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 ...
teaching
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 ...
Video Tutorial! Using Scallop Lace for the Barrett Bralette
Can you believe that it's been a little over year since the Barrett bralette was released? Thirteen months later and it's still going strong! Since the day it came out, I've loved seeing all your variations, and one of my favorite has been using a scallop lace. If you follow the directions, the Barrett is finished with picot elastic at the center front neckline. Today, I’m going to show you in a new video series how to use a scallop lace so that it has a decorative edge at the center front neckline. In just a few ...
How to Draft + Sew Foam Bra Cups Tutorial for Madalynne X Simplicity 8436
Foam bra cups can add so many things to a bra - provide a nice shape and add support, comfort and coverage. I started offering DIY lingerie kits for the Madalynne X Simplicity 8436 and 8624, and today, I am showing you how to draft the foam bra cups that you see in the product photos. Any kind of drafting, whether it is for “normal” clothing or lingerie, can be intimidating. It is my goal to break it down into super simple, laymen terms. I swear, lingerie is super easy and fun to sew, once you know what you’re ...
Somebody Caught the Love Bug: Bra Making with Madalynne Recap
Somebody caught the love bug at Saturday's Bra Making with Madalynne workshop. It was me! I'm not a big Valentine's Day person, but this year, I got into the mood with not 1, but 2 V-day themed workshops. The pink folders with matching pink notebooks and pencils, the red velvet waffles with fried chicken, the berry parfaits, the red bralettes and all the other red and pink from January's class was so great that I did it all over again! It was a jam packed sewing sesh with 7 students. Usually, there are only 6. It ...
Will You Be Our Valentine? Bra Making with Madalynne Recap
I’m so, so, so excited to be coming back to the blogosphere after a break this holiday - first a trip to Florida to see my family for Christmas followed by a trip to Milan + Mont Blonc to spend NYE with Ryan and another couple. I missed posting and am glad to be back. As the year rolled in though, it didn’t feel like a blank state. Instead, it felt like a continuation of a journey. I and I'm sure there are other who feel self-doubt if we don’t have big, bold, and ambitious goals planned. Am I doing something ...
Philadelphia City Guide for Sewists
For U.S. history buffs, the allure of Philadelphia is evident. It’s the birthplace of the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution and home to the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall. For beer lovers, the city boasts a slew of unique breweries you can’t find anywhere else and for artsy-fartsy folks, this museum houses more Degas than the Llouvre in Paris. A lot of students who attend Bra Making with Madalynne workshops travel from out of town. You may not think so, but the city of Brotherly Love has a ...
