Made by a Fabricista: Sewing Lingerie With Stretch Lace & Mesh

Lingerie sewing is so addictive!! Once I get the fit down of a particular bra or undies pattern, I want to make 4,647 of each of them. I sewed up my first bra a few years back and my lingerie sewing stash has multiplied like bunnies since. I've picked up a bunch of stretch meshes and stretch laces from Fabric Mart in recent months, I never need to order more than one yard at a time because these projects take itty bitty bits of material.

My bra is Orange Lingerie's Marlborough pattern. It's approximately a 38B... I say approximately because the pattern is altered for my figure. I've sewn up lots of Orange Lingerie bras before, this was my first go with her undies. You can see my complete journey fitting and sewing up the Marlborough bra from day one-- it started a little over a year ago when the pattern was first released.

The gorgeous stretch floral mesh is a Maggy London nylon/spandex I picked up this summer from Fabric Mart. I paired it up with a luscious purple nylon/spandex galloon lace I had in my stash. The elastics and findings are all from my stash as well, each purchased over time from various shops online. I used a white nylon/lycra mesh knit from Fabric Mart... but I hand dyed it to a slight off- white because it was just too stark against the floral mesh. I also dyed the underwire channel.

I made up a very, very weak dye bath of about 1 gallon of water about a couple tablespoons of RIT dye in Sunshine Orange and swished around the mesh and wire channeling around for a matter of seconds. I did pre-wet the material make sure the dye job would soak up evenly. In the left picture above you can see the faint contrast between a true white material and the newly dyed power mesh. The picture on the right there is after the dye job and drying. Not drastic, just a mild change. I completely forgot to dye the hooks on back and was too lazy to, so that is pretty bright white still. (I like to dye my lingerie materials!! You can see more details on other fabrics I've dyed for previous unmentionables on here my blog.) Now check out my secret layer of fabric below!

I inserted a secret layer of a non-stretch nylon in between the floral and white meshes for my bra. I take a large square of each fabric, enough to cut out all my pattern pieces from and use a spray adhesive to stick them together. Layer 1: the floral mesh, Layer 2: the non-stretch nylon, Layer 3: the stretch power mesh. Once the big pieces are all temporarily glued together, I cut out each pattern piece. Of course the bands need to stretch, so I skipped the non-stretch nylon for those pieces.

These undies are sooooo pretty! They feel so high end with all the pretty meshes and laces!!! I used the Orange Lingerie Montgomery Brief pattern. I cut a size large waist and graded up to the XL for my bum. What's neat about these are the lack of elastic on the back leg, no VPL! It's two layers of stretch mesh and lace from Fabric Mart. The pretty pink ones I used a poly/spandex stretch lace I got from Fabric Mart a while back, but are so other yummy stretch laces found on their site here. I used scraps of white cotton jersey for the crotch liner bit.

I LOVE my new dainty lady things! It's so much fun to sew this stuff up because they are pretty quick to come together. Once I get the right fit with the right pattern for my figure, it's glorious to know that I have the power to make my own high quality lingerie.

Happy Lingerie Sewing!!

~Kathy
Kathy Sews

Made By A Fabricista: Sewing Summery ITY

Hi sewing friends! I’m dropping in to share a few makes sewn with ITY fabrics and inspire you to try out this slinky, cool-to-the-touch fabric for hot weather if you haven’t yet, or to recommend some patterns that work fabulously if you already love it. This is by far my favorite knit to wear in summer. Since it moves easily there’s lots of airflow, and it just skims the body. More often than not, it has a four-way stretch that doesn’t grow when worn, so it works great for loads of styles. ITY stands for Interlock Twist Yarn and the knit gives it some wonderful drape and stretch. There are lots of different weights and even some differing textures. Because it’s so fluid, the fabric really resists most wrinkling. I’ve sewn three different weights and prints here to show off just what ITY can do! This white floral is a lighter weight and features a slightly crepe-textured finish, and I think that combined with the large and spread-out floral makes it quite elegant and eye-cat...

Made By A Fabricista: Basics vs Fun Clothes

Every summer I make flowy, pretty dresses because they are so fun for me to make, wear, and they keep me cool as temperatures rise. But when the days get shorter and autumn rolls around, I’m not always confident on how best to transition my summery dresses into garments that will allow for the seasonal changes. In an effort to be more intentional about maximizing the use of my clothing, I thought long and hard about what I wanted to make for August. It’s been a hot summer in New Jersey. From what I can see, it’s been a hot summer across the US. Looking for clothing that will keep me cool, perhaps hide some sweat stains, and allow me to transition between seasons, I decided to make separates that would pair well with each other and allow me to mix and match with the rest of my wardrobe. For the top, I wanted a basic tank top, something I could layer later on. For the bottoms, I wanted flowy, summery pants that can last into brisker weather or become phenomenally cozy in front of my wint...

Made By A Fabricista: From Paris with Love!

Bonjour! I am still in bliss from my recent trip to Paris!! It was much more than I expected and I absolutely fell in love with the city. I can honestly see myself living there one day. I knew before leaving I wanted to make something to fit into the Parisian landscape because I knew it would be a special opportunity. I was inspired by one of my favorite fashion creators Juliette Foxx. Her checked gingham corset and wide leg pants were on my list to remake. For fabric I used this red and white pin stripe denim twill and deep red sateen for the pants. The pattern I used for the corset was McCall’s #M8182 with a few modifications. The fit was a little large so I took it in along the sides and shoulder seam. I then lowered the neckline since the shoulders were taken in. I used the sateen as my lining which gave a great contrast. My pants are my unreleased pattern which happens to be exact from the inspiration. I drafted these last year and have been wo...

Fabric Mart Fabricistas

Search This Blog