Fun with knickers + UFO completion potpourri

I started my sweatshop in Seattle with some knickers that I had cut out in Arizona erm just about 10 months ago.  4 pairs - Watsons and the free pattern from So Zo.  I did different bindings on them as I am still seeking the perfect binding.  So far all the picot elastic I've gotten on etsy has shredded in the wash.  And the Watson gives me terrible panty lines which I know and have accepted.

So far: the blue ones with folded tape actually are great, and the red ones with the thin FOE that I couldn't fold over are tighter than the others, and already falling apart, as this FOE from Etsy was only about 1/2" wide and so I have only zigzagged it onto the outside of the knicker - and the stitches are already coming loose due to how much my Mum's Necchi hates knits and skips stitches.  The other two, with picot elastic, are fine. I suspect the grey and the blue are the So Zo pants, and that the green and red are the Watsons, but I'm not entirely sure.

I finished a Grainline Scout which is upcycled from an old dress:

My final thought on Scouts is that the only one I have ever really liked is the double-gauze.  So I think I'm going to stick with that from now on.  The fit of a size  4--2 seems to be good with no other changes. 

I decided once and for all that this Ondee does need to be an Ondee and not an Ondee-skater.

And then I moved on to some new knicker patterns: the Acacia - 2 sizes from one tshirt! (XS and S - I was between sizes, and I think the S fits better.) Yesss upcycling!  I like the butt coverage of this pattern, and I liked the option to use 3/8" elastic.  However I also think that using picot bra elastic gives the nicest finish when you don't have a serger.  And the samples made by Megan are way cuter than using old tshirts and inspires me to actually buy fabric specifically to make knickers with - one day. 

And the Kitschy Coo Barrie bottoms, size 2, which pattern I had high hopes for as it uses normal bindings that might hold up better in the wash.  First one is the lower waisted cut from an upcycled navy rayon tshirt - very soft but a pain to sew.  This has worn well and is actually my favourite of the batch.  Second one is my mum's old blue tshirt circa 1980 and the higher waist - doesn't have much stretch, in fact, those ended up too small to even pull on.  I do like the rayon, the fit is good, they sit totally below the butt so while there are panty lines they are at least not so obvious, and the soft waistband is great.  Must make these in more nice soft stretchy fabric.

I was also very pleased by how many knickers I could get from one tshirt!  This is an upcycling win!  Although I think my Anima lounge pants are totally the winner on best upcycled use of tshirts - enough that I might do them again but focus on colourblocking them so they actually look good too. 

Not so boring grey Watson bra

This grey stuff is from a Merckwaerdigh kit, which I bought on Etsy.  It came with lace which I used on the Madalynne bralette.  I thought I should give the Watson another try since my first try was pretty good (see here) but I didn't like the long line bra at all.

This time I learnt from my recent Marlborough experience and cut out the B cup instead of C.  Still with a 32 band.

I double layered everything, therefore avoiding any elastic on the center of the cups, but I used powermesh on the band, and so I didn't figure out how to get a clean finish when attaching the cups to the band.

It was pretty easy and I didn't do anything else surprising.  It fits pretty well although the band looks like it's wrinkled, it seems to sit just fine. However, the support that the center elastic usually gives would be nice to have.  Next time I will probably go ahead and use elastic there but make sure it's a very low profile elastic - I hated all the frilly bits sticking out on my first Watson attempt.  Of course it's not the kind of bra that lifts and centers, but it's good for very low impact sports.  The band is actually a bit loose and I'll eventually get around to fixing that.

Watson bra by Cloth Habit

I made the Watson panty a whole bunch of times but the bra pattern sat for awhile before I felt ready for it.  Finally I was convinced when I had enough silk scraps left over -- this is stretch silk which I dyed last summer using the Shibori technique.  I made a Renfrew from a friend out of it, hence the scraps.  In order to stabilise the fabric, I cut two layers of everything.  I cut a 32C.  My spray glue came in handy!  I glued the fabric in half and then cut double thickness of each piece, except for the front part, where I had to cut it on the fold anyway and just cut two.

According to the size chart I should be a 34D.  I didn't believe the size chart.  I cut a 32C.  My silk is pretty stretchy and my boobs are pretty small.  I think that I will never have believable bust measures since my high bust is bigger than my normal bust size due, most likely, to my back muscles. 

I basted the front together, which is recommended by the instructions, then sewed all the double pieces as one unit.  Had some trouble figuring out what I should use to finish the front cup, but I went with lingerie elastic as that is all I had.  I don't know if I had high expectations due to other people's pictures, or if I thought making two Marlboroughs turned me into a bra genius, but I had no fun making this bra and I don't like it.  AND I know there isn't a good reason for the latter.  My Pfaff makes bra making catastrophic.  A short zig-zag stitch doesn't get caught by the IDT foot and the fabric sits still and makes lumps of thread.  Anything horizontally uneven gets pushed to the side and so, for instance, sewing on the clasp at the back was terribly frustrating.

For a next version I would try the shorter one so that it feels like a normal bra.  I would use much finer elastic on the front and top.  I really don't like the look of this wider elastic (and something can also be said for pretty findings - I'd match the elastic colour instead of mixing black and white).  I would round the cups at the bust point and take a tiny bit of fabric out of the right one.  I might also take a tiny wedge out of the lateral side of the outer cup.  I always have gaping there and I don't know if pulling the elastic tighter would be enough, or if I would be better off with slightly less fabric in that spot. The 32C was the right size though, so I wouldn't change that.  I usually wear a 32C or 32D bra so this is consistent with RTW for me.

In terms of bramaking in general, I think that this is almost comparable to the Marlborough for a first bra pattern.  I think the Marlborough has more hand holding details and it is possible to get a better result.  Here I found the intersection of the cups and also the top of the cup where it goes through the strap to be spots where the results could vary a lot.  But overall I don't think there is a huge difference. And I think some of my lack of excitement is that I am not sure what I would do with a bra like this.  I am pretty partial to underwires in my daily life. Maybe the shorter Watson would convince me more.

Panty party part 2: Rose crossover panties & Watson bikini

Made another Watson bikini:
Recycled fabric from an old ibex tshirt that had holes.  Panty lining is from the arm of a tshirt I cut off. I made the XS this time, keeping in mind my old stretchy wool fabric.  What can I say, this pattern really works!  It's cute and fits and feels just like something store bought.  I made this before breakfast...

...and a second Rose crossover bikini:
Made this after breakfast : )  I cut the XS. Followed the instructions (the elastic looks really good!) And then I tried it on.  And this is a total fail - I didn't bother putting on the waist elastic.  It would fit me around the waist this time, barely, but the butt feels like wearing a diaper - there is a huge amount of pooling of fabric in the butt.  Because overall the woven doesn't stretch, getting the waist fit right means I can barely pull the panty on. That is when I understood why the pattern model is sewn with a fully lace back.  I think this pattern needs to be done with something either knit, or stretchy.  For now I have had enough of trying it.  According to the size chart, I am an M, but it looks like an XS is the right fit.  I might revisit this when I want some really sexy lingerie and I am willing to work with stretch silk or lace.  Maybe folding an inch out of the butt would help too. 

The other issue with this is that the instructions say to pull a bit of tension as you are sewing the leg hole elastic on.  I would adjust this to say: pull a f*-load of tension on it because you need it to really gather the fabric.  Nothing wrong with this pattern (the rebel in me always wants to point out the bad in patterns to counteract the blogosphere's freaky perky happiness with all indie patterns...) but I would definitely need to spend more time to make it fit my bottom...

A trio of panties

So I have been introduced to the addictive qualities of making underwear.  At first you think that this is just not gonna fit.  No way.  Especially on my first pair, which were the:

1. Grace Hipster panty, by Ohhh Lulu.

Interesting features: pieces of bias cut woven scraps, mixed with some knits at the sides.
The little crotch bit is only sewn down to the back.
Wonder of wonders, although it looked MASSIVE, it fits.
I cut a size M, managing not to cut a small out of vanity, for my 37'' hips.
You don't sew anything along the legholes, just fold over and finish, and that is good for minimising panty lines on the butt.  

2. Rose cross over bikini by Ohhh Lulu

This was my third pair.  I again used size M and again tried to ignore how massive they looked.  This requires a bit more attention because you have to sew the fold over elastic twice.  It's also good to baste the overlap very thoroughly.  I learned all this by not doing either of those things.  I just folded the elastic and kind of pulled tension on it while trying to shove the fabric into it and sew at the same time...I missed a spot on the front.

Good thing here: the crotch liner is fully enclosed.

Fit: can't tell you.  These were MASSIVE.  Like I thought the others would be.  Seriously huge.  I am not sure whether to sew a small or XS next, but because this requires big scraps on the bias, I am waiting til I have some scraps for the second pair.  (Or I might just make a silk pair.  I have a lot of silk scraps.) 

3. Watson bikini by Cloth Habit
This was my second pair.  I made a size small. I again thought they would be huge and I made them out of some white stretchy stuff that came in a bra kit from Spitzenparadies.  In fact I think all the materials came from that kit.  I basically dug around and pulled out whatever looked useful.  I don't usually wear underwear made of non-natural fibers, but to my shock, these fit like normal bikini underwear.  No way!!  (I might wear them.) Because this is a fully knit pattern, I will probably use some holey woolen shirts to make more pairs.  I like wool underwear : )  I'm also proud of my random decision to use purple thread.  These look special, what with all that crazy underwear elastic at the top!!

Summary: 2 out of three successes isn't bad at all!  Now it's time to put these to the test...and they are so fast to make that I am already planning more.