Sewing a bra....yea...really!!

The KC Pinheads took a trip to the Needle Nook in Wichita, Kansas to take a bra sewing class with Anne St. Clair. I seriously wasn't all that interested, but I decided what the heck and went along with the vote.

We had a great weekend and most of us came out happy with a new bra, lots of new fabrics, and a lot of new knowledge about bra construction.

We used Anne's pattern for the Queen Elite Bra. The sizes are 34D-48H. Anne first measured us, then had us try on her "fitting" bras, took a few notes, and then worked up our patterns.

She measured me at a 34H, dropped the sides a tad and lowered the top of the cup where it attaches to the strap.

I was sure it wouldn't fit, but it fit great. She taught us the steps in the construction, her book is great to use to follow along.

Okay, here are my photos. First, let me mention that the dress form is extremely small and the bra in stretched to fit on it, with shoulder pads in the cups. When I'm actually wearing it, the seam is parallel to the floor, crossing directly over my apex. It doesn't appear that way in these photos.





How it really fits:


Yes, I did dye it, and that will take some experimentation also. I used Dylon, and obviously the powernet didn't take up much color. Anne uses RIT.

I actually sewed up bra #2 this morning, and was done by 12:30. I made slight changes, actually made the cup about 1 size smaller (kinda sorta.) It does fit better. The stretchy knit isn't the best for support.

I also want to work on making prettier straps, probably with some laces, or experimenting with some of my machine stitches and pretty rayon threads.

But I am so satisfied with what I've done. I'm literally in shock that I was able to sew up a bra and have the first one fit almost perfectly. That tells you a lot about Anne and her bra pattern and her fitting techniques and her teaching skills.

If you have the opportunity to take her class, I wouldn't pass it up. Even if you aren't crazy about the bra style, you will learn perfect technique for the construction.

I will be in Wichita in a couple weeks, hope to have 2 more bras sewn before then, and go on a shopping spree. I also can't wait to try new styles and fabrics.