I have a problem. A few of them, actually, but the one at the moment is that I can't seem to bring myself to make a 'nude' bra.
Seems to me like I should be using my *Bramaking Powers* to make either screamingly bright things that I have fun hiding under my clothes (Same concept as socks with unicorns on them) or I should be using beautiful fabrics that I can't afford to make into larger things. Either way you spin the bottle, it's never gonna land on beige.
Right. I didn’t notice until I looked at this photo that the underarm elastic was so bad. Need to fix that..
That said, Me Made May made it clear that I also seem to have ended up with quite a collection of light colored shirts that aren't always thick enough to disguise the screaming-fuscia bra I've got on underneath. This bra was supposed to be my attempt at a toned-down color to wear on such occasions. Although it's a step in the right direction, things didn't necessarily go to plan.
I got the lace (from Elle Joan's) with the intention of making a very, very light pink bra. Then, I got caught up in how the darker parts of the lace matched this sandwashed silk that I had (from The Fabric Store) and then I ended up going a little nuts-o with the dye pot and my elastics turned out to be a richer, albeit still beautiful, shade of dusky pink as well. So. I love the colors but it hasn't solved the problem I set out to solve.
I also love the fit. I used the cup changes from my most recent partial band pink bra, and just went back to the full-frame version. Basically, I wanted to test the pattern with identical cups, so that I could judge full vs. partial band.... impartially ;)
Interestingly, having done the comparison I do still prefer the fit and feel of the partial band bra.
The cups are constructed identically to the hot pink version, but I had a few different areas to play with on the band: First, I cut a flower out of the lace (it doesn't fray!) and appliqued it to the center front before attaching the cups.
Movin' along to the side, I added boning and channeling to the outside of the bra. I like the way it looks so I decided to use it as a design element instead of hiding it inside. Finally, I had a bit of fun with the straps on the back! I scooped a bit more out of the back band piece, and then attached two pieces of 1/2" strap to the band in an inverted v shape, then joined them to the main strap with the ring. Of course, I neglected to consider how this would mean I'd need less of the main strap so they're already tightened almost all the way.... but I'll deal with that when the elastic starts to wear out. I can't say the different strapping made any noticeable difference to the fit, but I do love the way it looks, especially with the gold ring.
I've tried this bra on under some of my lighter shirts, and well... you can definitely see it. The problem is it's winter here in New Zealand and I'm up to my eyeballs in layering anyways - so is it really worth me pursuing beige at the moment? I'm kind of thinking not. Especially not when I've got so much color in my box of supplies!
Strappy! And Antique Pink! Dare I say I seem to be following….trends?
Now, a brief edit to the timeline of things: I made this bra within days of the pink partial band version, and having had both in rotation now for about a month, I'm definitely reaching for the partial band more frequently. I can't say there are any specific 'fit issues' with this one (other than that I used crappy elastic for the underarm edge which you can see if you look close enough...) but the partial band is definitely more comfortable. It's funny how particular styles seem to work with particular bodies differently!
Goodness, this post seems shorter than usual. I've been blogging about big things lately, and my bra draft seems to finally be working its way from 'experimental' to 'tried and true' - I'm already planning a few more partial band iterations, and then I think it's about time I try for some bralette/ underwire-free styles! We'll see how long that takes to draft.... See you next week!