Nearly every year around the holiday season I tend to take on some big creative project. I think this has to do with my introvertedness; for every extroverted activity I need about twice the amount of introverted time to recuperate. There was the year I spontaneously decided to sew a red cashmere cape a mere three days before we left for Christmas travel. I seriously believed that even with all its hand-sewn lining, slip-stitched pockets and bound buttonholes I’d be able to finish in it time for actual Christmas day. Y’all, I’m not a fast sewer.
This year I got a wild hair to draft and make up a bunch of knit tops. I’ve actually been in need of some basics as part of my wardrobe curating plan, and while I’m not opposed to buying these basics it was about time I used up some of my knits.
First I cleaned up my basic fitted tee pattern so it was a little more form fitting. Finally I have something to layer under jackets and cardigans!
I also made a white cotton knit version but already spilled coffee down the front… that’s fairly de rigeur with me and white clothing!
Then I cut a couple of basic tanks…
For the tank on the left I used a very light metallic gold rayon jersey. I wish I could get a good photo of this because it’s very pretty. For that pattern I added some ease for a flared style since it’s going to be layered and I knew that a tissue weight knit wouldn’t look so hot in a fitted top.
Then I decided it was time to try something completely different, and give myself little bit of a challenge. I had a go at drafting a cowl neck tee, which I thought would work beautifully for this metallic striped jersey:
I make an effort to line up stripes when cutting but almost never get them lined up with sleeves—this was an unintentional surprise!
The reason why this stripe match worked has to do with the shape of the armscye. In some cowl neck alterations the front armscye can almost end up as a diagonal line, which can help with lining up stripes in the sleeve cap. I used this Threads tutorial for the alteration, where you can see how the armscye changes direction.
Since I was on the stripes bandwagon I cut into this luscious cotton knit that I saved up for a boxy mariner-style top. For this top I added about 4 inches of ease to my t-shirt pattern and drew in a wider neckline.
Oops, I forgot to cut a thread down there!
I did these all assembly-line style so that I was cutting everything, then serging, and finally hemming all the tops with my coverstitch at the end. And clearly I took the photos assembly line style, too! After all this I’m a little worn out on knits and I think my serger needs a trip to the spa. I’ve been working on shirts (I made an Archer!) and a new trouser pattern that I”m hoping to have done in January.
Have you ever made a bunch of similar garments at once?
Details: Patterns: self drafted Fabrics: cotton and rayon jerseys from my stash. All of them are a few years old except for the blue and white striped sweater knit from Emma One Sock (still available!)
Today I want to talk a little bit about selecting fabrics for the Watson and I’ll share a few examples from my own projects.
I know that shopping for lingerie fabrics and bra-making supplies the first time around can be a little bit overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. Bras in particular use a few materials that you may not ordinarily use in other garments, but these aren’t difficult to find. Little amounts also go a long way, which brings me to a few suggestions as you go shopping:
Stash. Once you make a bra or two, there’s a really good chance you’ll have extra lining and elastic which make gathering materials for the next project much easier. Stashing linings and a few elastics for lingerie is just as useful as stashing zippers, thread and interfacing for other garments.
Neutral colors are your friend. Shop for neutral-colored elastics, hardware and linings and mix them into your sets. Neutrals can be black, gray, nude-ish colors, or even white. These colors are also easier to find. A nude lining or powernet works underneath most fabrics. I use nude mesh and linings for many bras that have bright colors as their main fabrics.
Mix and match. I like to think about the elastics and the hook & eye as accents. Instead of trying to get all matchy-matchy, I save myself the frustration of finding matching hardware and buy (or dye) the elastics in bright colors that might accent or contrast with my main fabrics.
Dye. This is my personal tactic in making lingerie: I buy all my elastics and lining materials in white and in enough yardage for several bras and then I dye them before a project. Obviously that adds an extra step, but I have gotten fast at this step and have a stash of dye colors, so this is easier for me.
However you gather your materials, online shopping is the way to go, particularly with hardware and elastics. I’ve curated a list of supplies for the Watson on Etsy. And for even more ideas, I publish a very big list of bra and lingerie making resources.
Fabric Choices
The best fabrics for the bra cups are going to be a 4-way stretch lycra knit or stretch mesh. These fabrics tend to have quick and perfect recovery, which means they don’t loosen up or relax with wear. Some terms you might want to look for in lycra fabrics: 4-way spandex, lingerie lycra, milliskin (which comes in matte or shiny/satin), tricot lycra, satin lycra, or even swimsuit lycra.
Although I recommended 75% stretch, stores don’t often list the stretch percent of fabrics. I wouldn’t worry too much about getting this exact stretch. Several of my test fabrics had less stretch than that. A good general rule of thumb: if it is a knit, has at least 15% spandex, is sold as a swim, dance or lingerie fabric with 4-way stretch, then it’s got potential.
Here are two sets I made from lycra and stretch mesh. For the bands on both, I doubled the stretch mesh. Doubling a lighter stretch mesh is a great alternative to a firmer powernet.
On the left: matching milliskin and stretch mesh from Spandex House. On the right: stretch mesh from Fabric Depot Co.
On this bra I used stretch lace and a firmer powernet for the band. The bikini is made from stretch mesh.
If you want to use stretch lace, look for some with spandex content. Without the spandex, the lace won’t be supportive enough or it will “grow” in wearing.
It’s also possible to use natural fiber knits on the bra and bikini. A medium weight cotton/spandex jersey will probably be your best bet, since cotton tends to have a firmer fit. One of my favorite early makes of this pattern was a cotton knit Watson (which I snuck onto the blog over a year ago!). I still wear that bra a lot.
This is a version I made from a Tencel/spandex jersey as an experiment:
Tencel is a rayon and like all rayon jerseys this was a very drapey fabric that doesn’t have a lot of support. It also tends to lose its shape after awhile. This set turned out much bigger than others in the same size, so if making either the bra or bikini out of a rayon-type jersey, consider going down a size or taking in the cup seam.
Band Fabrics
Although I recommended powernet for the band, it is just a suggestion. And it isn’t always easy to find a matching color of powernet. If you want to use the same fabric on your band that you are using in your cups, you’ll need to reduce the stretch by doubling it as I did in some of the above samples or shortening your band piece.
While we’re talking about band fabrics, you might be wondering about those terms like stretch mesh, powernet, powermesh… what’s the difference?
Net and mesh are interchangeable terms for a fabric that that is knitted with an open hexagonal structure. Here’s a firm powernet on the left and a lightweight stretch mesh on the right:
Stretch nets and meshes come in all sorts of weights and “feel”. They can be very sheer, lightweight and drapey, or very tightly knit and firm in their stretch. The term powernet usually refers to a stronger weight, firm stretch mesh that’s good for bra bands. Usually the description will give you a hint as to how strong it is.
Elastic Choices
For the bra, you want to look for 3 different types of elastics:
a plush back elastic for the hem
a plush-back lingerie elastic for the top of the band and the neckline
a strap elastic
Here’s a close-up of what a plush-backed elastic looks like:
The bikini just needs your favorite lingerie elastic. It could be the same elastic you use to finish your neckline if you want to match!
Shopping for Fabrics
These are just a few options and ideas for your main fabrics:
For linings: My favorite bra lining that I use for all bras is the sheer cup lining from Bra-makers Supply. It’s sheer but firm. You can also substitute 15 denier tricot or 40 denier tricot fabrics. These are very common and easy to find nylon lining fabrics (google them!), but keep in mind 15 denier is very lightweight. Alternatively, you may fuse a tricot knit interfacing. Any kind of fusible interfacing that works with knits and has a direction that doesn’t stretch is a good candidate.
That’s it for today. I hope this guide has been useful and helps you understand how to choose your Watson materials. Happy hunting!
Thank you all for your kind and enthusiastic response to the Watson! I’m so glad that it fills a space in your lingerie hearts.
And you guys are fast! I’ve already started seeing a few lovely versions popping up and I love seeing what you do with it. You can tag #watsonbra on Instagram, add your photo to my new Flickr group, or send me a link to your blog post.
watson sewalong
The Watson is easy to fit and quick to make if you have any experience sewing lingerie but I know some of you are new to bra-making or would like some tips along the way. I’ll be hosting a sewalong starting January 12.
We’ll walk through making a full set, and I’ll include some easy fitting alterations. I’m also going to add a few extra tutorial “goodies”:
How to cut and sew a version of the bra with galloon lace cups (this is not in the pattern)
Quick and easy dyeing tutorial, for those of you interested in dyeing lingerie fabrics or elastics
I’d originally planned to do a sewalong shortly after release but it so happens that my pattern was delayed a bit. I don’t want to ram this all into a holiday month, which we all know come and go in the blink of an eye!
In the meantime, I know many of you are eager to whip this up, or want to have your fabrics ready in time of the sewalong, so tomorrow I’m going to cover everything you need to know about choosing and sourcing fabrics and notions for the Watson.
Over the next couple weeks I’ll also have a few surprises in store for you. A couple of my favorite fabric shops have offered to partner up to offer discounts and even some Watson bra kits to my readers! Here’s a little sneak peak of kits that Grey’s Fabric will be offering:
Stay tuned to the blog or my newsletter for when these become available.
That’s it for today’s newsy post but before I sign off, I really want to give a huge thanks to my friend Stephanie Press and the always lovely Heather Lou of Closet Case Files for helping me bring this pattern to life, as well as their entrepreneurial insights along the way. Steph helped me cut pattern after pattern and helped me work through sample ideas over many Thursday afternoons together. And Heather was a real comrade, pushing me toward the finish line, and listening to me kvetch about stuff like grading in Illustrator. She was the first person to ask me if I’d make a pattern for a sheer plunge bra. I’m sure most independent patternmakers feel this way but there are days when you feel like you are working in a vacuum and it just takes a few encouraging souls to keep you moving. Thanks, guys!
Today I’m thrilled to release my “baby” into the world, my new pattern Watson!
Since the first time I made one of the bras for myself, I was a little bit addicted. How many fabrics could I make this in? At that time I was learning a lot about dyeing so I came up with this grand idea of mixing my own dyes for an entire collection! And so I did.
I’m a huge fan of all things 70s but especially in lingerie. It was a time of subtlety, soft fabrics, not overly stuffed or rigid looks. And then there was the skin. That glowy 70s skin! Just look at old Maidenform or Huit advertisements from the mid-70s; it’s all models in wind-swept hair, draped peignoirs over sheer plunging bras. This kind of woman-body-free feeling was my inspiration for the Watson. I wanted something playful and not too serious.
So let’s talk about the pattern…
the bra
The bra pattern is designed for stretch fabrics and has two styles. View A is a longline bra and View B is a regular length band that runs right under the cups. The cups fit into either so you can mix and match!
I wanted my first bra pattern to be a bit easier to sew and fit than a traditional underwired pattern. The Watson is a great way to dive into bra-making techniques as it uses some of the same construction methods as underwired bras, but it has a very forgiving fit.
Now a few notes about fit: this pattern has cup and band sizes! As I was developing this pattern, I had to make a big decision about sizes and grading. Most of the time soft cup bras without wires run in alpha sizes (small, medium, large, etc.) and meant to fit a broad range within each size. I wanted to offer a bigger and more specific size range.
The pattern has some measuring and fitting tips, but keep in mind that it is not meant to fit like a wired bra. If you like a little bit of lift, try the longline bra! It uses the same cup but longline bras have more of a “cantilever”. Because it wouldn’t be a Cloth Habit pattern without a bit of science in there, too!
And just as a note, since a few readers have asked: this is not an underwired pattern and you can’t use wires in this style. I did not design the cradle around wires and I can explain more of that in a fitting post!
the bikini
This is a really simple and straightforward bikini and totally inspired by 70s bikinis. Something you can cut and make in under an hour.
fabrics
Both the bra and the bikini are designed for stretch knit fabrics. I wouldn’t recommend wovens or non-stretch fabrics. The only area that needs a non-stretch lining is the cradle at the front of the bra. Fear not, these fabrics are easy to find and I promise I’ll go into more details about material choices next week. The pattern also has several tips and tricks for choosing appropriate fabrics.
the name
The Watson is inspired, of course, by Sherlock’s pal, and more specifically Lucy Liu’s take on Elementary. I. love. this. show. And must have rewatched all the episodes three times while on the finish stretch of this pattern. I love almost any detective show (and every version of Sherlock) but Liu’s Watson is such a beautiful counterbalance, and nearly every episode I end up rewinding to look at her groovy outfits.
So that’s it for today. I’d love to hear what you think, or any questions you have!
Yesterday morning a student was bicycling down our street in a t-shirt and shorts and our concerned neighbor shouted after him, “Put some layers on! Aren’t you freezing?!” To which he yelled from his fast-moving bike, “Seriously? I’M FROM CONNECTICUT!”
Well I’m from Michigan and it’s still crazy cold here in Austin, so don’t let my coatless self fool you. The sun came out for the first time in a few days and like all sun-addicted Texans I just had to spend some time in it. The things I’ll do for a photo shoot!
Since I’m talking crazy, it’s time to break out my new skinny pants.
I don’t quite know what’s going on here, like a Noah’s boat sort of print, full of feather eyes, snake scales and cat stripes. I kept trying to figure out the animal references while sewing it together. I hoped I wasn’t getting too psychedelic but my man kept saying THAT IS THE COOLEST FABRIC. When I tried them on to fit, he kept following from behind. Methinks that must be the best view!
Sorry, I’m not pulling up my jacket, so you’ll have to trust me on that one.
This is a new pants draft that I worked on in the spring, specifically with crazy pants in mind. I was really craving a pair of skinny printed pants to add to my capsule wardrobe, and made another pair on a bizarre dotted print that didn’t fit as well as I liked so I went back to the drawing board. I’m addicted to trying different patternmaking methods as a learning experience, so I tried a different method than the one I used for my skinny jeans. At this point I have several great pants and jeans blocks and I’m so ecstatic about this that I innocently believe I’ll be sewing 10 pairs by the end of the winter.
Here’s the deal with stretch pants: every fabric behaves so differently. Sometimes you need a little more leg width or a little less in the crotch extension. What I like to do is start with zero ease (no negative ease) at the hips and then baste up the pants with a big stitch and slowly work my way down till the skinny is just right. And it’s really important to balance the adjustments between the inseam and the side seam. Taking in too much at the inseam throws off the balance that causes all sorts of diagonal underbum wrinkles and possibly leg twist. This is something you never see explained in patternmaking books (except the German ones): how the balance of the leg underneath the crotch affects fit.
Anyhoo, the pants. These are basically stretch skinny jeans but without traditional jeans details like a yoke and back pockets and rivets and all that. Okay, so they’re not jeans at all, but the shaping is basically the same. I also draped in a wide contour waistband, which really takes the fit up a notch! Next time I think I’ll try a tabbed fly…
Normally I wouldn’t be tucking in a top with these. I made these with a mid to high rise (9″ to be exact). I love this height for tops that will be untucked because it’s super comfortable, but if I wanted to tuck I’d go even higher or lower simply because I like those visual proportions better.
On a sentimental last note, I want to dedicate this post to my amazing mother-in-law. She has been through a serious health scare this week, and since she’s a believer that you gotta keep on shining no matter what, I hope my crazy brings some shining to her day!
