Here I am, back again to talk to you about lingerie making!
At first, I was not planning to make a set, but I had leftover lace, and I loved the bra so much I though it would be a shame to leave it alone and not give it matching panties.
Bra pattern: Black Beauty Bra, from Emerald Erin
Nothing new here, I chose my favorite bra pattern ever, the Black Beauty Bra, the same one I talked about in a previous post.
I always start with this pattern because it fits me well, offers really good support for me, and it’s a great starting point to make a ton of alterations.
Panties pattern: Ultimate lace panties, from Ohhh Lulu
I wanted something 100% made out of lace for the panties, and I had the Ultimate lace panties from Ohhh Lulu in my stash, so I went for it.
These are low waisted panties, and the pattern calls for lace. It has 2 front pieces, 2 back pieces, 2 gusset pieces (fabric and lining), and because I used scalloped lace, the only elastic trimming needed was for the waist.
My final versions
Sizing
For the bra, I chose my usual size, 32G, with size 46 underwires.
For the panties, I made the size XXL (without a muslin), and it’s way too big. I’ll size down next time.
Fabrics and notions
For the fabrics and notions, I got most of them out of a kit from Je fais mes dessous. The lace and some of the elastics are from the kit. But I swapped the rest with larger elastics from my stash, more suited to my size and the kind of support I was expecting. I also chose a wider hook and eye closure.
The wires come from Erin’s shop, just like the bra tulle used to line the cups. The powernet and the sheer cup lining (used for the bridge) come from my stash.
For the panties, everything comes from the kit: lace, lining and elastics.
Adjustments
For the bra, I made my usual adjustment: bridge widened by 1cm.
I wanted to use the lace scalloped edge to finish the bottom of the bra, so I removed the seam allowances of the bottom of the band, and I also redraw the band to make a gothic arch.
I also reduced the straps length, because I know from my previous version they are too long on me. I removed around 8 cm.
I lined the cups with a double layer of bra tulle, with criss-cross grain to stabilize them. The power bar is also a double layer of tulle.
I strictly followed the instructions for the panties. The only thing I changed, is that I assembled the gusset, the back and the front using the burrito method to enclose all the seams neatly.
Verdict
Well, I guess you won’t be surprised if I tell you it is a complete success! I love this set. Really. The only downside is the size of the panties, which is too big… But it’s not totally excluded that I size them down in a near future.