A blue Watson Bra - Pattern Review

You will see from my last blog post that I’ve been delving into the world of underwear making. I never thought I would actually make underwear successfully, after years of struggling to find bras to fit I have become disheartened by RTW and was prompted by the desire to find a bra that fits without a boatload of padding and is super comfy. So far I’ve tried the Watson Bra and Simplicity 8436. I’ll review the Simplicity pattern at a later date, but today I wanted to focus on the Watson.

The Watson Bra and knickers is a pattern by Cloth Habit. It’s a soft cup bra with no underwires, can be made in lace/ jersey/ scuba - in fact, lots of fabrics with a bit of stretch are ideal for this pattern. I have now made 4 versions of this pattern and it’s fast becoming my favourite bra to wear.

The pattern comes in a range of sizes and is easy to adapt. It has a vertically seamed cup, which makes alterations super easy

The instructions that come with the pattern are great for beginners as they take you step by step through the whole process - even which type of stitch to use and how wide/ long your zigzag stitches should be. If you need even more hand-holding with this pattern there are multiple sew-a-longs on the web, including a video tutorial by Liz Sews.

As with any sewing pattern, getting the fit right is what makes a project work or not. The first Watson I made was too big in the band and too small in the cup. I did a bit of research on Bra sizing and decided to make a completely different size to the recommended size on the charts provided. If you are making this Bra for the first time I would definitely start with the chart, but be aware that you might need to make some changes to the pattern.

For my second version, I made a 30E. Initially, I thought it wasn’t going to fit, but I can honestly say it’s the best fitting bra I have ever worn. It feels slightly snug when I first put it on, but it is super comfy. For this version, I had used elastics and fabric from another unworn me made bra as it was to be a wearable toile.

Once I was happy with the fit I decided to make another version. This time I used some scraps of Rico jersey with a super cool print. I decided to use two layers which was a mistake. This fabric is quite thick and the extra bulk on the vertical seam caused some puckering - I should have trimmed the seams really close to get a smooth finish. This fabric also has a tendency to stretch out and doesn’t really have a great recovery, so while it’s a great print it’s a fail as a bra. One thing that did work on this one was the one alteration that I made. The vertical seam line was just a smidge too wide set and I altered it to bring it nearer to the centre of my chest.

Watson take 4 - powder blue jersey. This fabric was sent to me by a friend who had made a t-shirt and had some leftovers. It’s a beautiful quality cotton jersey with some widthwise stretch and very little lengthwise stretch. I decided to line this one with stretch mesh to reduce bulk and stable cotton for the band. The Powernet and elastics are all white.

I've seen several ways to construct the cups to achieve a neat finish and as I was lining these with mesh I sandwiched the cup seam, so that it was enclosed once turned the right way around and then top-stitched it in place.

I also managed to enclose the side seams so that they have a neat finish

However, where the cups meet the cradle I left raw. If I had some seam tape in my stash I would apply it here, but It's been trimmed and top stitched and I'm happy with it.

I’m really pleased with the finish on this one. The only thing I don’t like is where the straps join - I find it really bulky to thread through a ring and it looks wrong - so I added a small elastic loop. If you have a great solution to this please let me know. Failing that I’ll attach the elastics straight to the cup and put the rings and sliders on the back next time. I did notice while taking the photos That I'd twisted one of the straps. I sorted that - it only took 5 minutes.

I made a matching pair of undies - these are made with a pattern taken from an old pair of shorts style knickers that I had years ago. The band at the top is covered regular elastic - it took me ages to remember how I attached this and it's still a bit of a mess. My zigzag stitches are great in some places, but as soon as I miss the elastic or get to a thicker area they skip and are irregular. Not helped by the fact that I used white thread as I'd run out of the matching blue, so now my skipped stitches are super obvious. Oh well you live and learn.

The legs are just turned and hemmed. One thing I really need to do is get out my Janome sewing machine and use the triple zigzag stitch. I have been using my vintage Bernina, but even with the correct needles it still skips some stitches and doesn’t have the triple zigzag option.

Overall, I love the look of this set, and that it is pretty much made of scrap fabric. I am certain this will get plenty of wear and I’m sure as I become more confident in lingerie making there will be many more. I might even try some pattern hacks. I would like to try some other knicker patterns, let me know which are your favourites?

Going Wobbly - how I'm getting my head back together (and a new top)

It's been quite a week. I don't know about you but I thought I'd got settled into a new routine in lockdown and a new way of working. I spent mornings working, from early until anout 12.30-1pm. Then I'd have lunch; walk the dog; do a bit of housework/ garden stuff; do another hour or two working and finish by tea time. It was all working fine up until Monday.

I'd had a productive weekend. I painted on the bank holiday - out in the garden as it was so nice. - working on a big 120cm square canvas for my painting based on Newbiggin bay. Saturday I pulled out weeds and took it all to the tip, Sunday was church and a long walk with the dog and Boris' announcement!

I didn't sleep well and woke in a poor frame of mind for Monday. I worked - starting at 7.30am and I don't think I really rested from it until tea time. I didn't become a teacher to sit all day at a computer, and by the end of the day my back hurt and I was still left not really know what was going to happen with schools. Many questions and very few answers.

Tuesday was much the same. Worked to the point where my back hurt and the lack of sleep made me completely ineffective. Still no news on how schools would return. I decided that on wednesday I would work on exemplar material for my students and did a bit of painting and designing for some of my modules.

As the week has gone on, it's been harder to keep my chin up. I have felt demoralised by all the teacher bashing going off in the press; the arguments and lack of clear plan. It's become apparent that children and teachers are just subjects in the goverment's latest Covid19 experiment - guinea pigs if you will. I want to teach - I am a professional and do a good job. The children make me laugh, and I love seeing them grow as individuals. I want them to be safe and all our staff to be safe. I just don't think the plans in place are safe. I could feel a level of anxiety creeping in. I even had my work stress dream - you'll laugh at this one - I dream all the kids have left unwashed pallettes, paintbrushes etc in the classroom sink and I have to clean it up. It's stupid I know, but it's what I dream when I'm stressed about work.

I decided to stop reading, listening to or watching the news as it was seriously affecting my mental health and late in the week I started a couple of sewing projects to boost my mental health.

I had a piece of spotty viscose left over from my Solina dress. It was from Minerva. I decided to make my ever faithful top. I have made so many of these I have lost count - It's Burdastyle #116 07/2012.

I've made a few changes to the pattern over the years. I joined the shoulder pieces together to make one piece for each side. It's supposed to be a double layered top, instead I make this a single layer and bind the neck and armholes with bias binding.

Add caption

To make it super easy I lust leave long bias strip ties at the opening and tie in a bow.

I also made a button necklace. I had a supply of craft buttons in bright colours, so I strung them together interspersed with smaller buttons, the bright colours make me happy.

I've also started on a vintage pattern. It's a Brooke Shields jumpsuit pattern from 1984 - watch this space for more on that one.

3 ways to develop your own personal style.

Style is something we are sold. High fashion trickles down to the high street and eventually into our wardrobes. We are told what's hot and what's not and in a few weeks, it's all changed again - welcome to the world of fast fashion. So what can we do to develop our own style? I have 3 ways that I'm exploring to do just that.


1. Make your own clothes? 
Why?
Well for starters you choose the style and fabric of the garment you want. you invest time and money into it and therefore it tends to spend longer in your wardrobe and with a bit of practise, you can get the fit spot on. There is nothing better than making clothes that fit you when you can't buy them in the shops.

Me made and designed dress

Isn't it expensive?
Yes, and No. - Patterns and fabric can be expensive. However, you can sew your own garments very cheaply. I don't spend a lot of money on sewing and I look to use fabric as economically as possible by trying to use up every last bit. I also upcycle and remake some clothing items to get more wear out of them and personalise them. There are plenty of free sewing patterns out there and I even have a couple too - you can find them here. I use a local market for some of my fabric or buy during the sales to keep the cost down. for example last year I bought 2.5m of stretch denim from the market. It made me a pair of jeans and a pinafore dress. The fabric cost £15. Another cost-saving way to make your own clothes is to learn to draft patterns. There are plenty of classes out there, but also some good books. I recommend Metric Matern Cutting for Women's Wear by Winifred Aldrich.

Making my own clothes helps me develop my style, especially if I commit to wearing my me-made items every day. So I've signed up for Me Made May again this year - with a challenge to be more creative in my clothing choices. You can sign up at So Zo's blog.

'I, Claire from Ragbagsandgladrags.blogspot.co.uk @artcoopsville, sign up as a participant of Me-Made-May '18. I endeavour to wear me-made every day and to explore the more creative side of my clothing choices and really express myself through each outfit during May 2018.'

2. Don't be afraid to express yourself.

So how do I explore my creative side? I was thinking about Hila's (Saturday night stitch) pledge to embrace the eccentric during her MMMay challenge. I think it's great that Hila has eccentric items to wear. this got me started on my own style ideas - its something that's been bubbling away for some time and I'm starting to formulate some ideas about how to express my personal style a little more creatively.

When I was an art student back in the 90's I really did wear some eccentric items, but I wasn't comfortable in my own skin, I was often trying to be someone else. I didn't really have a sense of who I was. Now I do, but I'm often wary of wearing exactly what I'd like as I need to be professional at work and I can tend towards the jeans, t-shirt and hoody at the weekends. MMMay gives me the opportunity to mix it up a bit.

A.  Be yourself - It's all too easy to fit into what society expects you to look and be like. I love colour, quirky patterns, amazing shoes, doc marten boots, jewellery etc, but often I'm fearful of overdoing it and end up playing it safe, wearing just one of my lovely garments or accessories.  Well, it's time to say I don't care what you think -  This is me!.

Yes, it was fancy dress - but I love it!

 B. Work with what you have - Don't go out and buy new unless you are replacing a worn out item. Look at the items you have in your wardrobe and decide what will work together. You might notice you have a lot of the same style of trousers/ skirts or a particular palette of colours might become apparent. (I have lots of dresses - but in lots of different styles and colours). don't be afraid to try some unusual combinations- you might be pleasantly surprised.

C. Personalise - much easier if you make your own clothes, but add something to your garment that signifies you - it could be a statement brooch. a scarf worn as a belt. upcycle and embroider garments to make them unique. change the buttons for some that stand out or contrast.

D. Be bold - don't be afraid of colour. If this is something new to you choose a statement piece that is you, Sunglasses, shoes, hat, and pair it with something more neutral. throw out the style guides that say you can only wear this with that, or never wear this with that. it's your style - wear what you want!

  
3. Finally - create a mood board of the things that you see as your style. Pinterest is great for this, or actually collage images together it will help you identify the styles of clothes, colours, patterns and textures that you are drawn to. So when you purchase or make your next item of clothing you know what you want and need. below are some of the styles and colours that I'm drawn to.

May is Coming and it's Time to be Brave!

Come take a look at my Pinterest style board - can you work out my style?

Dior RTW collection 2018

MMMay 2017 done

Well I successfully did MMMay. I wore at least one handmade item everyday. I did not blog or post much on Instagram as I just didn't have time. Here are some of the things I did wear - just not recent photos.

Gertie Sundress view B

Self drafted drape dress

culottes

refashioned skirt - 3rd incarnation

woven Keilo Dress

selfdrafted Frida Khalo dress

Skull Crop top

Re-dyed Mary Jane DM shoes

Crochet dress

cap sleeve sorbetto

Shirt dress

sorbetto with collar

self drafted dress

Black eyelet shift dress

MMMay has thrown up some issues with my wardrobe, namely being the type of clothes I have and what I wear. Work days were easy - I have lots of dresses. However it's more casual items that I seem to be lacking. I only wore one me made skirt and one pair of me made culottes. I do have plenty of skirts that I have acquired over the years, but I don't really have many shorts, trousers, jeans to wear. I wore lots of me made tops - mostly Sorbetto tops, I seem to wear these a lot in the warmer months. I also had a couple of pleat neck tanks from a Burda pattern - last summer's magazine.

So the outcome is that I need to make separates, things I can layer and summer wear as most of what I have is getting a bit tatty.

So on my to make list:-

cigarette pants
wide leg trousers/ culottes
Dungarees
shorts
Long and short sleeve t shirts
vest tops
blouses/ shirts

I might just have to take part in summer of basics!!!!

What did me made May throw up as gaps in your wardrobe ?

Easter madness...or how I sewed my way through the first week of the school holidays.

I have been procrastinating.

When I procrastinate, I sew.

I'm not even going to talk about what I should've been doing, but I will talk about the sewing.

This week I made
4 dresses and finished off one jacket.

Dress number 1 - I made a dress from my own self drafted Vivienne Westwood inspired pattern. I used a floral scuba fabric and virtually sewed it all on the overlocker. I do still need to do the hem. pictures to follow when it's finally finished.

Late Feb my hubby bought me Gertie's latest dress pattern - all the way from America. I planned, plotted and decided which fabrics from my stash would make the best dresses.

Dress number 2 - Butterick B6453 view B for my daughter. I had just over 1m left of this fab shot fabric that my sister bought for me at Christmas and that I used to make this dress in January.

I made her bodice in size 8 and skirt graded to 12 at the hip. I did make the mistake of taking the side seams in before adding the facings which meant the top is a little tighter than I would like it to be.

Dress number 3 - The same view for myself - using up some cotton from my stash. There was barely a metre of this and so i had the sew the facings in a different fabric. I cut a size 10 bodice and graded the skirt out to a 14 at the hip.

When I made my muslin the 10 bodice seemed really snug at the waist so I added a couple of mm at the side seams. I wish I hadn't as in both dresses I made I ended up taking the sides in a bit and they could still be a bit tighter. I did pinch out excess at the armscye and under the bust to improve shaping. I ended up having to increase the curve in the front armcye for comfort and also pinched out about 5mm under the bust on the princess seams to help the shaping.

I made fixed straps, as I don't really see the need for sliders on a dress. I know I won't use them. I also sewed the vent at the back like the one from Gertie's pencil skirt from her first book. I also used an invisible zipper as I had one the right size and colour in my stash.

Dress number 4 - Butterick B6453 view A. I sewed this up in a very light weight cotton I picked up in a market in China last summer. It's my last decent sized piece of fabric in my stash. As the fabric was so light I used cotton muslin fabric to underline the bodice pieces. I was going to add it to the skirt too, but thought it would add too much weight and I didn't want to add any strain to the waist seams.

The same adjutsments were made to the bodice as for dress 3. I didn't cut the skirt pieces from the pattern. I just used the full width of the the fabric for the front and the same for the back, adding a CB seam. I also omitted the pockets due to the lightweight nature of the fabric.

I sewed the lapped zip, following Gertie's instructions on the sew along. The finish was great, but I feel like it sticks out a little. I need to work on getting it to sit a little more flush to the dress. Maybe my interfacing was too firm!

I wore this dress today with a petticoat, tights and my favourite black shoes. paired with my red cardy. It was a bit to cold to wear on it's own as it was only about 7 degrees this morning! It will be a fab dress in the hotter days of summer and I'm sure I'll wear it loads on holiday.

The final make of this week was a refashioned wool jacket. Motorbike style, made from a long purple wool coat. I'd been working on this for some time as a gift for my friend Alli. It was her birthday this week, so I had to get it finished. Unfortunately I forgot to take photos so Alli said she'd take some and let me have them later.

Next up - repairs to the curtains. the dog has managed to catch and undo the hem - they are currently in the wash, then will be stitched again.

After that - My Hubby's suit jacket muslin. I've made myslef a jacket, but I'm not too hot on the tailoring techniques I need to use - Back to Gertie's first book! I also need to get on with my next piece of art - experiemental work at the moment.