Doctor T Designs

After my recent Bravo Bra and Willowdale makes, I immediately knew I wanted a second Willowdale. I really wanted to test some additional wire sizes, but I also wanted to edit the pattern to fix some of the fit issues I had on the first version.

I made this one very similar to the previous, but this time I added a third lace layer for fashion fabric. I also used materials I bought from Emerald Erin the last time I placed a wire order. I’m really happy with how it turned out:

I love this fit on this bra. The band is slightly tight when I wear it for a prolonged period of time (aka, after I eat a large meal), though it may just be that I am unused to having such a close fit on a bra. I also think the Emerald Erin elastic is not quite as stretchy as the elastic I had been using from Gigi’s, so I probably was a bit overzealous in my narrowing of the back band. As far as general fit goes, I narrowed the band under the cups and moved the strap attachment more towards my center back and I like the fit much better. I also added a Gothic Arch as a front feature. I probably could have gone a bit more extreme with the angle of the “peak” but I’m super happy with how this fits and I will probably use this as a treatment on a lot of my bras moving forward.

I’m also happy because now I have a really cute set:

This was great because I got to test a lot of patterns and alterations, use up a lot of random leftovers in my sewing room, and end up with some really cute undergarments.

For those following along on my wire fitting journey, I tried the Emerald Erin 38 Omega wires in this bra. They are slightly short but feel like the correct width and shape around the root of the bust. The wires are sitting in the IMF as they should be. I thought the inward curve of the Omega wire would bother me, but I actually really love it because it doesn’t poke into my arm. The Procelynne 38 Long Vertical were also good, but I’m happy I used my 38 Omegas in this bra because the end result is very comfortable. The wires still do tend to ride down a bit over the course of the day, but not nearly as much as the size 40 or 42s. Part of me wonders if this might be more related to me starting with a wire frame that was probably a bit wide for the 38 wire, or possibly just due to the poor posture I have after sitting in a car for a prolonged period. I don’t have the same issue when I’m standing or walking. Anyway, at this point I could go back to the beginning and figure out which Willowdale frame I should have been using, but instead I think I am going to try to self-draft one using the Porcelynne Bare Essentials manual. Several of the discussions at the Bra Bee involved having a self-drafted frame and then swapping in different cups to get different styles and this sounds like an interesting plan to me. I do want to make some more variations of the Willowdale, but I would also like to try some other different cup styles, and perhaps see if I can re-work the Ruby and Freja to better work for me now that I have a better idea of my starting wire size. I will say that I feel I’ve finally gotten to a reasonably good point on my bra making journey, in that I finally have a well-fitting and relatively comfortable bra and I feel like I finally know my wire size. However, I do think that I still have more to learn, to try, and to experiment with, and I’m still really excited by the process of making bras, so expect to see more bra making adventures here soon!