Doctor T Designs

I’ve been pretty thorough in documenting my fitting adventures with the Bravo Bra #2 and the Cashmerette Willowdale. What I haven’t been good about documenting is all the little road bumps along the way, like having the wrong size rings and sliders, waiting for underwire shipments, and generally having annoying sewing down-time in the middle of all of these projects. So, what is a sewist to do when they have to wait for post to arrive to finish a project? Make another project!

I feel like all of my posts lately have referenced the International Bra Sewing Bee, but it really was such a source of inspiration and ideas for me! One of the courses was about making a lingerie wardrobe and considerations for different styles and when you might want to wear or make them. I’ve never been one to even consider buying a bralette because I know it won’t have the kind of support or structure I need in a bra. However, I’ve recently been wanting something I could wear around the house that didn’t have quite the structure of a full bra, but did a bit more than just going around totally bra-less. So, I decided to give the BJ’s Bralette pattern a try.

This was an incredibly quick sew. I went from sort of pondering the pattern to having something sewn up in the course of an evening, including making most of a matching set of underwear (I ran out of purple fold over elastic, so I’m now waiting on that to arrive as well…). It was really fun to just whip something up and not worry so much about perfect fit, since this uses the stretch factor of the fabric to do it’s job. It was also nice to use up some random leftover skating costume fabrics I had sitting around my sewing space. I’ve still got tons of the purple lace… expect to see that again on a (near) future project.

Official Pattern Review

Pattern Description: Bralette pattern with basic wide band and gathered triangular cups.

Pattern Sizing: Sizes 4-30 (under bust 28”-43”; full bust 32”-47”). I blended a 22 band with the size 30 on the cup pieces, but I probably should have made a straight size 22.

Were the instructions easy to follow?  The instructions are super easy and have lots of great photos. The only part of the instructions that you need to be careful with is the marks for lining up the center front; the instructions are clear but if you don’t pay attention and try to like up the marks instead of using them to position the ends of the overlapping and underlapping pieces the center front could be weird. In general I would say the instructions are great for a beginner and there is even a YouTube tutorial for this pattern by the designer.

Did it look like the photo/drawing when you were done with it?  Yes, I think it looks a lot like the image!

What did you particularly like/dislike about the pattern?  The pattern is very simple (only 3 pattern pieces) but there aren’t many markings for where the pieces should line up. This made it a little challenging to blend between sizes because I tried to use larger “cups” with a smaller band. In hindsight I probably should have just made the smaller size. It is definitely a bralette; there isn’t a ton of support (I wasn’t expecting a lot) but it keeps things generally wrangled. It is comfortable but depending on your height the waist seam could hit in a weird place.

Fabric used: I used some leftover lycra spandex and stretch lace, and fold over elastic for the binding and straps. This is a great pattern if you haven’t made a bra before because you don’t need a lot of the typical notions like hooks, rings, sliders, multiple elastic sizes, etc…

Pattern alterations or design changes you made:  I graded between the size 22 and 30 but I should probably have made a 22 with a slight grade out to 26 on just the center cups. I ended up taking out a lot of the side seam that was added from blending the sizes and I had to add a bust dart under the arm. I probably should have just made a smaller size.

Would you sew this again?  Would you recommend it to others?  I might make this again. It’s not the sort of thing I would wear out of the house, but it is very comfortable and a great option if you feel like you don’t want to be totally braless but like a full underwire situation is too much. I would definitely recommend the pattern – it’s very simple, super fast to put together, and a great project for a beginner who might want to get into bra sewing but is intimidated by all of the components of a full bra.

Conclusion:  I like this pattern more than I thought I would. I sort of just wanted to try it as an experiment, and I’m happy I did. I do want to make the fit adjustments to my pattern and maybe make another version since it is such a quick garment to sew. Overall I think it is a great pattern and perfect for a beginner. If you are looking for a fully supportive bra, I would try a different pattern, but if you want something that could easily go between sleepwear and a relaxed at home basic undergarment this a great option.

Is this garment a “Triumph of Individual Style”? Not sure I would call it a “triumph” but I did get to use some leftover fabrics that have been hanging out in my stash and experiment with a new style, which was fun.