Hi, hello, and howdy! It’s certainly been a minute, hasn’t it?
Life in lockdown pandemic world had its ups and downs (lots of those, tbh), and I feel like my mind and heart will never be the same. Some of the activities I found joy in before the pandemic no longer had the same appeal, or if they did, I found myself lacking my previous levels of energy and motivation. Cosplay in particular has been difficult to complete in the same manner I approached before COVID. Late in 2020, I turned to other endeavors for some sewing related stress-relief, one of those being lingerie-making.
My very first Maris bralette!
My love affair with spandex is fairly well-documented at this point (one day I’ll revisit this series with information I’ve learned over the last few years). I’ve dabbled with lingerie makes before, thanks to some free basic pieces from Seamwork and Mood, but my interest in lingerie really sky-rocketed when I came across Madalynne Intimates. Her patterns are a lovely mix of athletic and femme designs, and I’m quite smitten with the gorgeous fabric and trim kits available through her shop. Add in plus-friendly patterns, and I was sold! I’ve made at least half a dozen Marris bralettes, three sets of Noelle panties (free pattern!), a Barret bralette (another free pattern!), four Lawren bodysuits, and a cosplay swimsuit with the Fenix for Rhea, and I still have materials on hand for several more makes!
I may have gone a little hard on the Maris sets for a while…
Much like garment sewing, it been fascinating to learn more about my body as I make and wear these pieces and adapt them to better suit my body. As lovely as the bodysuits are, 1-2 are all I really need. I just don’t wear them on a regular basis. I’m also realizing that front closures on bras aren’t the most comfortable on me with how wide set my breasts are. All things I never would have thought about just sticking to ready-to-wear!
One of the (many) Lawren bodysuits I’ve made! Maddie gets the best fabrics for these kits.
The classes and patterns from this company recently inspired me to start drafting more stretchy stuff from scratch, partly for casual wear (listen, I can’t go back to underwire bras on the regular after WFH life), partly for future cosplay planning purposes, and also as part of some exciting plans that are under wraps (for now). To that end, here are a few resources I’ve found quite helpful:
- Pattern School Online
- Patternmaking for Fashion Design by Helen Joseph Armstrong
- How to Tech, Spec, and Grade a Bra and Brief by Laurie Van Jonssson
- Pretty much any book or class by Beverly Johnson
- The Great Bra Sewing Bee
Did you pick up any new interests over the course of the pandemic? Have you stuck with them?
The Geeky Seamstress 