Sports bra mania

I know I swore I'd never make bras. And I know that these aren't strictly (technically) bras. But, since I don't carry much on my chest, a compression-style croptop sports bra works pretty well for me. So I guess I make sports bras now. I'm loathe to spend money on a pre-made one when there are pretty scraps and elastics sat in my stash.

First, late last year I made this:

Then tweaked the pattern to create my London Spitfire bra:

After that I decided to raid my scraps stash and make a "cut up" copy of the pattern to fit small and oddly-shaped pieces. I've tried to position the seams strategically to avoid lumps and chafing but I'm sure some purists would be horrified at  my approach.

A lot of the styling and colour choices came from what was in my stash at the time and what would coordinate nicely. I'm  beginning to run low on plush elastic, but I need to wait to stock up since I prefer to buy in person. Not all elastics are created equal.

So, out of this process came the (slightly scrappy) all-black bra:

The black and blue bra:

(with variegated thread in the topstitching!)

And the bumblebee bra:

This one is my only 2-layer bra, the large panels are lined in a knit on the front, but the centre and back panels are not. I think where I am using supplex, two layers will be needed in future. For the black bras, the main fabric had a lot more resistance and only stretched in one drection. So it seems fine.

That's it for now,

K x

Kaisla number two

I've finally cleared a WiP/UFO! This one has been cut out sitting around since September 2015. I have shamefully hidden it in a bag and just hoped that it would work itself out. I think the fabric was hanging around 6 months prior to that as well, so this has been maybe 3 years waiting to get done.

Welcome to my newest Kaisla jacket

Why?

I've forgotten my original rationale, so let's just say that I really like jackets. I started actually sewing this in Jan 2018 because I was sick of having this sat unfinished for so long. I've used up almost all of the scraps from my original cutting out by now. I just couldn't understand why that meant the original garment still hadn't been made.

The Pattern

This is my second version of Named Patterns' Kaisla Blazer. I really like the slim nature of the jacket and the fact that there are lapels without too much bulk around the neck and shoulders. It is a really good office-appropriate pattern.

As far as blazers go...it's not too difficult either. Sure, it's not as simple as the BHL Victoria but it is quite simple in its design lines. Also, because of its slimline nature, you only really need shoulder pads and fusible interfacing for the structure. Yay for speed tailoring! No optional horse canvas or sleeve heads!

In terms of modifications, 2015-Katrina decided that she wanted functional sleeve vents and created a pattern. She even cut out all the pattern pieces for this option. 2018 Katrina was not up for that. I think they'll show up on a different project instead.

I again used extra pieces on the sleeve lining so that rolled up sleeves will match the body lining. I again used my modified lining pieces rather than the originals in the pattern.

A spot of pocket detail.

The Fabric

This may be one of my most expensive fabrics ever. The wool was £33/m from MacCulloch & Wallis. I got it in 2014, after much debate, and have long forgotten the composition. I think it's wool, a bit of viscose and a hint of elastane. I don't remember if I bought it felted or if that was an effect of washing. The right side and the wrong side are very subtly different, which was a bit a nightmare for construction. Still, the main point is that it's very warm.

I also included a litle japanese iron-on patch in the facing.

The dotty lining is a silk twill from Mood Fabrics. The interfacing and shoulder pads are also from MacCulloch & Wallis.

The Construction

Lesson learned: I should never leave something so long again without actually sewing it up. I just wanted the darn thing done. With that in mind, I thought I could cut some corners and take account of the fabric loft by sewing a smaller seam allowance. Surprise, surprise that didn't come out great and I spent just as long trimming and restitching it. The original shoulder pads were pretty weedy and couldn't handle the (unexpectedly) oversized jacket.

I didn't bother to mark the pocket placement and that now feels like a mistake.

The fabrics press well and do hold their shape but the lapels don't lie flat on my chest and that's not stopping things bouncing out of position or being pressed into a new one. I keep accidentally pressing one lapel flat because of the way I sit when this is hanging on the back of my chair.

In all, I think this was a bad pairing of outer fabric and pattern. I am so in love with my first Kaisla but this one gave me many many problems The original plan of how I'd wear it doesn't match the reality. We were in mid-winter when I finished it and this jacket doesn't really lend itself well to the concept of "bundling up". This looked almost like the Honetone Coat...but it wasn't quite right.

I tried to live with this jacket and it sat in my wardrobe for a few weeks (nominally finished) before I pulled it out again for fixing. One of the big issues seemed to be a fitting or balance problem. This is really weird and wasn't an issue in my first version. I wonder if I had the pattern pieces mixed up. Anyway, I was really unhappy with this issue:

The issues: Shoulders collapsing a bit, sitting far past my shoulder point, vent not lying flat and loads of excess fabric at the back, dipping at the sides. I'm not pushing anything backwards here, it's all just sitting funny. See:

At first I thought this might be an exaggerated case of sloping shoulders, but I tried the jacket on the mannequin (whose shoulders are a bit more square) and added another set of 1" shoulder pads on me. Neither solved the issue.

Here I am wearing 2x sets of shoulder pads to see if it'll make a difference

2x sets of shoulder pads on the mannequin

So I cut it open and did some more modifications to try to get it to work. Firstly, I sewed the vent shut. This is a shame because I like the feature, and it was pretty straight when the jacket wasn't collapsing. That being said, the loft of the fabric made it a bit bulky so it didn't feel very smooth. I wanted to eliminate the possibility that the lining was pulling the outer in strange directions - removing the vent made things simpler.

Secondly, I took a small amount of width out of the CB seam to try to bring the shoulders more upright (actually on my shoulders instead of overhanging). Thirdly, I unpicked the side seams and underarms and tilted the side back panel - changing the direction of the grain and trying to re-balance the back. Lastly, I rehemmed it so that it would be more even all the way around.

(Apologies for the quality of these photos...just don't ask)

Thr shoulder is still collapsing, but at least the back looks a little better

It's not perfect but I'll take it.

K