is 4 metres and the bottom is 8 metres.  The lining is made of poplin and is a half-circle skirt cut using my hip measurement plus 2" (I think).  The bottom row is gathered onto the middle row, then the middle gathered onto the top, then the top row is gathered onto the lining.  For the waistband, I added a cotton lycra yoga style band that is cut 12" high and the folded over double.  For my niece, we did two layers the same to add extra pouf as her's was made of tulle, but for mine I decided on just one because the net is more stiff than tulle.  Even then it seemed a little too stiff so I washed it to calm it down a little.

My petticoat

To finish the bottom edge, I wanted ribbon or something so the net wasn't scratchy and catching on things.  A trip to Spotlight left me wandering the ribbon/trim aisle for ages not sure what to do.  At 8m of hem, the ribbons I liked were going to cost me much more than I wanted to spend on a petticoat that was meant to be "free".  I did fall in love with a gingham ribbon though, and then had the brilliant idea to make my own gingham bias for the hem.  Only half a metre of fabric required, so only a couple of dollars!  But then lots of time making bias (most of which involved it sitting around waiting for me to iron it).

I actually started making the skirt in the midst of doing the petticoat, but didn't want to finish it until the petticoat was finished and I knew how it was going to sit.

This is a circle skirt with the "waist" measurement actually being my hips plus 2".  This makes it plenty big enough to get on and off without needing a zipper.  The waistband is cut in two halves.  The front is half of my actual waist measurement, the back is the remaining amount needed to make it the same length as the skirt opening, then elastic inserted to bring it back into my waist.  The end result is actually a little loose.  I think next time I will bring the elastic portion another inch or two towards the front on both sides.  This puts more fullness of the skirt at the back, but on my body I really prefer this.  It helps balance out my belly and doesn't have too much fabric up front.

I also made the top, but will do a separate post on that. EDIT - blog post on top here

Since this petticoat and skirt was really a wearable muslin to get the fit right, there will probably be another one in the near future!

So, that was a fail

Between house guests and not feeling well, it's been a little over a week since I've done any sewing.  I feel a little lost in my room now, not knowing where to start or where to go.

But the other week, after making my Lucky in Love bralette, I wore it for a whole day.  I declared it a success! At 3pm I needed to do a readjust/lift and separate but otherwise it felt comfortable and I hardly noticed it.  Because of this, I decided to have a go at making one with powermesh for more support.

I also decided to use the Lucky Lingerie back and band, rather than the Lovesick parts because the Lucky sits lower and feels a bit more "bra" and a little less "crop top" (in my size at least).

It looked pretty nice and felt good when first on, but I spent all day adjusting it and catching straps from falling down my shoulders.

Back to the sewing table for this one.....

I'm going to compare it to the first model. I might need to tighten and reposition straps, as well as adjust back size/shaping.  I think it also needs top stitching to sit better at the front.  The powermesh is a bit stiff and tends to roll.  But I'm glad I didn't do it on this one now that I need to unpick it and try again!

I'll keep you posted.

Lucky in Love

I'm on the smaller side of "large breasted" which makes it annoying to buy bras because many of them will appear to come in my size (based on their size range) but when I try them on I'm just one cup size out because every brand is a different fit.  This means having to go to a specialist shop, with "specialist prices" to match to get nice bras.  For reference I'm about a 16-18F (Australian) but as I said, it varies with brand.

In the last 12 months, when I really 'discovered' indie PDF pattern designers, I've seen a range of bralette patterns.  These look comfortable and easy to make.  I wasn't looking for the same support as an underwire bra because when I started looking I was still breast feeding and was wearing soft cup bras anyway.  I'm not feeding any more, but still like the idea of a more comfortable bra option when I'm staying home most of the day.

I've tried a few of these patterns without heaps of success.  They do seem to be more suited to the smaller busted, but not impossible for the larger among us.  I couldn't get a level of support I wanted, even considering I was comparing to a soft cup.  Then I tried some with power mesh, and that gave me support but also mono-boob.  The struggle is real ladies.

I had the most success with the George & Ginger Lovesick Bralette (which is free when you join their FB Group. This design incorporates darts which help with support.

I was still getting a bit of mono-boob happening though, which is as much about comfort as about looks.  Also the neckline is a bit higher than I'd like if I was to wear it under clothing as a bra.  Some have tried putting a centre piece in to gather up the front, like I did in my version of the Tank Hack but this didn't help to keep my breasts separated.

Then Rad Patterns brought out their Lucky Lingerie pattern.  This was very cute, and some said that the twist front helped with separation so I thought I'd give that a try.

My first attempted was rather disappointing.  I was just falling out all over! (Tiger print was on the clearance rack that week)

Some advice from Stephanie at Rad Patterns helped but it still wasn't giving me what I wanted, and this didn't have the same support as the Lovesick.  I left them all in a box in the corner for "later".

Finally this week I got around to trying out the idea that had been brewing in my mind over the last few months.

I mashed the cup shaping/darts of the Lovesick with the cute twist of the Lucky, and this is my result

It's basically a Lovesick, with the front neck and twist shaping of the Lucky.  I'd like to try one that has the Lucky back as well, because the back has a cute keyhole to match the front.

I've been wearing it for about an hour so far this evening.  So far I still have ample separation and it doesn't feel too droopy.  Will be interesting to see how it holds up over a whole day.

Overall, it feels great for a bralette made out of only cotton/lycra.  I'm sure I could get mores support if I used power mesh in the cups.... so I guess that's my next adventure in bralette making!