Pin-up Girls: PB-3200 (Shelley Full Band Bra) - Type:Lingerie  | | Viewed 278 times
| 1 more reviews | Review rated Very Helpful by 10 people | | Reviewed by: | clothingengineer | 
 | About clothingengineer | | CT USA | | Member since: 5/7/10 | | Reviews written: 130 | | Sewing skills:Intermediate | | Favored by: 51 people | | patterns reviewed: 121 | | Bio: more... |
| | Posted on: | 3/10/13 5:54 PM | | Project Photo: |  | | Pattern Photo: | Pin-up Girls Pattern Info | | | | Fabric: | Duoplex [See other projects in this fabric] | | Related Links | Click on  to add a link |
| Pattern Description: The designer bra you've been waiting for from Pin-up Girls! This stylish full band bra can be made with or without underwires and features a power bar for push-ahead support, as well as a split lower cup for extra room. It has been specially designed to use with Simplex and other low-stretch fabrics, which give the best support and a flattering profile. This pattern is available in 80 sizes. Be sure to pick the size range that suits your needs. Each pattern has 20 sizes included in the envelope! The patterns have both French and English instructions!
Pattern Sizing:30-38 A-D. I started off with a 32C though it turns out a 34B was a better fit.
Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Yes.
Were the instructions easy to follow? Yes, the instructions are one of the strengths of Pin-up Girls patterns.
What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? I really liked the cup design. It is far more flattering than the diagonal seam of the Classic and Linda bras and really makes the most of what I have without the use of padding.
I didn't like how narrow the strap placement was. See pattern alterations below. Like most Pinup Girls patterns I also thought this pattern ran small in both the cups and band.
Fabric Used: Duoplex for the front band/lower cups/powerbar/straps (Elingeria), stretch lace for the upper cup (Elingeria), sheer cup lining for the stretch lace underlining (Bramaker's Supply), double knit powernet for the back band (Bramaker's Supply).
Pattern alterations or any design changes you made: The recommended fabrics for the upper cup are either stretch or rigid lace. Since I was using stretch lace I underlined the upper cup entirely using non-stretch sheer cup lining. I followed Sigrid's tutorial on interfacing stretch fabrics, only instead of pulling it in all directions I pulled it only at the sides since my lace has only 2-way stretch. I'm not sure why Pinup Girls doesn't recommend underlining the entire upper cup instead of just the upper edge.
I'm pretty consistent with wearing a 32B in RTW. For my first version (which I did not finish) I followed the instructions for sizing. I measure 32" in the upper chest and have a 34.5" full bust. So this puts me somewhere between a 32B and 32C. Since I find Pinup Girls patterns a bit small when using Duoplex I went for the 32C. I'm a little bit shallow in the upper cup so I shaved off 1/4" from the inner part of the upper cup edge. The cup volume was good, but the band was too tight and the strap placement was extremely narrow. I have a 13.5" shoulder breadth and 4.5" shoulder length so I definitely do not have broad shoulders. I experimented a couple of times with moving the front strap placement, and finally I ended up with the following pieces:
Power bar (original piece on left, modified piece on right)
Upper cup (original piece on top, modified piece on the bottom)
Basically I taped together the upper cup to the powerbar, and then made a line right below the strap tab parallel to the DOGS line on the upper cup. I cut this line and shifted everything over to the left 1". I redrew the armhole curve and upper half of the powerbar curve. You can see in my gallery photo that the straps now sit on the edge of the collarbone instead of being almost by the neck.
In addition to modifying these two pieces I slash and spread the back band so it was the same length as the 34B band. Since 32C cups are equal in volume to 34B I didn't bother retracing these pieces.
I cut out my second version using these modified pieces. The band and strap placement issues were solved, but then I noticed that the front band bridge was slightly too narrow. I ended up tracing the 34B back and front band pieces, and will use those for my next version.
Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? I will definitely sew this again and recommend it to others.
Conclusion: Another thing I thought I should mention was while I used underwires I also tried it without underwires and unlike every other bra pattern I've tried actually looked really good without the underwires. So if you like wireless bras but don't like how they tend to flatten you out, definitely try this pattern. |
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12 Comments
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I can't speak . . .Just outstanding.
3/10/13 6:39 PM
Just beautiful!!! I would like to try this pattern but am still a little confused. Could you private message me so I can ask a couple questions...... Thanks!
3/10/13 7:05 PM
Beautiful bra, can't wait to try this pattern!
3/10/13 7:45 PM
That's gorgeous!! Thanks for the review...and pointing out how narrow the front straps are! I would like to try this pattern to see if I prefer that placement!
3/10/13 9:17 PM
Beautiful bra and gorgeous work. I agree the seaming of this cup is superior to the other Pin-up styles. Very nice!
3/10/13 10:03 PM
Wonderful bra! The strap placement is exactly what I need... closer to center, rather than shoulder. I have the pattern, and will go with the 32G based on your experience. Thanks for the great review and how you did your strap adjustment!
3/10/13 11:56 PM
Thank you for the detailed review. Lovely bra
3/11/13 7:00 AM
Lovely bra. Glad you found my tutorial helpful.
3/11/13 8:33 AM
Brilliant review, I may just have to try this one.
3/11/13 6:23 PM
So pretty! I love it!
3/11/13 7:54 PM
I will have to get this one so I don't have to move the straps in. Looks great.
3/11/13 9:00 PM
Gorgeous work
3/12/13 10:44 AM