Doctor T Designs

Long time blog readers will remember that I started working on the fit of the Aries Bra pattern way back in November. And finally, in April, I finished it! Spoiler alert: this post is going to be a bit of a heartbreaker because the finished bra is stunning, but doesn’t fit, despite having made several mock ups and test cups. But I’m really proud of the construction of this garment, even if I can’t wear it, so I’m going to share anyway. If you can’t handle the heartbreak, look away now.

When I first saw the Aries Bra pattern I thought it was much and wasn’t that into it, but after seeing several gorgeous lace versions I have been persuaded and completely come around to loving the unique style lines on this pattern.

Unfortunately, the size range on this pattern isn’t as extensive as some of the other patterns I’ve tried, so I had to make a lot of adjustments to add volume to the cup pieces. Turns out it still wasn’t enough, which is what gets me into trouble later.

Anyway, assuming that this 1.5″ FBA was working for me based on my fit tests, I went ahead and made this really stunning bra. So stunning that I kept stopping to take in progress pictures:

Gorgeous, right? Wait until you see the finished version:

And just in case you wanted some close-ups on the embroidery:

The construction is honestly one of my best, I think. The way the cups fit over the wires is tricky to sew, but even that wasn’t too bad. And I changed my threads 50 million times to get the color matching the fabrics, mixing and matching top and bobbin threads… And it was so good!

But alas. Best laid plans and all of that. The unfortunate truth is that the center cup doesn’t have enough volume and the upper cup has too much, giving a really spectacular quadriboobed effect that just can’t be ignored. Not even baggy clothing is going to save this one. It’s not like a little off, it’s like wearing a bra 3 sizes too small and 2 sizes too big at the same time. How is this possible after doing so many fit samples you ask? I’m not sure. My guess is the silver fabric (duoplex) is even less forgiving than the sheer cup lining I used to test and line everything, but even that seems extreme as the only cause for the resulting effect. Obviously I’ll need to revisit this pattern, but I thought I’d give it a review based on this version anyway:

Official Pattern Review

Pattern Description: 3-piece curved cup underwire bra with options for mono wire and unwired variations. There are also a lot of design ideas for how to incorporate lace into this pattern. From the brand: “The Aries bra is a sophisticated bra pattern with multiple wire options, including a monowire, nonwired and regular wired version. The cup is a full coverage design, and the lace panel allows you to showcase your gorgeous lace.”

Pattern Sizing: The pattern comes in sizes 30A-42F, so it does not have the largest size range as far as commercial bra patterns go, but it does have a very unique and pretty design. I started with a 38F, but made significant adjustments. I think maybe not significant enough, because the final version still didn’t fit quite right, even though it turned out very pretty!

Were the instructions easy to follow?  The instructions are good! There is a separate instruction book for each version (no-wire, monowire, regular wires), and each goes step-by-step with lots of helpful pictures. I wouldn’t recommend the Aries as a first bra pattern because the construction is a bit tricky (and the fitting as well), but if you have some sewing experience (even if you hadn’t made a bra before) I do think you could follow along and figure out the steps. I still wouldn’t recommend it as a first bra pattern, but being a stubborn person myself, I’ll tip my hat to anyone who tries that anyway.

Did it look like the photo/drawing when you were done with it?  Yes – it definitely looks like an Aries Bra!

What did you particularly like/dislike about the pattern?  At first I wasn’t too sure about the style at first (it seemed very “out there” for a bra), but it has grown on me and now I think it is really beautiful. I love the super full coverage on the front of the pattern and how it is designed to be used with lace. I also really like the very unique lines on the cups. However, it comes with a basic back (not a U-strap or ballet back) and I think the support suffers a bit from this. I will change this out when I make this pattern again to add more back band support. It’s also a bit challenging to sew around the center gore wire-line because of the way the upper cups connect to the top of the gore. I think this might be a bit simpler in the unlined and mono-wire versions, however. I’ve seen an example of a boned unwired version and I am very tempted to jump ship and try that technique on my next “full” version.

Fabric used: I used embroidered tulle for the “lace” motifs, sheer cup lining as lining, and duoplex as the silver contrast fabric, with power net for the back band, and all the usual bra findings to finish it off.

Pattern alterations or design changes you made:  I made a lot of pattern alterations for fit. Starting with the 38F, I extended the wire line up 1/4” in the front of the pattern to accommodate my wires, and did 1.25” FBA at the apex using slash and spread techniques to adjust all of the pattern pieces. When I did my test-fit, it seemed like it would work, but in the final bra the middle cup is still too small and the upper cup is too big. I will need to go back to the drawing board and play with the pattern a lot more to get the fit to work out for me, I think.

Would you sew this again?  Would you recommend it to others?  I really like the style of this pattern, so even though it didn’t work for me (yet) I will try to sew this again. I am not sure if it would be better to try and continue down my current path of pattern alterations or if it would make more sense to draw the style lines on a cup that already fits and just re-draw the pattern from that? I’m planning to work on some other fitting tweaks to my band and wire fit over the next few months, so I probably won’t get back to this pattern for a while, but I do think I will come back. I would recommend the pattern to an intermediate sewist who has made a bra before – it’s drafted well, has good instructions, and is really unique in style. However, I think the construction and fit alterations are a bit more complex than on some other patterns because of the style lines, so I don’t know if I would recommend it to a total beginner.

Conclusion:  I think this is a really beautiful pattern, and I am both very happy with what I made construction-wise, and very sad it doesn’t fit. I used a lot of the information in the 2023 Bra Bee Sew-Along to construct this pattern and make the changes I did, but I will definitely need to do some major work on this pattern before I sew it again.

Is this garment a “Triumph of Individual Style”? If it fit, it definitely would be. I really like how this turned out, even if I can’t really wear it in a practical way because of how it squashes me along the middle/upper cup seam.

So, I guess it’s back to the drawing board on this pattern. I think I’m going to go on to some other patterns for a while as part of the 2024 Bra Bee, which started just before I finished this bra. I want to participate in the Beginner Bee/Sahaara sew along since I’ve already got a good start on that pattern (as much as I can – April is crazy and we recently had another house issue that caused me to have to completely jumble up my sewing space. Which is maybe a blessing in disguise because I really needed to reorganize things over there, but this will be story time for another post). I think the next few patterns I’ll be working on will be the Sahaara, and then the Josey and the Lusamine. I’m really interested in playing with wire spring in some fitting bands, and sewing along with the Bee seems like a really good time to do this. So, I will come back to the Aries, because it is just too pretty not to, but probably not until fall, at the earliest, honestly. But that’s ok. It’s out here breaking hearts, so it can sit in the corner and think about what it’s done, and maybe we’ll be back on speaking terms in a few months.

P.S. If you are truly heartbroken, don’t worry. Past me did a dumb and ordered this particular embroidered tulle twice, because I thought I didn’t order it the first time, so I’ve got more. I’m planning to use it on a pattern I’ve already got worked out fit-wise, so I should hopefully have some more successful projects coming along soon that won’t be quite so devastating when I’m done.