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 ...
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Should You Prewash Lingerie Fabric
Yes or no - should you prewash lingerie fabric? In March 2015, this question was asked on a Facebook forum: “Do you prewash lingerie fabrics? Personally, I don’t, but I’ve read different opinions. What are your thoughts?” A few comments that were received: “I do, to be on the safe side. I’d be devastated if after all the hard work put into making a bra and all the expensive bits and pieces used, things went wrong because the fabric shrank or distorted.” “I don’t pre wash synthetic fabrics. I never had a bad ...
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 ...
What is the difference between a full band and partial band bra? Plus how to convert!
What is the difference between a full band and partial band bra? The pattern for a partial band and a full band bra are not the same, meaning you cannot sew the cups from a partial band bra into the frame of a full band bra. You also can’t decide mid-sewing to change a partial band bra to a full band bra or vice versa. In both cases, a pattern alteration is necessary. The only pattern piece that is interchangeable are the straps, and that's assuming you have fabric straps and not elastic ...
Sewing Machine for Lingerie: Using my PFAFF Passport 2.0 to Sew Bras, Bralettes, Undies + More
I’ll get straight to the point and won’t write a wordy, embellished introduction. You don’t need a fancy sewing machine for lingerie. Although Madalynne Studios is stocked with PFAFF’s Quilt Expression 4.2 and Ambition Eseential, it’s the PFAFF Passport 2.0 that almost all my students use at Bra Making with Madalynne workshops and that I use for my personal sewing. Even my sewing home girl Evie La Luve across the pond and Tailor Made Shop use a PFAFF Passport for their lingerie sewing. Although not a Passport, Ohhh ...
Bra Making Tutorial: How to Sew a Hook & Eye on a Bra
How to sew hooks & eyes and eyes on a bra – this is my favorite step because it means I'm on the home stretch and only have a few more steps until I'm finished! My tip for achieving a super clean and straight hook & eye is my secret weapon - Odif’s 505 Spray adhesive. It's on my Amazon list for favorite bra making supplies, and it's one of those tools that if I were to run out mid-sewing, I would stop and get more. First, what is a hook & eye and what is it used for? A hook & eye is a type of ...
How to Make a Bra Fit: Common Pattern Alterations for Lingerie
The great thing about sewing lingerie is that you have the opportunity to correct fit issues that you usually have with RTW bras + panties. Are you usually spilling out of your bra cups? Does your back band ride up? It's in your sewing power to fix it! The caveat is that you will have to do a pattern adjustments. Altering patterns is just as scary to sewists as sewing lingerie. It's that fear that holds a lot of sewists back from even trying. However, there are a few common fit issues that I demonstrated how to ...
Bra Making Tutorial: How to Cut Lingerie Fabrics
How to cut lingerie fabrics? It's all about having the right tool. Tools are just as important as fabric and trims. It's easy to skimp on tools in order to save a few bucks, especially because no one sees or knows about your supplies when a project is finished. I promise you though that having the right tools are what makes or breaks a lingerie project. Cutting fine fabrics such as galloon lace, all over lace, stretch mesh and sheer tricot can be a b***h. There's a lot of moving and shifting. To get the most ...
Bra Making Tutorial: Choosing the Right Lingerie Fabrics
One of the most confusing parts of bra making is choosing the lingerie fabrics. Stretch or non stretch? Those old scraps of lace that my grandmother gave me - can I use them? What about a woven on the bias? Here are some general guidelines that will help you when purchasing. LACE: An obvious fabric choice for lingerie is lace. Lace comes in 2 varieties - all over lace and galloon. All over lace is the easier of the two to find in fabric or craft stores. It is usally available in 36”, 45” or 60” wide just ...
