It's Fashion Revolution week so I'm participating in this year's Makers for Fashion Revolution photo challenge! Day 1: I Make My Own clothes! Shown (and unshown) here are my made by me bra & underwear (@clothhabit #watsonbra ) and dress (@deer_and_doe_patterns ). It's so important to remember that *every* garment you own was made by hand- a majority of them in terrible conditions for crap pay. We can help to change that by being aware and making informed choices about what we wear! Join the fashion revolution! #makersforfashrev #imakemyownclothes #whomadeyourclothes @inthefolds @fash_rev Photo by @kate_bek . Necklace by @michellestarbuckdesigns (at Lillstreet Art Center)
[Image ID: Two similar bralette and underwear sets laid flat. The one on the left is orange with brown trim and the one on the right is maroon with black trim. /end ID]
As I've gotten into sewing lingerie/underwear, and as I've scrolled Pinterest, I keep coming across the Watson Bra by Cloth Habit. It's been calling to me.
It called especially loudly when browsing a lingerie supply store and seeing some of their kits made into Watson sets! I did impulse purchase a kit, which led me to purchase the pattern.
The Supplies
Now, I didn't want to jump straight into my lovely kit with a pattern I'd never used before, so I went to my stash to put together a wearable mockup.
I chose a lightweight maroon stretch mesh for the fashion fabric, a black powernet for the band, scrap black cotton jersey for the underwear gusset, black elastics, and silver rings and sliders. I had to order a bra closure, since I've only sewn pull-on bralettes before. These were all chosen due to their (relative) similarity to the fabric and notions in the kit.
Then, for reasons I'll get into later, I decided to make a second set in some copper bamboo jersey I had in my stash fully lined in beige powernet with orangey-brown elastics and gold hardware.
Watson in Maroon
For the maroon and black set, I followed the pattern's measuring guide and determined myself to be a size 32A in the bra and an XS in the underwear.
When I made that set up, I disregarded the pattern instructions for both. The pattern calls for applying underwear elastic in the round, but I prefer to do it while the piece is still flat.
The instructions for the bra result in exposed and unfinished seams, so I followed Tailor Made's tutorial for enclosing all the seams on the Watson bra (complete with photos).
While the final result fits decently, the fabric was awful to work with. It was hard to cut and harder to sew with, so my seams look pretty bad.
Also, I used two layers of the maroon mesh for the cups instead of lining it in black powernet like I did for the cradle and band. That was a mistake. It is way too stretchy and offers absolutely no support, so the vertical seam in the cup gives me what I can only describe as a buttcrack on each breast. Not ideal.
I also made the mistake of not removing the elastic allowance from the edges of the cup pieces. The pattern calls for picot elastic, which needs that seam allowance, but I used fold-over elastic which doesn't. That messed up the underbust seam slightly, but I did what I could to save it.
The final result fits really well in the cradle, though! Aside from the seam-vs-fabric issue in the cup, I'm also worried that the cups are too small. I'm a 32B in off-the-rack bras, so I decided to make another version in a size 32B in more supportive fabric.
I was surprisingly happy with the underwear pattern! I was worried it would sit too low on the hips (and I do wish it came up a bit higher), but it's definitely something I can see myself wearing comfortably. I also wish I had done a double layer of the mesh for a bit more strength and so the color matched the bra better, but whatever.
Watson in Copper
Given my poor fabric choices on the first set and my concerns about cup size, I decided to make a second version before breaking into my nice kit.
I was already intending to use the leftover copper bamboo jersey from my pink moth pajama set to make some bralettes and undies, so I grabbed that first. I also grabbed some beige powernet from my stash (to fully line the bra this time), some orange/brown elastics, and gold rings and sliders.
I followed the same tutorial to fully line the bra and encase the seams and sewed up the underwear the same way I had before. I did use picot elastic this time, so I wasn't worried about the seam allowances on the cups.
I got the bra 90% done, but had to wait for a bra back to arrive in the mail. In the meantime, I was holding it up to myself in a sad and convoluted attempt to test the fit and was already much happier with the size of the cups.
As soon as the bra back arrived I rushed it over to the machine to finish up. Then I could try it on properly and I absolutely LOVED it! I even slept in it, it was so comfortable.
The XS for the underwear fit perfectly so I made a pair in the copper jersey as well. No powernet here.
Conclusion
I found Cloth Habit's instructions to be very clear and easy to follow, even though I ended up not following them. Included with the instructions are tips about fabric choice and stretch percentage that are very helpful for picking out fabric.
The illustration for making adjustable straps is very clear, including right and wrong sides of the strap elastic, which was nice because I always spend way too much time overthinking the straps. There's also a note on how to adjust the ends of the back/band pieces for different bra closure heights.
I can't give any solid advice on fit, even having made both the size the pattern recommended based on my measurements AND my standard bra size. I think the measurement-based size would have been fine in a better fabric, but I liked the fuller coverage of my standard cup size. The band is very true to size, though, so I recommend doing a mockup or tester for the sake of the cups.
I'm really happy with how the bras went together, though! Attaching the cups to the band is a bit finicky because they are opposing curves, but that was the hardest part of the whole process.
The fit is spot-on, the band is supportive but comfortable, and the cups give a decent amount of support considering they are wireless and made of stretch material. I don't even get a wrinkling at the top of the cups like I have with some other bralettes.
For the Watson bikini, the pattern leaves the front gusset seam exposed and has you attach the leg and waist elastics after sewing up the side seam. If find the former to be uncomfortable and the latter to be a bit more difficult than the way I prefer to sew underwear. The pattern is very straightforward, though, and if you've sewn underwear before you'll know you can do things however you want.
All in all, I'm super happy with the Watson pattern and will absolutely be making it over and over again!
Currently, I'm looking forward to breaking into the kit materials to make a set with the Watson bra. I'm trying out several underwear patterns right now (stay tuned), so the bottom pattern is as yet undecided.
Teaching Sew Your Own Bra is a great motivator to make more for myself! A non-bra-making student asked me yesterday why on earth anyone would ~want~ to make their own bra. I have a lot of feelings on this topic but the short answer I gave was that store-bought lingerie is at the crossroads of everything I hate about patriarchy and capitalism: men telling female bodies what they should and shouldn’t look like, horrendous corporate profits off the backs of terrible labor practices... I could go on and on. Sewists still have some work to do in regards to ethically sourcing materials but at least here I got to cut out a bunch of middle men, work with patterns designed by women AND a(nother) bra with Star Wars constellations on it. Makes me happy in so many ways! ✨💙🌌 💙✨ First bra is @clothhabit #watsonbra with underwires. Second is @sophie_hines #eulerbralette made with one of her lovely kits. I’m going to need to make a bunch of adjustments the next time I make this one but the construction is super clever and the bra is wonderfully soft and comfy. (at Lillstreet Art Center) https://www.instagram.com/p/BqXjPleH8xG/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=neu1dvv245pq
Made a second #watsonbra out of some sunny yellow nylon spandex fabric I had in my stash since...early 2000s? Yeah, I'm that terrible with hoarding fabric! 😑 At least I finally found some use for it! There's also enough of it leftover make some skivvies and a longline bikini set. I have a third one in the making, and planning a fourth one with some grey nylon spandex fabric that I bought at the same time as the yellow one. 😆 #clothhabit #sewing #sewingproject #handmade #bramaking #lingerie #longlinebra
🇦🇺First #watsonbra from @clothhabit done! Some adjustments for me have to be made in the cups and band for the next one. But I loved the process itself. Certainly the spandex fabrics are another world to be explored 😉 🇪🇸Mi primer #watsonbra de @clothhabit terminado! Tengo que hacer algunos ajustes en copas y banda para el próximo. Sin embargo, me ha encantado todo el proceso de corte y confección. La verdad es que las telas de lycra son un mundo por explorar 😉
#miymarch17 Day 17 - Under: My Yzma #watsonbra #watsonbikini from @clothhabit is the only undies I've made, but I've planned more, it just haven't been prioritised... But I would LOVE to make the #esplanadebra from @orange_lingerie 😍😍 (at Trondheim, Norway)
Finished a #watsonbra last weekend and am pretty damn happy with it! Materials from an @blackbirdfabrics bra kit, plus some silk habotai for the cradle lining since I was out of tricot. #sewing
I have to share just one more because LOOKIT HOW *REAL* THIS LOOKS ON THE INSIDE. Sorry for shouting I'm just REALLY EXCITED ABOUT UNDERWEAR. #reallyexcitedaboutunderwear #sewing #watsonbra #underwire #suckitvictoriassecret
