Doctor T Designs

During most of November I was working to get some new bra patterns fit to myself and create an expanded bra pattern library. I have been collecting a lot of materials and kits over the past year, and I wanted to be able to have more pattern options to showcase some of the beautiful laces I’ve acquired, so it made sense to branch out from my favorite Willowdale pattern. One of the patterns that went through the fitting process was the B, Wear Margareta Bra, which seemed like the perfect option for some of my stash lace!

The Margareta is actually very similar to the Cashmerette Willowdale, which I consider my TNT bra pattern, and the Pin-up Girls Shelley, which I had considered buying early on, but haven’t tried:

For this bra I used a lot of resources from a variety of places. The main fabric is the Flamenco Lace from Bra Builders; I bought this at the start of my bra making adventures because I thought it was pretty, but I really gave no thought to building out the rest of a kit to go with it at the time. When I got my recent Black Friday items from Bra Builders I realized that one of the kits had a power net that works really well with this color of lace. Happily, I really don’t use a lot of power net relative to what’s in a kit, so I was able to get the back bands from that even after using it as part of the kit. I did find it a bit challenging to place my cup pieces on the lace because they are relatively big; I definitely had to make some concessions on pattern placement in order to have enough lace to make the full set the way I wanted to with the lace on the underwear, cups, and band. It’s not a narrow lace, but I definitely couldn’t get my lower cup pieces entirely in the zig-zag portion of the pattern. I really wanted the zig-zag lace pattern to be visible though, so I decided to line it with a light beige sheer cup lining from Gigi’s Bra Supply, and I used latte elastics and findings from Emerald Erin to finish it off. I’m really happy how it turned out – I was even able to make a perfectly matching set using some stash fold over elastic and a bit of microlycra from the Bra Builders kit!

For this pattern I made some fun design decisions. I did a narrow full lace front band, but I also added lace as an appliqué feature to the back bands. I used two layers of sheer cup lining, which added stability but also allowed me to do entirely enclosed seams. For the upper cup, the inner lining is on a fold to give a clean edge at the top, and the lace finishes the outside piece. The B, Wear back bands all have a downward hike, and the Margareta also has the option for a back smoother style with the extended back flap, so I thought I would try that here as well. I also really love the mix of the latte findings with the lace – the light colored design from the lace matches perfectly:

For the undies I used my self-drafted briefs pattern that I made from the Craftsy class, but I was inspired to try one of the techniques demonstrated in the 2023 Bra Bee, where lace was used as a sort of “wrap around” effect. I also did a bit of a cut away technique with the lace. I was a bit concerned about how comfortable they would be but I’m happy to report that they are super comfortable and the stretch lace really helps everything stay in place. I am really happy with my sewing on this and I think it turned out soooo pretty – I love the results!

This was probably my most complex overall set so far, and I definitely had to map it out a bit. I’m happy my final results are so close to the original design!

I am so pleased with how this turned out. Because the bra is made of lace and sheer cup lining it is so light and comfortable to wear. I am really happy I used two layers of sheer cup lining because it adds supports and also gives a “blurring” effect to the skin under the lace, so the lace pattern can really be the star of the look. Not that anyone is really seeing this since it’s going under my clothes anyway, but, you know, it’s just nice when a sewing plan works out. I may have some minor tweaks to consider for next time, but overall I am really happy with this pattern and project!

Official Pattern Review

Pattern Description: 4 piece cup underwire bra pattern with lace upper, power bar, and back band options. From the brand: “Discover our beautiful Margareta – a pattern perfect for those looking for an exciting and unique design for their underwear! This stunning pattern is available in many sizes and is perfect for those who want to try a new style or just want to spice up their wardrobe with something new. Download your copy today and get inspired to create your own lingerie with style and elegance!” For my version I chose the back band with the extended strap connection point as I’ve been wanting to try this style of back band.

Pattern Sizing: The pattern comes from B, Wear in three size pack options: 70-85 A-I, 80-95 A-I, 90-105 A-I. The numerical sizing corresponds to the band size in centimeters, so the American sizing equivalent is 28-34 for the 70-85 range, 32-38 for the 80-95 range, and 36-42 for the 90-105 range. However, the cup sizing does not follow the standard letter values. Typically, A corresponds to a 1” difference between band size and full bust, but in this pattern the instructions indicate that A is a 4” difference. I have a 9” difference, but also an omega shape, so I use a very small wire line relative to my cup volume. I used my self-drafted band to figure out what sort of cups sizes to trace from and it worked really well. For this pattern I started with the 90A for the wire line, blended to a 90F for the fullest part of the cup and the length of the cup piece, and back to the 90A for the top edge of the cup. It worked really well for an initial fit. I have fit four B, Wear patterns at this point, and they are much easier for me to fit than most other brands I have tried; so I would say this this brand is drafted very differently from many other company’s cup shapes and tends towards a more projected and rounded fit. If you find that you fit easily in other brands that tend to have wider, shallower cups (Pin-up Girls, AFI Atelier, etc.) then this may not be as easy a brand to work with; at the very least you may need to decrease the size of the pieces to “flatten” the cups a bit. Conversely, if you find that you have a lot of fitting issues with cups because they are too wide or not projected enough, then the B, Wear patterns could be an excellent place to start!

Were the instructions easy to follow?  The instructions seemed pretty good. There are a few typos likely due to the translation to English but nothing that makes it difficult to figure out what is happening. I think the images are a bit small and not quite as detailed as some other bra patterns on the market. I do like that the instructions include helpful information about stitch types including lengths and widths and show each step for the different pattern options, so it is easy to follow along. The instructions are also pretty condensed, so there isn’t too much printing if you want them on paper. At this point I’ve made enough bras I don’t really need to follow the instructions too closely, but they are helpful to reference for things like seam allowance and recommendations for stitch types at various steps. I think I could have followed these instructions and made a great bra without any prior bra sewing knowledge, but I did utilize techniques I learned elsewhere to give a nicer finish to the construction of this bra.

Did it look like the photo/drawing when you were done with it?  I think so! One thing I have found with the B, Wear patterns is that their line drawing cover art isn’t exactly as true to the pattern as in some other brands. The Margareta is a fairly accurate drawing, but the image is quite squished, and the front cradle and bridge area look quite wide, whereas the pattern is actually much thinner for the front band and narrower on the bridge. I used my self-drafted bridge pattern, but compared to the actual printed pattern they are pretty similar, so in that sense I think the cover art is a bit out of scale, but the finished result did have the same style lines.

What did you particularly like/dislike about the pattern?  I really like this style of bra with the upper cup that can be used for lace and the side power bar. The multiple cup pieces provide a lot of opportunity to utilize creative fabric placement, especially for larger cups that may be difficult to fit on some laces and decorative trims. I really like the way the B, Wear patterns are drafted for a more rounded and projected shape; I have found this not to be the case with a lot of other brands, so I found fitting this pattern to be much quicker than with many of the other patterns I have tried. I thought the instructions were fairly good, and I like that the upper cup is pretty wide, which allows for a great use of a wide lace. I also love the back band options. The B, Wear patterns utilize a dropped back wing (I’ve also seen it called a “downward hike”), which is supposed to help with lift, but the Margareta also has an optional extended strap which I have also heard called a “back smoother” because it helps reduce bulge over the back band. I tried that style and found it very comfortable, as well as giving an nice finished look with the elastics I chose. Most of my dislikes were related to fabric or design choices I made, which aren’t really issues with the pattern. I made too many concessions on support in this bra – I really wanted something delicate to create a sheer look with the lace, which I actually think worked out well. But I used a narrower lower band elastic than I normally do, and because of the strap extension I decided to try a fully elastic strap, which I think was a mistake. Between the lighter weight fabrics, smaller elastics, and fully elastic strap there just isn’t quite as much tension as there needs to be for really firm support, even though the actual fit of the bra is pretty good (I have front tacking and the cup volume seems pretty good).

Fabric used: I was really happy with how my second fit sample turned out and I was inspired to try a bunch of holiday inspired designs this month, so I went all in with lace. I used a stretch lace I bought a while ago from Bra Builders, leftover power net from a Bra Builders kit, sheer cup lining from Gigi’s Bra Supplies, and latte findings from Emerald Erin. I just wish I had used a larger under band elastic and had made fabric straps, but overall I think the bra looks fantastic and I’m really happy how all these materials came together.

Pattern alterations or design changes you made:  For my first sample I only made changes for fit and to use my front band pattern with the lace. I have been using my self-drafted front band and fitting outwards from there with the cups and back band. After starting with a 90A/90F cup blend, I added 1/4” to horizontal seams, 1/2” to the power bar, and 1/8” to vertical seams to increase overall cup volume. I blended my self-drafted back band with the pattern’s back band to include the downward hike and the strap extension. Overall the fit was pretty good – I had the center front able to tack and the cups seems to have enough volume. I think I just need to make sure I am using stabilized straps and wider elastics in the future, especially if I am using more delicate fabrics in the cups. I think I may also need to take a small dart out at the cup side seam just to snug the cup up a bit at the under arm area.

Would you sew this again?  Would you recommend it to others?  I have been working on making myself a collection of different bra patterns so that I can have options to use with different laces and fabric patterns. Right now I am trying a bunch of different patterns to see what I like best in terms of fit and style, so it might be a while before I come back to the Margareta, but I am sure I will sew it again. I have also made the Cashmerette Willowdale, which is a very similar style, but there are some subtle differences. The upper cup piece is wider on the Margareta, so depending on lace or fabric designs, it could be better to use the Margareta or the Willowdale. I find that the Willowdale gives a more rounded shape, with the apex sitting well below the upper cup piece, and the Margareta is slightly more projected in the cup with the apex hitting closer to the horizontal seam. I prefer the shaping of the Margareta’s power bar strap extension – it’s really delicate and pretty, and I like having the taller upper cup for lace placement, but I think I prefer the overall shaping I get from the Willowdale. I do like the Margareta’s options for the back band – it’s a nice design feature and not included with too many patterns. I will say the Margareta was much easier to fit for me; I think that even though the Willowdale is designed for larger cup sizes, the Margareta is designed for more projected shapes, and I found that having the multi-sizes pattern sheets made it a lot easier to choose a size for my wire and blend between sizes for omega adjustments. All this is to say, I think I will sew this again and I would definitely recommend the pattern. However, this style of bra (split lower cup, lace upper cup, with a power bar) is pretty common between different pattern companies, so you may want to find a pattern brand that works well for you and then choose a pattern to fit based on that. If you have a larger or more projected shape, then I would definitely recommend the B, Wear pattern – it would be a great introduction to bra sewing!

Conclusion:  Overall I am really happy with how this project turned out. It was really interesting to be able to compare this pattern to my TNT Willowdale pattern which has been my go-to up to this point. I also really liked being able to test out a different style of back band, and to start playing around with some of the laces in my stash. I am really happy with how this looks, and while I do wish I had used some slightly firmer elastics, I think I will get a lot of use out of this bra set, especially during the warmer summer months because it is so lightweight and comfortable. I don’t know if the Margareta will overtake the Willowdale as my TNT for this particular style of bra, but I do think I may try to blend some of the elements from the different patterns that I prefer to create an ultimate TNT pattern for myself.

Is this garment a “Triumph of Individual Style”? I think so! I am really happy with how the overall set looks and I feel like it is very “me”. I am particularly happy with how the underwear turned out – it is more comfortable than I expected, the sewing is really tidy, and visually it is very interesting and pretty. I am happy to have learned the techniques that went into making these garments and I know I will use them again soon.