![[BAW 9] February Round-Up](https://emeralderin.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/2.jpg)
by Emerald Erin | Feb 28, 2016 | BRA NEWS
Hi All!
But most special of all was winning for Best Bra Maker in Madalynne’s Best Sewing Blogs 2016 along with
Miss Maddy Sews and
Madalynne herself!
I just want to say thank you so much to everyone who voted for me, I feel so honoured!!
And now that I have all those exciting bits of February talked about, on to the most exciting- which is all of the lovelies that you’ve made this month- and all I can say is WOW, and you better get a cup of tea and a comfy spot on the couch before starting this post!!!
Here we go!
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Diana made two bras inspired by the ‘witches’ specifically Mary Sibley from the show Salem!
I love cool inspirations like that, and I love these bras! This first one is so sleek and sexy! and the second is so fanciful! Love it!
Gorgeous! Make sure to head over and check out more about these bras over on Diana’s post!
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Next we have a set from Angela of My Little Sewing Dreams
Angela made this using the free bralette and string pattern from Make-Bra- and wow is this set sexy and strappy!!
This is a picture from the Make-bra site to show it on a form, but Angela made a very similar version with fold over elastic and sheer lace! So cool! Make sure to head over and read more this set on Angela’s blog!
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Next we have three beautiful bra makes from Anemone of Sew Anemone!
The first bra she made using the Elan #645 pattern, which turned out a little pointy for her taste, but lovely colours!
Read her post about this bra here 🙂
Next she made this beautiful bra using the Shelley pattern from PUG patterns. How beautiful does this lace look!
Check out this post here!
And finally the month culminated in this beauty! I love the coral! Anemone made this bra using the Elan pattern with a really good make-over using a RTW bra for guidance! Love it! and amazing month!
Check out the post on this bra here!
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This next bra is a light breath of air from Kathy of The Nerdy Seamstress!
Kathy has declared that this is her favourite bra and I can see why! She made this bra using bra tulle, with a layer of lining and a layer of polka-dot tulle on the outside. All this with bliss wires, gold sliders and rings and black findings really makes this bra pop! wow I love the combo!
I love how Kathy took the photos too- it just makes it look light as air! Make sure to head over and read all about it on Kathy’s blog!
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Next we have a very fun bra from Réka of Red Heels!
This beauty is a self-drafted partial band bra pattern from Réka! She made this using foam lined with cotton and a magenta fabric covered in black lace!
I love how this turned out with the lace over the magenta! gorgeous!! Make sure that you head over and read all about this bra over on Réka’s blog!
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Next we have two beautiful bras from Marian of Ill Signo!
Marian drafted this bra herself using the guidance of the Bra-Maker’s Manual from Beverly Johnson. She used foam and a diagonal seam cup for his simple pretty look!
This set has me dreaming about spring! I love the colours 🙂 You can read more about this set in Marian’s post here!
Marian was a busy bee and also made up this beautiful bra! For this bra she used the Maya pattern from AFI and this beautiful lace!
I think this bra came out beautifully and of course I’m loving all the lace for February!!
Make sure to head over and read all about his bra on Marian’s post!
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Next we have a lovely blue bra from Ilna!
Ilna made this bra for her friend using turquoise lace, black findings and three black bows with little pearls! So pretty!
She used the Doline pattern from Marinique, a South African company local to her! She’s sending it off to her friend in the US – I hope it fits!! 🙂
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Next we have some men’s underwear oh la la from the lovely France!
France made these underwear for her husband using the Wallbrook Boxer Briefs pattern from Green Style patterns, and some lovely soft grey stretch knit!
And a perfect fit too! Thanks for modelling! France is making these along with underthings for herself to go under their drysuits for all their amazing scuba diving adventures! Fantastic!! 🙂
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Next we have two beautiful bras from Samantha!
Samantha made this first bra using this gorgeous hearts pattern fabric she found at her local fabric shop, when she went in to only buy thread 😉
She even got the print to repeat on the back band too! How cute is this- and so perfect for February and Valentine’s with the red and white! Love it!
Next she was feeling inspired by the lace theme this month and broke out this beauty! Peach duoplex bra with a lovely off-white lace appliqué!
She said this is the most beautiful piece of clothing she owns and I can see why! You’ll have to find some sheer tops that show this bra off- just stunning!!
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Next we have two of the most beautiful delicate lacy lovelies from Sofia of Silver Lining Atelier!
Sofia made this bra, her black and white lacy bra, with her vertical seam pattern and an internal power bar for that little extra oomph!
This bra is also an all-lace bra, with lace cups, lace detail and lace frame and band! SUPER pretty!
Check out her post about this beauty here!
She was back to work with the lace again this February and made up her Strawberries and Cream bra. Wow, this bra has me dreaming of spring!!
Sofia has an incredible knack for making the most delicately beautiful things! And she is really doing an amazing job on her powerbars!
Make sure you head over and read more about this delicious bra over on Sofia’s blog!
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Next we have a wonderful line-up from the lovely Andie of Sew Pretty in Pink!
First we can start off with this beautiful ‘Garden Bra’ because of the garden of lovely rosettes on the bridge! I love that she names her bras! More about this bra in Andie’s post here!
Next is her Naughtier Nautical, which was her second try at the Maya pattern from AFI, don’t you just LOVE this nautical look!! I will definitely not make it through the summer without a nautical beauty like this!!
Next she went on to make her Lace Dreams bra! This was her third try with the Maya pattern. You can see her post over on the Curvy Sewing Collective with her fitting and alteration process with these lovely bra makes!
And finally rounding out the month with these lovely panties! 😉 Just kidding Andie- These lovely Barrie Briefs that look oh-so comfortable and cute!! Check out Andie’s post to see more about these briefs and for the opportunity to taunt her with the word ‘panties’!
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Next we have a lovely bra basic from Jennifer of Jensware!
Jennifer made this bra using the classic pattern from PUG patterns along with beige duoplex, powernet and findings.
She added that lovely little pink bow that brings it to life! Very pretty!
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Next we have two beautiful sets from Ingrid of IsaTe’s Designs!
Ingrid made this lovely set using the longline bralette pattern from Ohhh lu lu, along with the Grace panty pattern form Ohh lu lu as well!
She made them both using this beautiful black and white floral lace! Lovely set! You can read more about this set on Ingrid’s post here!
This next set is also a lovely lacy one! She used the Sierra pattern from Madalynne for the top and made matching boy shorts for the bottom with this lovely stretch lace! These sets are making me think that every month should be lace month!
Make sure to head over to Ingrids blog to read more about this set!
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Next we have the most delicate little lovely from Maddy of Miss Maddy Sews!
This is Maddy’s ‘Meringue’ set and it definitely is delicious, and has me pining for spring!!
Maddy used the Boylston bra pattern from Orange Lingerie for the bra, and the Merckwaerdigh Pocket Boxer pattern for the matching bottoms!
Maddy used a lovely cream coloured stretch lace all-over for the Lace February theme, along with some cut and sew foam for the cups, and super special rose-gold sliders and rings!
Make sure to read more about this gorgeous set over on Maddy’s blog!
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Next we have two gorgeous makes from the lovely Linda of Uplift Custom Bras!
In standard Linda style these are both very Va Va Voom!! I’m loving this sheer upper cup with satin bound edge!!
And this animal-print lace is just so cool! I love the shape and styling of this bra– lace February is definitely a good month for everyone!!
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Next we have a sheer lovely from the very lovely Emma of A Hand Stitched Life!
Emma made her beautiful Black Betty bra using the Boylston pattern from Orange Lingerie, and one of my Bra Tulle kits from The Emerald Studio!
There is something just so high-end, sexy gorgeous about this bra, and I’m so happy to hear that it’s her new favourite bra!!
Make sure you head over to Emma’s blog to read all about this beautiful Black Betty!
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Next we have a very lovely bra make from Amy of It’s My Turn!
Amy made this bra using the Marlborough pattern from Orange Lingerie, and beautiful white fabrics, lace and elastics! This was Amy’s first bra make ever! WOW so gorgeous!
Make sure to check out more about Amy’s lovely make over on her blog!
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Next we have two bra makes from the lovely Gillian of Crafting a Rainbow!
Gillian has been super busy this month as the host of Lingerie Month over on the Curvy Sewing Collectivehttps://curvysewingcollective.com/category/curvy-sewing-101/curvy-lingerie/ and sewing up a storm of bras for herself!
I also had the wonderful opportunity to meet Gillian earlier this year, and work with her on a custom drafted bra pattern! If you want to read more about the whole process and the end results you can check out here post about it here! And see her beautiful bra makes!
You can also see her most recent make- this lovely flirty number using bra tulle over on her blog! Love it!!
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Next we have this lovely fresh set from Rosa of Rosamade!
Rosa made this set using the Marlborough pattern from Orange Lingerie. She made this using a rigid floral satin fabric with stretch lace upper cup- super pretty!
Rosa made it a matching set using the Thong pattern from Ohhh lu lu! I love how fresh and delicate this set is! I think it also needs a robe and sleep mask for the ultimate super luxury!!
Make sure you check out Rosa’s post on her gorgeous set!
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Last but not least we have this beautiful bra from Holly of Intimate Underpinnings!
Holly made this beauty using some red and gold lace, with a matching gold sling to go under the cups! How delicate and pretty is this bra! I love the coordinating bow and straps as well- very dainty!
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Did you make it? How inspired do you feel right now? I know I’m chomping at the bit to get back into my studio and designing!
What were your favourite makes this month?
Do you have any plans for March?
I’m going to be making a little detour off the path of lingerie and into the world of swimwear this March! You’re welcome to join me in the pool or stay with your lovely underthings! All is fair game this month!
Hope you’ve had a wonderful February, and I’m already dying to see all your inspiring makes in March!!
xo
erin
![Bra Make [BAW8]: Black Lace Vixen & Giveaway Winner!](https://emeralderin.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/IMG_4617.jpg)
by Emerald Erin | Feb 21, 2016 | BRA MAKES
Hi All!!
Week 8 already!- and here is my second and final make for February! I think lace was the perfect topic, and I’m already dreaming of all the lace bras I’m going to make the rest of the year now that I’m so inspired!
But first, what I’m sure you’ve all been waiting for!
The GIVEAWAY announcement!!
And the winner of this lovely kit (with either large or small findings):
Drumroll please…………………………….
I’m so excited!! I know Maddy will make something truly stunning with this kit! Congratulations Maddy- I will be in touch and this beauty will be on it’s way across the world in no time! 🙂
(*why does random number generator always find the person with the most expensive shipping? lol*)
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Now that we have all the excitement about the giveaway over, it’s time to get excited about my make this week!
Since you all got a massive sneak peak of this bra in my tutorial on making a scallop lace band last week. I thought I would give you a little extra eye candy this week with a matching waist cincher, made with the Vixen pattern from Scarlett!!
I made this set using my new Beautiful Black Lace (and lots of it! So much lace edge!!), Black Bra Tulle, Plunge Underwires and a small black regular elastic findings kit (with a 3X3 hook and eye- my fave)!
On the waist cincher I also used some pre-made cotton binding to finish the edges, black channeling with 1/4″ plastic boning and some sturdy black woven wool for a waist tape and to support the grommets in the back!
Now I do technically have a full set with this bra, the waist cincher and the black panties I made to go with my black beauty set, but I’m not quite brave enough to photograph myself in the whole set for you guys, so these two will have to do!
I LOVE how this waist cincher turned out! The bra tulle looks so delicate and light as air! And I should say that it definitely isn’t as strong as coutil- so this is not a real ‘haul in the waist’ kind of corset- but it makes for some very pretty lingerie, especially on a pattern like this with so many shapely panels!
I added a little pop of pink ribbon in the back 🙂 just to mix things up 🙂 I love how you can see the waist tape though the sheer pannels, and this waist cincher is nice and high in the back, it even overlaps my wide bra back! I think that’s a more flattering shape though 🙂
I’m pretty impressed with how this bra came out too! I’m LOVING this darted cup 🙂 I know that they aren’t the best for everyone and all sizes, but I find that on me, and my size- they are so flattering and give a really nice shape! I love the way these large lace scallops turned out, it really emphasizes the plunge of this neckline. I definitely think this is one of the sexiest bras I own, hands down!
I think these two designs worked well to compliment each other as well, with the top line or the waist cincher following the bottom edge of the bra in that nice ‘V’ shape!
And don’t forget Scarlett most generously offered a 50% discount on this beautiful waist cincher pattern for my lovely readers this February with this coupon code!! YAY!
I’m so happy with how my set turned out! But I’m also SO excited to see everything you’ve made this month!!
Don’t forget to send in all your bra makes for February to:
braaweek@gmail.com
Hope you’re all having an amazing weekend!
xo
erin
![Bra Theory [BAW7]: How to make a Lace Frame Bra](https://emeralderin.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/IMG_4795.jpg)
by Emerald Erin | Feb 14, 2016 | TUTORIALS
Hi All!
Firstly- A Very Happy Valentine’s Day!! Or as I prefer to call it Day Before On-Sale Chocolate Day / Selfish Lingerie Sewing Day!
It’s Bra Theory this week! And I had a wonderful suggestion from the lovely Ilna for a tutorial on making a scalloped-lace frame for bras. And I thought my new black lace would be perfect for it!
This is giving you a HUGE sneak peak into the bra-make that you’re going to see next week! And to give you another sneak peak about another special thing that you’ll see to go with it next week…
Scarlett has very generously offered you, my lovely readers, 50% off her Vixen Waist Cincher for the rest of February with the code VIX-E-FEB! Happy Valentine’s Day All!! Head over to get your pattern and get a look at the corset that will be featured in my post next week!! 🙂
Now- onwards to the tutorial!
To make a lace frame there are some modifications that you have to do to your standard bra frame. This is the bra frame pattern that I use with my plunge wires:
To have a scalloped lace bottom to your frame, you’re going to have to have a straight bottom edge on your frame (as opposed to this pattern piece that has a nice curve following the cups), because your lace fabric edge follows a straight line.
But before you go and chop off the bottom of your frame- let’s do a little deconstructing and thinking first, so you know you won’t run into any problems later.
So in this image below, I’ve taken the same frame, but I’ve marked my seam 1/4″ allowances (in turquoise), then I’ve marked where my channelling and underwire goes 3/8″ (in pink), then I’ve marked my elastic allowances 3/8″ for this bra (in purple).
I find doing this gives you a better idea of exactly what is happening with your pattern pieces, and how you can make adjustments to your pattern successfully. So from this you can think about two things that will help you convert your pattern to a lace band:
1. You CAN NOT touch the seam allowances and the channelling allowance around the cup. If you make it more narrow than your 1/4″ seam allowance plus your 3/8″ channel allowance, then you won’t have enough width in your frame to cover your channel- you have to work around that.
2. Your elastic allowance at the bottom isn’t relevant anymore, since you won’t be turning your bottom edge up (because your bottom edge will be lace).
So with that information- there are two ways that you can make a lace band, you can make it in one piece- straight across, or you can make it in two pieces with seam in the middle.
This is the first way:
This is if you want to use ONE solid piece of lace for your frame, and it will go straight across. You can go as narrow as the yellow line (right to the bottom of your channels) or you can lengthen it to make it a longer-line for an effect like this bra:
(thank you Pinterest)
If you are working with your pattern as a half-frame and you haven’t traced the whole thing out like I’ve done, then all you have to do when you draw your line, is to make sure that it is exactly perpendicular to your center front line, so that you don’t have it on an angle.
And remember- this new bottom line is your finished edge, you don’t have to add elastic allowances because you won’t be flipping your elastic in.
So that is the first way to make a lace band. The other way is to make a two-piece lace band, with a seam of the center front. This is my favourite way to make a lace band because I love the angles- this is the same idea as making a gothic arch.
Because this is going to be a two-piece frame (seamed up the middle) it’s easy to show on the half-frame. With this style, instead of making your bottom edge perpendicular to your center front, you’re going to put it on an angle so that your bottom edge will be an upside-down ‘V’.
Now the angle that you choose can be more (the yellow line) or less (the pink line) dramatic, it’s all about your preference- and you also have to remember that for a more dramatic angle- you will also be widening your side seam, and will have to adjust your back band piece to match.
Don’t forget to add a seam allowance to the center front, because you will have a seam there!
So I’ve decided for my example to go with a more dramatic ‘V’.
Remember when you’re cutting out your frame, that the bottom edge is your finished edge, and that line should follow the lowest valleys of your lace edge, so that the scallops stick out past that point.
Now there are a couple caveats to this. The MOST important thing about placing your band is that the bottom of your seamlines (where your seams end at the bottom of the band) fall on a low point of the lace- or are touching the very edge of the lace, so that when you sew it up together it’s not mid-scallop and making your seam longer than you intended.
This will sometimes mean that you want to play with your side seams a bit to get the lace to fall where you want it to, and in this case I’m using a lace with big scallops, so I can’t get the lace to fall perfectly along the lowest point, so there is a spot you can see where the lace edge dips in and isn’t covering my pattern piece. That is not ideal, but it’s also not the end of the world, as long as it doesn’t dip in too far or dip in to the channelling area.
Another thing to note is that the most important part of placing the lace is considering the center front. Make sure you have a beautiful center front that is going to look nice will go a long way to making your bra beautiful and look more RTW, in this case I made sure that I started it right at the bottom most point of a big scallop, so that it could fan out on each side from that point. If you have a lace that mirrors than you can cut your frame out to be perfectly symmetrical on each side, and if not, the important thing is to match the scallops!
Once you’ve got the perfect placement, then cut out your linings to match if you’re using them, and sew your frame like usual, matching your center front seam. Then sew your back band onto your frame. Remember that your back band still has elastic allowance, in this case I’m using a 3/8″ elastic so my band sticks out 3/8″ below the bottom edge of my front frame.
Now it’s time for the first part of elastic application. You’re going to sew your elastic to the RIGHT side of your back band, just like you normally would on the inside edge. But you’re going to stop right at the edge where your back band ends and meets your front frame. You want to be sure that your elastic is sewn right to that point where they meet, so that when you flip your elastic to the inside it looks seamless with your frame. (Also a small aside, I’m sewing my elastic so that the picot edge is facing in, so that it doesn’t compete with my lace edge).
Once you sew your elastic to one side of your band, you’ll want to leave a tail of elastic that is long enough to make it along your frame and cross at the center.
*If you are doing a straight across lace band and want to do your elastic in one solid piece, then you will have to measure your elastic to make sure it is the exact length you need, and you will be sewing both ends of this elastic to either side of your back band leaving it open in the center.*
I like to sew my bra cups into my frame before I sew my elastic to the frame, to help guide my elastic placement, and make sure I don’t overlap into my seam allowances!
So your next step is to flip your elastic to the inside on your back band and sew your second pass, once you get to where your elastic meets your frame, it should be perfectly lined up, and you can continue sewing your elastic along your frame. If you’re doing a gothic arch like I am in the example, you can pin your elastic before so they cross in the center and you can sew it in one-pass, staying on the inside edge of the elastic again. After you finish this pass the elastic will be sewn down fully on your back band, and you can go in and sew your second pass on the bottom edge of your elastic in the frame.
For the gothic arch style, you will have this criss-cross in the front and these tails that stick out. I like to leave these long while I sew on my first pass of the channelling so they are easy to pin out of the way.
Then, once your channelling is attached, you want to trim these elastic ends so they will be caught under the channelling- for a nice finish.
Then when you fold over your channelling- super neat interior finish!
Then you can sew on your underarm elastic, and do your other bra finishings, sew down your channel and voila! You have a beautiful lace band!
And I’m not going to show too many pictures of the final finished bra- you’ll have to wait until next week for more pics!!
That’s all you get for now!!!
Also don’t forget I still have my Giveaway happening for this beautiful lace kit!!
I’ll be drawing the winner next Sunday! And all you have to do to enter is sign up for my newsletter in the side bar!! 🙂 🙂
Do you have any favourite ways of sewing lace?
Let me know!
Hope you’re all enjoying your Valentine’s Day!!
xo
erin
![[BAW 6]: Red Valentine & GIVEAWAY](https://emeralderin.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/IMG_4769.jpg)
by Emerald Erin | Feb 7, 2016 | BRA MAKES, STUDIO LIFE
Hi All!
How excited are you for lace this month! I feel like I’ve really gotten away from lace over the last couple months with my love affair with bra tulle, but my love of lace is coming back to me pretty quickly!
To help you get excited for lace month, I’m having a GIVEAWAY!! YAY! And it’s for the bra kit that I used to make this weeks bra, my Red Valentine! I’ll have more information at the bottom of this post, so you can see what I did with this lace kit and dream about what you’ll do with it!
I’m pretty in love with this bra, I love the all-over lace, power bar, lace edge neckline, it’s really very me 🙂 I made this using a non-stretch lace fabric, lined with bra tulle. I used a large findings kit, for the wide straps and thick bottom band elastic for extra support and comfort, and my fav Bliss underwires! (pssst.. I have this new kit up on etsy!)
If you follow me on Instagram @theemeraldstudio you would have seen a teaser for this matching elastic findings! I’m really feeling this red, it just seems so rich and perfect for a Valentine’s bra!
I thought I’d try a new cup seaming on this bra, with a three piece cup, and I LOVE it! I think it’s just so flattering and comfortable. It is fairy similar to the Snow White bra, but the angles are a little different and I think that I like this one a little better.
I love that this lace is really smooth too, and the gold and red just pop!
I love laying my bras out for the photos and imagining the outfit and the jewelry that would go with it I’m imagining this one with a lovely little cocktail dress and gold accessories. 🙂 Do you ever do that?
So now that I have you drooling over this beautiful new lace.. it’s on to the GIVEAWAY!!
Enter to win a one of my new red & gold lace kits!!
The contest is open to everyone and you can choose between a large or small findings kit!
So how do you enter this giveaway?
Well, that is another exciting announcement:
I’m starting a Newsletter!!
The newsletter is going to be a great way to keep up with the Bra-A-Week Challenge, to get little tips and tricks for bra making and swimwear, and to stay in the loop about what’s happening in The Emerald Studio!
All you have to do to enter is to sign up for my newsletter!
Sign up is in my side bar –>
Do you have any ideas for this kit? What will you do with it if you win?
Let me know in the comments!
xo
erin
