I remember walking into Eckburg Hall at Savannah College of Art + Design for my first "real" fashion course. I was in awe - all the industrial sewing machines lined up in classrooms, giant drafting tables with equally giant rulers on top, fashion sketches littering the hallways, and dress forms scattered throughout the entire building. Some were bare, some had works in progress and others had the most creative garments hanging on them that I asked myself, "How the heck did they design that?" For home sewists, ...
Archives for April 2020
How To Add Foam Cups to the Barrett Bralette
There could be several reasons why to add foam cups to a bralette. It can provide a nice shape, add support/comfort/coverage, or prevent nipples from showing through. Pattern drafting, whether it is for “normal” clothing or lingerie, can be intimidating. In this blog post, it is my goal to show you just how simple it is to draft and sew foam cups for the Barrett bralette. Shop all Barrett bralette DIY lingerie kits! WHAT IS POLYLAMINATE FOAM?There are different names and types of foam that you can use for ...
DIY Bodysuit: Covid-19 Style
This Tuesday, I had a lot to do, but was in no mood to do it. On my list of tasks for the day was packing + shipping orders, cutting out the sample for the next DIY lingerie kit, prepping for an IG Live, answering customer emails, and more. I have been self quarantined for over a month. I'm thankful that the online shop has been doing well, but it gets lonely in the studio + shop without students coming in for open sews at night, workshops on weekends, and other people coming in and out. I could feel my mood and ...
Eep! Crotch Linings Explained
We have serious things to chat about today, and by serious, I mean crotch linings. Crotch lining is like the word moist. For some, it's NBD to say. For others, let's just say it doesn't roll off the tip of their tongue. Personally, I think it's better than saying genital lining. Perspective people. So I'm here today to clear the air on crotch linings as well as giving a quick tutorial on how to sew the crotch lining on the Noelle underwear, the basic but super feminine high-waisted undie. You can download the ...
How Long Do Bras Last? When Should You Replace Your Lingerie?
How long do bras last? When should you replace your lingerie? Some say six months to a year. Others say you can hang onto your bras, bralettes and/or panties longer. I don't like this way of thinking because it's black and white. Like, are you going to wake up one day exactly six months after you purchased it and, poof!, it's donezo? What if you only wore it once? What if it still have the tag on it? Instead, I look for a few telltale signs that a bra or panty has had it's life and needs to be retired. This goes ...
Quick Back Band Alteration (For When You Mess Up!)
Perfection is over rated. That's a motto I live by and tell all my students. In a perfect world, you and I cut our patterns precisely and sew exactly as the instructions state, but the world ain't perfect. I'm very much a "cut as I go" type of sewist. Listen, fabrics can shift and stretch out of shape. Even if they have Spandex and "should" rebound back, they don't. Again, the world ain't perfect. In this video, I show a quick fix for when the back band is too wide to fit into the hooks + eyes ...
What is Direction of Greatest Stretch (or Pull) in Bra Making?
A quick blog post today answering the question - what is direction of greatest stretch, or pull, in bra making? In a woven fabric, grainline indicates the direction of the fabric that has the least amount of stretch. In most cases, patterns are aligned with this line. In bra making however, patterns are cut according to the direction of greatest stretch, which is often shortened to DOGS. So, when looking at a lingerie pattern, lines with arrows indicate DOGS, not grainline. How do you find the DOGS on your ...
