Tag Archives: Sierra

Cassie’s bikini

23/01/2016 3:48 pm \ 28 Comments \ Carolyn

Hello!

so here is Cassie modelling her new bikini, previewed on instagram the other day. We both popped on our bathers this morning and headed off to the beach for a quick photo op, and of course a swim! aaaah, it was totally divine, like heaven. The water was crystal cool and clear and it was all just so delightful. Every time we head off to the beach I think “hmmm, should come down here more often…” but then we get busy and a few weeks go by just like that. I guess it wouldn’t feel like such a treat when we do get there, so maybe we’ve got just the right balance!

The colour may look a little familiar… remember when I told how Cassie had given me some lovely brick fabric from Fabulous Fabrics for my birthday, with which I was make my bathers this year? well this is the exact same stuff! Cassie liked it so much she bought some for herself too, to make her own bathers! We must’ve made a kinda funny sight this morning, in a Sound of Music kind of a way.

But anyway, sewing stuff re the bikini…

Cassie designed and made the top herself, basing the wrap-around band design on that of Madalynne’s free sierra bra pattern; except she drafted her own halter neck bodice pieces and gathered them gently underneath the bust into a double layered, turned out band. The band ties at the back in a self-tie, likewise the halter tie. All pieces are self-fabric lined.

I was commissioned to make the bottoms. I used the ClothHabit Watson briefs as a basic starting point, splicing the front piece and gusset together and cutting them together as one piece. I always do this mod every time I make this pattern. To get that tied-together-sides style; the side edges were extended by 2cm each side, and the elastic starts and ends at those extensions. The extensions were then just turned under to make casements, through which I threaded a little self-tie up and down each side. Meaning the bikini is held together at the side edges by this tie.

That’s it, really!

Posted in: sewing \ Tagged: bathers, Cassie, own design, sierra, watson

mocha set

04/10/2015 3:19 am \ 21 Comments \ Carolyn

… for me!
Fabric; slithery, slinky-malinki poly knit from Fabulous Fabrics in a divinely luxuriously glossy mocha shade; all elastic and other findings from Homecraft Textiles. I wanted to make a Sierra bra for myself too; and while I love lace-y underthingies, this time I went for smooth, sleek and sophisticated, with a grownup vibe more befitting to an ancient old crone such as myself.
Haha, no really, I do have a nice selection of frillies already and just wanted a change of pace 🙂
Features; none. Letting the fabric glow on its own with absolutely nil embellishment.
LOVE this unadorned look, I mean I adore pretty bits and bobs too but sometimes the simplest and plainest of styles in a sophisticated colour and liquid-y fabric like this feels just as gorgeous!

Technical blahdy-blah: I cut two backs, clean finished the seams within the layers, and also lined the front/cups with self fabric to about centre front. I just left the lining CF straight edge floating unfinished on the inside; it’s not going to fray or anything and doesn’t show up at all. The remainder of the fronts/straps are single layered. The lower edge is finished with elastic, folded under and zig-zagged on the right side, just the same finish as the top edges and all edges of the knickers (as pictured below). I cut the elastic 7% shorter than the edge it was to be attached to, measuring the paper pattern pieces.
That black hook and eye tape at the back is bothering me, but well, colour options here are pretty limited. I’ve found Homecraft Textiles to have the absolute best array of lingerie elastics to be found in Perth. Well worth hitting up.
2x pairs of undies, both super plain Watson briefs. Boring and barely worth a photo… close-up for elastic-attachment detail purposes only.

Full set: so normally I love my things to be photographed looking artfully arranged to best show them off but couldn’t resist going the full Merchant and Mills here.

artistic dishevelment and not a randomly chucked down pile of clothes at all

What is that aesthetic anyway? just kind of throw it down in a messed up crumpled heap on the floor, y’know? just like when your teenagers kick their grotty clothes aside as they step into the shower or something, and leave them there. For days, if you don’t ~~nag~~ gently point it out.
*deep breath*
Embrace the crumple.
Feel the crumple.
BE. The crumple.

Hehe, not to diss Merchant and Mills! I actually have the workbook myself… a recent birthday pressie, and heavy hints had nothing to do with it at all! *cough cough* and I love a lot of the stuff in it! Just that the screwed-up-and abandoned-on-the-floor thing cracks me up. The new cool… OK!
Actually, my clothing is more usually kept like below…
Aaaah, that’s better! *sigh of contended happiness* ooo, did someone say neat freak? Order and method, my friends. Order and method:)

Happiness factor; plain, but supremely happy with that plainness, and I love the wraparound bra style; it’s nice to have something a bit different. Construction, smooth sailing all the way. For visual purposes I’m deducting one point for the black hook and eyes at the back. 9/10 🙂

Details:
Bra; the Sierra by Madalynne, free to download here
Knickers; the Watson briefs by Cloth Habit.

Posted in: Uncategorized \ Tagged: cloth habit, lingerie, madalynne, pattern review, sierra, watson

pink lace Sierra + Watsons

03/10/2015 6:29 am \ 17 Comments \ Carolyn

OK, so I couldn’t resist downloading Madalynne’s free bralette pattern the Sierra and giving it a go! Plus I made the usual two pairs of matching knickers to go with it. These are both the Watson knickers, by Cloth Habit.
Fabrics; pink bamboo knit and pink, slightly glittery, lace from Fabulous Fabrics, all elastics and other findings from Homecraft Textiles
I made this set for Cassie. I bought materials to make a Sierra and Watson set for me too, but mine is quite different in style.

The Sierra bra is a really cute and interesting design for smaller chested ladies, and is something a bit different in a bra design, which I like. Well, we all love a bit of variety, yes? It looks kinda complex on, but it’s really a fairly straightforward, wraparound bra; and for a simple soft bra with no shaping or obvious support, does feel nicely secure and snug when worn. And did I mention; it’s freeeeeeeeee!

Cassie chose the fabrics, including that pink lace. That lace! Looks so pretty and girlishly innocent and totes adorbs, right?!
Well, so did that kid in the Exorcist, just saying… and unpicking fine-grade slinky stretchy bamboo knit away from delicate lace; tendril by freaking tendril is NOT the joyous meditative pastime to sake and soothe your soul like you want your hobbies to be.
Initially I intended to have the two fabrics entirely overlaid for the whole set, like the bra, and the bra went together really well. Then I made a pair of knickers with the two overlaid like that. The lace then showed itself to be completely wrong for knickers. It was such an ordeal and they looked so hideous that I was just too depressed to even bother salvaging any of it… that got emotionally binned, and I had to walk out to eat chocolate and sulk in front of the TV for an evening.
Went back to it the next morning with renewed vigour. Did think about not having any lace on the knickers at all. But she wanted it to be a nice cohesive set, so some lace had appear somewhere, and it’s all worked out, I think. I like the knickers to match the bra but still be different to it, like this.

There’s nowhere to put a little decorative bow on the bra, part from just below the shoulder straps like this, and I actually love it! my favourite bit of the bra. It’s also a nice way to hide the stitching of bra cup-to-ring. I sewed the bra shoulder straps as two regular ones rather than halter; but she’s thinking about that. If she decides she wants the halter I’m gonna change it, because I think the halter is a lot easier to put on in this design. Update; yep, changed it to halter…

I think the set did eventually turn out very nice and the bra looks really cute on. Cassie is happy so I’m happy. Well, I’m happy now it’s finished.
Happiness factor; well the memory of those failed knickers hasn’t faded away completely, so I’m awarding this project 5/10 overall. It’s gone up since yesterday, believe me!