At the beginning of April, after I had completed my fitting of the Make Bra DL02, I decided I really wanted to try to get several neutral colored bras done to wear under light colored clothing this year. I have made many beige bras in the past, but they have seen a lot of use and are starting to get quite worn out as well as being a bit small in some cases. In the midst of my Bra Fit Clinic I did a bunch of wire swapping into some bras I had made previously, and I found that the Josey Bra I had made last year still fit fairly well, especially after swapping to a 50 Vertical Wire. So in addition to several foam DL02s I decided to pull out the Josey pattern for another go.
The Josey is probably my most sewn bra pattern; I’ve made several iterations for fit and size, though the mint version I made last year is still my favorite. This is what I’ve come to think of as a fairly standard four-piece cup design, with a lace upper and a power bar. This pattern is also drafted for larger sizes, and goes to a larger BCD than most patterns, though it is not available in smaller sizes. Last year I made the cup size 50 but used a cut down 46 vertical long wire; this time I wanted to try the pattern I’d modified with a 50 vertical wire. However, after sewing the bra, I found that the 50 long omega from Procelynne fit a bit better than the regular 50 vertical, so I used that wire instead. I also used an un-modified upper cup piece because I was using non-stretch lace, but otherwise I used the pattern as I had modified it last year.
Since I’ve made this so many times there isn’t much to say other than I really like this pattern, but I still have a few tiny tweaks I would like to make. For this version the lace had absolutely no give, so I think I need to add a tiny amount to the neckline edge, and I would like to scoot the elastic line up slightly under the wires so that a bit more of it is covered and that it won’t have as much desire to flip up. Otherwise, I’m really happy with the way this turned out. It’s neutral because I used the Latte materials from Emerald Erin as a base, but the lace on top is a subtle metallic gold with a nice bit of sparkle. Since the lace was non-stretch I decided to pair it with the Emerald Erin Friday French Cuts on the bottom.
It’s a bit hard to see in the photos, but in person this fabric has a lovely gold metallic sheen that I really wanted to highlight. So in addition to giving this bra a gold bow, I also added gold decorative stitches to the straps.
It let me play with yet another cool sewing tool I haven’t had much chance to play with yet – the Janome Ribbon Guide. While I think that this tool isn’t strictly necessary (I’ve certainly done enough embellished straps without it), I did find that it helped me get a more even stitch placement on the strap elastic, which usually wants to act a bit squirmy when going under the presser foot. I really liked that this helped keep the elastic and the stabilizing ribbon straighter when going to the foot. Although I can’t say it was totally perfect, it was definitely better than free-handing it. Is the ribbon guide gadget overkill? Probably, but since I have it now, I’m definitely going to use it!
Overall I don’t have much else to report with the project, other than that I think with a few small adjustments the Josey and the DL02 will be fighting each other for their place as my favorite TNT pattern, and that I’m probably going to be insufferable with decorative stitches now that I have the ribbon guide. I’d like to get back to sewing over the next few months, but I don’t know how much my schedule is going to allow that until late summer. I am really behind in some other reviews and posting, so I definitely have a few other things I’m planning to get up, but when that happens remains to be seen. Until then I’ll be enjoying my new Josey!
Doctor T Designs 