And The Winning Nursing Bra Is...

Back in September, I did a comparison of all the bra patterns I've made and I wanted to update my analysis now that I've gotten a chance to regularly wear them all. I should note that I'm doing this comparison for the nursing bras I made and not the regular bras, which dramatically impacts fit.

 
Currently, my two favorite handmade nursing bras to wear are the pink Romy and the white Harriet. I'm not happy about the fit of my two nursing-bra Watsons (the sizing is not forgiving to bust fluctuations, especially in the short version) or my Barrett (it's not designed for a large bust, which I now have). I'll probably get some wear out of these less-favored bras, but in the meantime I'm using this all as an excuse to make more bras in the pattern I like best: Harriet.

Meet my "winter" nursing bra in mauve velvet. This is another Harriet bra that I made from a soft bra kit from Stonemountain & Daughter Fabrics (I supplied wire casing and wires from my stash to round out the kit). I simply adore it.

I learned a few things about velvet during this project: 1) it sheds like crazy while cutting and working with; 2) triple check the pile direction and I should probably cut everything as a single layer in the future instead of on the fold; and 3) it's not fun to unpick seams done in velvet -- it's a bit cleaner to do on the velvet side, though pile direction matters for seeing the stitches well. I had a slight mishap related to #3 which required recutting the pieces for one of the cups but did better when it came to unpicking the topstitching on the casing. Oof.

Stay tuned for this bra's "summer" sister, because why make one bra at a time when you can make two?

Tacara & Patternsy

Back when baby was sleeping most of the day, I was able to get some sewing time in to expand my post-partum wardrobe. Specifically, I made a Seamwork Tacara with the member-exclusive bonus variation. It's a relaxed-fit, split-back shirt which is great for maternity leave. Since I used my serger, the construction was straightforward (apart from me finding the neckline confusing to construct, though I love how it turned out).

The more interesting thing to note about this project is that I tried out a new resource which I heard about via Seamwork: Patternsy. Patternsy prints digital sewing patterns on lightweight tissue; you simply upload the copyshop version of the pattern .pdf file to their website and they send you the print outs in the mail. Upload to deliver time is 1-2 weeks, mostly because they are based in the UK and international shipping takes time.

I've found reassembling digital patterns from 8.5x11" print outs to be the worst part about using digital patterns -- it often takes the same amount of time to assemble the pattern as to sew the item -- so skipping that step is amazing. So to me, it's worth the delay and the price (it was less than $20 USD to print and ship 3 patterns, though costs vary by size of content printed) to get patterns on tissue. This is definitely a service that I will be using again.

Postnatal

Just over a month ago, I gave birth to a little girl.

It's been kind of a crazy month of adjusting to having a newborn while also dealing with a hyper toddler. The extra challenge is finding clothing to wear -- a lot of my maternity clothing is now too big while my regular clothing is too small. I admit to buying 2 pairs of pants at Old Navy that I wear constantly, but I also have the clothing I made this fall in preparation of this eventuality:

I showed off my two Seamwork Astoria sweaters last month and also finished a Seamwork Jenna skirt not long after the baby was born. I made all three one size larger than normal and I'm happy to say that they all fit well (thanks to knit fabric in the Astorias and an elastic waistband in the Jenna). For not being able to try everything on when I made them, I'm very relieved it all fits.

Now that baby is awake a lot more, I'm not sure if I'll have any time to craft, but I at least have some nice handmade things to wear in the meantime!

Two Sweaters

This year on the blog has really proved to be all bras all of the time. But I'm happy to report that I'm working on/finished several non-bra projects. I can't guarantee that I won't ever sew another bra again (I do still have 3 bra kits and a bunch of other supplies laying around, after all) but it's time to work on something else.

If you've been picking up hints I've been putting down, you'll know that I'm expecting at the moment. With plans to nurse the new little one, the clothing theme for the coming year is separates. The first step was churning out a pair of knit tops.

The pattern here is Seamwork Astoria and I made one from a sweater knit and the second from a lighter-weight synthetic black "cashmere" knit. These don't exactly fit over the belly at the moment, hence the dress form. Honestly, sizing was an issue overall. Normally, I'd sew a Medium, but [after a lot of waffling and a phone consult with Mom] I cut a Large for these and then still had to take in most of the seams. They'll fit my post-pregnancy body okay but I suspect that I'll want to take them in even more once my body returns to normal.

I'm pretty happy with the pattern and they serged up well, but we'll see in a few months how they actually wear. Until then, I'm happy to be breathing some new life into my post-pregnancy wardrobe.

Bra Pattern Comparison

Now that I’ve sewn four different bra patterns and have had a chance to wear them, I thought it would be valuable to do a comparison. The four patterns include: Cloth Habit Watson, Cloth Habit Harriet, Madalynn Barrett, and Ohhh Lulu Romy.

It’s also worth noting that the first two patterns come in traditional bra sizes (band + cup) while the latter two come in S/M/L/etc. This affects both the design and fit of the final bra.

Watson is an awesome starter bra pattern. The instructions are easy to follow — including walking you through unfamiliar techniques and giving guidance on stitch width and length — and you end up with a nice bra. In terms of wear, it’s comfortable, though not the most comfortable on my list. I’ve also had some “muffin top” in the cups which are related to fit issues/being pregnant, but are still more of an issue here due to Watson’s cup shape.

Harriet is the bra to be proud of making. It’s more complicated to sew, but still has Cloth Habit’s accessibility in the style of directions. Sizing on Harriet is key. Once I made the bra in the correct size, it was comfortable (though a different comfortable than wearing a non-underwire bra). If you’re looking for an underwire bra pattern, this is a good one to check out.

Barrett is the bra I both love and hate. I hate putting it on (it’s a pull-over with no back fastener) but, once it’s on, it’s the bra I’d rate as most comfortable. I also wasn’t a big fan of the directions, which were very text heavy and didn’t have clearly enumerated steps; I definitely wouldn’t make this as your first bra. That said, this is a free pattern and could easily be modified to include a back fastener.

Romy is an all around solid pattern. Good directions (though lacking some of the extra details of Watson) and a comfortable wear. I also like the finishing detail in the enclosed seams. I think Romy is more forgiving of fit issues, likely due to the cup shape. I really like my Romy bras, with the exception that the back straps need to be closer together.

All told, if you’ve never sewn a bra before, sew a Watson. Otherwise, try a Romy or, if you don’t mind a pull-over, a Barrett. For a good but accessible challenge, tackle a Harriet. I hope this comparison helps!

Romy and Romy

I seem to be finding the bottom of this bra rabbit hole, or at least loosing some steam. It might have had something to do with the chaos of moving my sewing room and then sewing 3 bras in 2 weeks. I won’t say I’m done with sewing bras, only that other types of patterns and my WIP pile are looking pretty appealing right now.

Before I hit this point, I tried a new pattern: the Romy Bra by Ohhh Lulu. I like the simplicity of this pattern — bonus points for having straightforward directions with pictures — and a construction which leaves the seams enclosed between the main fabric and the lining (see last photo).

And because I’m obsessed, I actually made two of these bras: one standard version (hello pink!) and one with the strappy modification included in the pattern. Both were easy to construct, though the strappy version did not easily convert to a nursing bra.

The problem was that I thought I could anchor the maternity clasp on the added front strap. However, this resulted in the front strap pulling in and the cup pulling out, meaning the clasps popped open much too readily for my peace of mind (the twisted area in photo above). The solution was to add another strap on the outside to balance the pull of the front strap. It took a little jiggering, and an added O-ring, but I made it work.

Two more things about this bra pattern. First, pink version is actually the only bra I’ve assembled using my serger; I’ve been surprised by how readily you can make a bra on a regular sewing machine. Second, I don’t like how far apart the straps are at the back of the bra. It’s only a problem with the white version because I used tighter elastic, but it’s something I’d modify if I made this pattern a third time.

So there you are, bras #10 and #11. The current total include 6 Watson’s, 2 Harriet’s, 2 Romy’s, and 1 Barrett (6 of which are nursing bras). I’ll have to do a comparison of each bra pattern in a future post.

A Small Hat

It's rather shocking to be blogging about something other than a bra, but I do occasionally sew things other than lingerie. These things are often hats, but at least it's a change from the last eight (!) items I've made.

This particular hat is another bucket hat from the book Sewn Hats. I made one for the toddler last summer in size XS and he's already outgrown it! So this time I sewed a size Small. As in, an adult-small hat. For my 2.5-year-old. I guess he just has a lot of brains.

I didn't have enough of the fox fabric (only a fat quarter), so I decided to make this hat completely reversible with a different lining. You might recognize the lining as leftover fabric from one of my Scout Tees. It's a bit of a departure from the pattern specifications (which don't call for lining the crown), but it wasn't a difficult modification and I actually prefer the full lining + reversibility.

We told him to smile for this picture and the results could not be more adorable. But at least he likes his new hat (and it actually fits him)!