Pff, I'm happy it's Saturday, the deadlines were met. Still a lot of work to do (happy with that in these times), but not this weekend.
I received the book Bra makers manual on Wednesday. I ordered it last Saturday from Elingeria in Germany, very fast shipment! And I'm very happy with this book. The book doesn't have patterns (I knew that) but has a wealth on information on bra making. In general it is written for those sewing for others, she often writes about "your clients". And I do think that if you are making bra's for others, this is a very, very good book. It's not the book to order right away if you never made a bra before, too extensive and too expensive for that.
The language and drawings are clear, the pictures of finished bra's not very inspiring, you'd better look at a few rtw lingerie sites for inspiration. On techniques it is great, and that was what I was looking for. I've read a bit in it and will for sure read it from cover to cover, and have seen a few things that I want to try for myself. I'm not sewing bra's for others, and have no intention to do that, but for me I can find information in this book, that I never got in any class/workshop I took, especially on sewing for larger sizes. And it's the first time I find a size table that tells me I have a DD or E cup. In other size tables I usually find that I have C80 (no way!) and for a check just now I calculated on a site that tells me I have A80 (who are they fooling?).
Enough on that, I'm sewing a blouse. I used a very nice quality cotton, feeling very soft and easy to work with. I also used interfacing from Sew Exciting. Pro woven fusible for outer collar stand, cuffs and button placket, pro tricot fusible for the inner collar stand (which I cut on the bias). It made sewing those parts so easy! It's much better than the Vlieseline fusibles I used till now.
It's from BWOF September 2003, a blouse with princess line seams, back yoke, button placket and cuffs with vent. I did an FBA and changed the point of the collar a bit.
For the collar with stand I used the method I always use, with good results again. The method is described a few times, you can find them here.
The blouse looks great so far, very pretty fabric. Also, what a classic cut blouse pattern.
ReplyDeleteThis pattern looks like the perfect basic blouse pattern. For women, it is more difficult to find blouse/shirt patterns with a collar base. It will be wonderful with pants or that blue skirt you have, the one with white topstitches.
ReplyDeleteLove that blouse fabric! Very ready for Spring.
ReplyDeleteI love the fabric. It is beautiful.
ReplyDeleteI love the fabric for this blouse. I am going to go and pull out that pattern for my 'if I ever get my pants muslin right', blouse sewing. One of the great things about having years of BWOF. But I need a great cotton print like that!
ReplyDeleteVery pretty blouse. Look out summer--here I come!
ReplyDeleteSigrid, this a nice blouse! It looks impeccably made but...I'll pass on the fabric LOL. I like it, but at the same time it reminds me of the visual aura of a migraine. Not up close because you can see it's a flower design, but the full pic reminds me of the zigzaggy lines of a full-blown aura. Have you ever seen a "video" demonstration of what one looks like? You'd have a good laugh about it after viewing it.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the review on the book.
ReplyDeleteYour shirt is looking good. Nice fabric.