This year I’m working on refilling my lingerie drawer as my bras are in desperate need of an update.
I’ve started with the Harriet Bra from Cloth Habit, not only is it a super pretty bra it mimics RTW styles I already wear but most importantly it can be made without foam.
The heat of summer is getting hotter and longer. Last summer I promised myself it was going to be the last summer I wore foam bras, they are sweaty, hot and generally just add to feeling hotter and sweatier.
Measuring myself against the size chart I went with the exact size the chart told me to do. To check the fit I cut out a tester version in plain cotton with the Direction of Greatest Stretch being the bias of the cotton fabric. Once cut I quickly sewed it together without elastic then basted in the power mesh back and back closure.
Once it was together I tried it on, the band was ok sitting flat without too many wrinkles, the lower cup however was all wrong. I had a flat section above the wire casing and I was spilling at the top of the cup.
I set about trying to fix this by tacking out the cups and resewing the lower cup with a fractionally bigger seam at the join and a smaller seam at the base where the underwires would be. Sewing the cups back in I tried it on again and it was looking better.
Writing my notes and annotations directly onto the pattern I cut out this pink lace. It’s lined with cream non stretch mesh and for construction I followed the very excellent instructions though in a moment of “what was I thinking?” I managed to sew the wide picot at the base of the band on incorrectly. Something I didn’t notice till I had also sewn in the underwire casing so I just left it. The pretty underarm edge (shown below) made up for my mistake.
Once done I was really happy with how it looked and fit but I wanted to wear it a few times before I decided if it was good enough? After a few wears I’ve noticed
- yes it is cooler than foam
- the band fits well apart from the incorrectly sewn on elastic
- at the side bust the sides come up too far causing chafing and discomfort at the front of the underarm, it’s also visible on some of my dresses
- I sit a little low in the cup. You want to sit down into the cup so you are correctly encased but there is correct and looking like you need to be pulled up a bit.
After some research I found a great article on Emerald Erin explaining how and why you should shorten the upper cup in order to get more “lift” noting that down along with the other alterations I made plans to cut another.
in the meantime this one is infinitely wearable and very pretty!
Pattern: Harriet Bra by Cloth Habit
Fabrics : lace, mesh back hooks, and underwires from Underwired. Strapping, O ring and sliders, casing and elastics from Pitt Trading.
Alterations for next time : achieve more lift, scoop out underarm
