Monday, May 5, 2014

Finished UFO: My 1930's Silk Bra - Depew #610



Hello lovely readers. In our last post we talked about my getting back to sewing as a bit of therapy. I have been working with my hands for the last 4 days now and it has helped enormously! I finished a UFO project from before my mother passed away and also got started on a beautiful embroidery project. I'm feeling just a little bit more myself today.

The bra pattern that was sitting unfinished was about half done and was waiting for a fitting so that I could put my closure at the back. The bra is made using my any size draft-at-home pattern, Depew #610 and I'm so happy with how it came out. (Keep in mind that it fits me perfectly, though it's a bit off on Lusty Lulu - she's a bit more symmetrical than I am).


I used silk crepe de chine for the main fabric, and I re-purposed a soft silk vintage scarf (cutting around a few pinholes) for the lining.


For the back closure, I used my absolute favorite, go-to French bra closure, and silk ribbon for the straps. The soft elastic is great because it adds a bit of stretch and comfort to a bra made with woven fabrics.


I wore it for 8 hours yesterday and had to keep checking that I was, in fact, still wearing a bra - it was so comfortable!

My rosette stitches, that came out heart-shaped. Oh, happy accident!
What's more, it's pretty enough on the inside that the bra is fully reversible!

I really enjoyed making silk ribbon rosettes to embellish the bra with. I had never made them before this project and used this great video on Youtube to learn how.

My practice spider web silk roses.

I practiced a few times to make sure that my crepe de chine would survive the process, and then made my rosettes on a scrap and stitched them to the finished bra. If they hadn't been more of an afterthought, I would have made them directly on my bra front before sewing the lining in. As it was, tacking them on after was a good idea - no one wants ribbon tails tickling their cleavage all day long!



I took photos of the entire bra-making process so if anyone is interested in tutorials, just let me know and I will put some together.
How about you? Did any of you do any weekend sewing?

Have a happy week,



13 comments:

  1. This is absolutely beautiful I really hope to sew lingerie one day. It seems like such a good chance to practice new techniques

    ReplyDelete
  2. Beautiful! If you don't mind my asking does it provide support as well? Would love to see a tutorial! I would also really like to sew lingerie one day but it all usually seems so complicated and technical for a beginner like me :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Hariluna,
      This particular bra is less than supportive but a lot of that is my choice of fabric and silk ribbon straps. If you made this bra with an adjustable closure and purchased adjustable straps then it would be much more supportive.

      Delete
  3. I love your tutorials, and will soon give it a try with a bra, perhaps this one. :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Your beautiful embroidery adds such a special touch to this creation!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anna, this is beautiful! I was seeing a lot of ribbon embroidery pins showing up on your board and wondering when we were going to see something lovely on your blog - and here it is. Okay, I want gorgeous lingerie like this . . . so I am serious considering trying to make my own bra. Kind of along the line of what Hariluna asked, what does this bra do as far as providing support and giving you shape? (Lusty Lulu doesn't have to worry so much about either).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey Annabelle, thanks for your comments! This particular bra is less than supportive but a lot of that is my choice of fabric and silk ribbon straps. If you made this bra with an adjustable closure and purchased adjustable straps then it would be much more supportive.

      Delete
  6. Gorgeous! Congrats on finishing. No sewing happening here I do owe my niece an outfit for her little boy...

    ReplyDelete
  7. So pretty! Makes me want to sew the bra patterns that I have from your Etsy shop. Maybe I will find some time soon to start one.

    ReplyDelete
  8. beautiful bra! I really like the closure, and I'd never seen one like this before, it looks very clever :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  10. That is such a beautiful embroidery project, Anna! It really caught my attention, so if you post some tutorials on how to do gorgeous lingerie garments like that, I will never miss the opportunity to follow it and try to make one for myself. In any way, thanks for sharing that! Kudos and all the best to you!

    Irving Morgan @ Your Plus Size Bra

    ReplyDelete