Sooo….. I’ve been making underwear, and recently have produced two new sets; one is sorta Oo-la-la while the other is more of the Serviceable variety.
Madame Serviceable? you’re up first!
“Pretty” is all very well but we all need some plains in our lives too, right? I still think this set is kinda classy 🙂 Of course I’ve been wearing it a lot! because it’s absolutely awesome under all my winter white sweaters and Tshirts, which I wear such heckkuva lot it’s not even funny. Rest assured though, I took these photos when it was all fresh and brand new, hot off the machine and not yet been worn.
Patterns; MakeBra 2610, which is apparently now renamed DL03; so I’m going to start using that tag instead… and all four pairs of knickers in this post are the Watson briefs.
Materials; light caramel stretchy stuff from Fabulous Fabrics, all other materials are from my MakeBra basic kits. The foldover elastic on the waist of the knickers is a different type from that I used for the legs, because in between the two basic kits I’ve bought through them, they seem to have changed their supplier or something. I didn’t have enough of either elastic to do everything on both pairs of briefs, but I had enough for this arrangement. They’re close enough to identical that I can live with it 😉 The waist elastic is a teeny little bit “shinier” than the leg elastic. The little ribbon bows are rescued from off of an old lingerie set, also me-made. Yep, when I toss out an old lingerie set, I usually salvage the little decorative bows off it, because A) it’s not like they get dirty or worn out or ruined or anything through wear, and B) they’re kinda fiddly to make so it’s worth the few seconds it takes to pick them off to keep for a new set. Waste not want not!
Madame Oo-la-la…
I bought this neon yellow bra kit from Measure Twice Cut Once… and was rather thrilled that I managed to get not just the bra but two pair of knickers from it too;yay!!! Stingey economical cutter; yet another of my middle names…
hehe; I finished the set late at night and then just slung it all over Bessie in a hurry. The next morning it gave me such a laugh to see her “wearing” these pretty frilly nothings all deshabille and “twas a wild-night, eh?” like this!! 😀
The bra design is my own; I just wanted something flimsy and a bit of whimsical frippery. In summer I don’t always want or need to wear the foam-lined “Tshirt” bras that I favour in winter, and can just happily live in the more lacey, pretty and fun designs. Just one more reason to love summer!!! Anyway, I just draped the lace directly on Bessie and ad-libbed it, and I couldn’t be happier with the result! I think it turned out really pretty and almost more like a sweet little camisole than a bra. Don’t worry, it’s definitely going to be worn as a bra, though! even though it’s lined with beige power net it’s still quite see-through.
It’s not a super supportive thing, but realistically I have no need for a super supportive bra anyway. I still think it’s pretty stable though; I stitched the clear elastic that came with the kit along each side of the cups; so they won’t stretch out, and stitched a little strip of bias-cut white linen in with the side seams. I trimmed the linen strip right down before encasing it within the side seam, so it doesn’t show…. and this stabilised the side seams and makes them nice and strong, and they won’t stretch out either.
Inner workings: 1) hand flat-felled seams within the cups and clear elastic stabilising; and 2) linen bias-strip to stabilise the side seams(above) is then sewn to be enclosed inside the layers (below)
There was enough of some neon yellow bra elastic to do one pair of knickers around the waist, the other has a strip of the leftover neon yellow lace at the top. After that, I had to resort to things from my stash; obviously I didn’t have any matching lingerie elastic for the legs and had to resort to white. I don’t hate the white, but don’t love it either… I kinda wish I had made some attempt to get hold of matching lingerie elastic but I’m an impatient person and really wanted to just get them made and done!
‘s kinda crazy and huge-skirted and possibly a bit over the top, but you know what? it’s also extremely comfortable and cosy, and so swirly and swishy. The instant I finished it and put it on I immediately felt simultaneously relaxed, like I had put on a warm comfy dressing gown or something; but also a bit chic as well. The big feminine skirt with a nipped-in waist does that, but I really like how the volume below is balanced out by the mannish style shirt top with cargo pockets and flaps, and a notched collar.
#awkward!! Yes, well; obviously most of us don’t actually twirl very often. Twirling is something of a fashion blogger contrivance… although if I do want to get in a bit of highland flinging I am all set. 😉
make another one!! Doh!! Clearly there’s something terribly wrong with me… #madvogue1247addict
aaaaaand, my week of exclusively wearing Vogue 1247 skirts, in a nutshell…!
what’s with the ballet pose? I have no idea. Anyway… I have a 
I’ve kept the selvedge from off the fabric, and have sewn these inside one of the pockets! just because I love information like this… namely: this design is by prominent Finnish designer Maija Isola, and was created in 1964! out by a year but definitely still of my era, haha. “Pieni unikko” translates literally to “little poppy” I’m not sure what KI 2009 means yet, but I’m investigating…. Also, how cool is it that the laundering info is printed on the selvedge?! so classy and very considerate really, it’s been along long time since I’ve seen such consideration in a fabric. That information’s the kind of thing I usually forget the very minute I swan out of the shop with my new fabric tucked under my wing.
The loose front pieces also allows you to have these big loose comfortable pockets that you can shove your hands in, while still maintaing quite a slimline dress overall. As a result, the pattern uses very little fabric. I managed to squeeze my pattern pieces out of 1.5m, which is not too bad, not too bad at all, I think *preens oneself on an exceptionally economic layout* I had the merest of scraps left after cutting out my pieces, scraps, I tell you! The pattern has you line the dress, and after a bit of um-ing and aah-ing, I decided to not. Reason? summers here are very hot and I think the breeziness of this lovely cotton fabric is going to be perfect just as it is.
I made some new shoes! and they lace up at the back of the heel.
I lined the shoes with some very thin, pale gold suedette from Spotlight, the same type of stuff I’ve lined all my other shoes with, and the exact same stuff as 
hello! I’ve made some new shoes!
This is actually a shoe version of a muslin, whatever you would call that… I’m working up to making some shoes using some of the Icelandic fish leather that I bought when we visited there a few years ago and I’m trialling a new pattern. The pattern looks almost identical to the pattern I’ve been using previously, to make my previous pairs of oxford shoes, but since I made that pattern prior to getting my lasts I decided it would be prudent to make a new pattern tailored specifically to the lasts.
Details above: the top pieces are edged with close-spaced zig-zag stitch in black, and the shoes are fully lined with pale yellow faux suedette from Spotlight. The paisley fabric is from Spotlight too. Foam shoe liners from Coles for added comfort are covered with the pale yellow suedette which gives a co-ordinating, neat and tidy look inside. 
Craig and Cassie both separately and spontaneously, and without my asking, mentioned that they thought this is my best finish yet. The shoes are quite sturdy and I don’t think I’d even be embarrassed should they be subject to a close inspection. Hehe, I cannot say the same thing for some of my previous efforts!
I was thrilled when 
Did I dive right into that invitingly turquoise water for a frolicsome dip? NO!!!! Since I’m the wussiest wuss that ever wussed I just got my pictures super fast and then threw on my jeans and thick woollen cardi again pretty quick! You can see that turbulent water and my crazy hair, it was blowing a freaking gale and the waves were booming and thundering onto the sand like the proverbial white stallions. I do love the beach in any and all weather, including wintery and wild; I love the sparkle of sunlight on the water, the swirling foamy shallows, and the crashing of the surf. Well, perhaps more so when I’m warmly rugged up snug as a bug in a rug, of course. Sienna loves the beach too, but it’s alright for her, in her thick fur coat! hehe, the things we do…
It’s funny; when I finished the pink/black one I almost immediately took a violent dislike to the colours I’d chosen… It seemed a bit… I dunno, young and sporty? or something. Then I made the charcoal version. Which I really adore. When I took out the pink/black one again, to take photos in it, of course, you know the story, it didn’t look quite so hideous after all. I actually took quite a shine to it again. The pink seemed a bit warmer and less Barbie than I’d remembered it. I decided I might even like it better than the charcoal one. I don’t know. Oooh, I’m torn! Either way, I expect both are going to get worn this summer 🙂
Heather has introduced her own sizing chart for the pattern, which I think is a pretty good idea. You know, when you’re making something and you sometimes get too lazy or too cold to disrobe for proper measurements, and go with the same size you always take, or worse; what you think you are. I do find that when faced with an unfamiliar sizing chart, you’re more inclined to get out the tape measure and do a properly slow and careful remeasure, to determine your correct size. Which I did. So saying that, how do I feel the cups fit? well they both fit pretty good. Though I do feel like the cup on my charcoal one, while it fits me; is just a smidge on the scant side for my tastes, if that makes any sense. I believe Heather has upsized them on the final version, which I reckon is a good call. I am small up top but I still kinda like to have lots of coverage there, for personal preference. I might remake the charcoal bikini top, following the new sizing of the final version of the pattern. But maybe not ’til summer!
Fabrics and bits and bobs: the fabrics are from Fabulous Fabrics; who do get some very nice swimwear fabrics in stock during the season. I bought all these fabrics in previous summers, stocking up during sales. Stashing strategically, as you do 😉 Other supplies from my fast dwindling MakeBra basic kits; the underwires, under wiring channeling and the foam for the cups. The swimwear elastic, plastic swimwear hooks for the straps and back closures are from Spotlight.
