Other: DL01 (MakeBra 3 piece foam lined bra) - Type:Lingerie  | | Viewed 258 times
| | Review rated Helpful by 1 people Very Helpful by 9 people | | Reviewed by: | Sigrid. | 
 | About Sigrid. | | NETHERLANDS | | Member since: 11/14/06 | | Reviews written: 134 | | Sewing skills:Advanced | | Favored by: 126 people | | patterns reviewed: 132 | | Bio: more... |
| | Posted on: | 12/2/12 5:57 AM | | Project Photo: |  | | Pattern Photo: | Pattern Info provided by Sigrid. | | | | Related Links | Click on  to add a link |
| Recently I discovered a new company with bra patterns: MakeBra.com. A Finnish company selling patterns and a little bit of fabric and notions for lingerie sewing. A few weeks ago they added a downloadable pattern to their range, which was what made me decide to give it a try. I'm not fond of (and that's an understatement) downloadable patterns, but I can deal with a downloaded pattern that consists of only 3 pages with pattern pieces.
All the patterns MakeBra has in their range are for foam lined cups.
Pattern Description
Balconette bra pattern, three part, foam lined cup, side boning and underwires.
Line drawing and picture from the website
Pattern Sizing
The pattern is offered in a wide range of sizes (cups A-G), but are not multisized. You order the size according to the measurement chart.
Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?
Yes, though I did use only one fabric print.
Were the instructions easy to follow?
A bit difficult for me to say. I've been making bra's for years now and have my own way of doing things. The instructions in the pdf you get with the pattern are not detailed, more an 'order of construction' list. On the site of MakeBra more detailed information is given for other patterns that are applicable to this bra too. They are helpful but might not be very clear if it's the first bra you're making. As said, difficult to say if you know well what you are doing. SuzyBee (who reviewed the MakeBra 4800 pattern) found my pdf file for constructing a bra helpful.
Fabric Used
Foam lining, lycra
How I made this
First I made a muslin of the pattern, as described on the site.
A picture of the inside of the muslin.
This is for checking the size of the cups and looked very promising. For the muslin cotton was used for the band pattern piece. As this of course has no stretch, I then compared the band pattern piece with my tnt pattern. The length was exactly the same, which made me decide not to alter it.
I don't like working fold over elastic and changed the way of attaching the lycra to the upper cup part. I pinned the right side of the lycra to the wrong side of the cup, zigzagged the top edge and folded the lycra to the right side.
Picture of the inside of the cup
I also interfaced the side/back part of the band with a type of powernet, to give me more support. This is what I do with all my bra's and works well. I don't use boning at the side, which is part of the instructions.
Be aware that the tape you add to the shoulder strap removes all stretch. I think I should have added a bit more length to the remaining shouder strap in the back. When I first tried it on the fit seemed far off, lengthening the shoulder strap removed most of the problem.
Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
Not sure yet about making it again, I have to wear it for a while to see how comfortable I am with the style, as it is so different to the style I'm used to. I do recommend the pattern if you want a foam lined cup. There are not many patterns that have this.
The other photos
Side view
Finished bra
Fold over elastic at the sides, not my best work
Center front detail and another one.
Finished back
Inside finished
Conclusion
After making a lot of bra's from my tnt pattern, it was nice to try a new pattern. The foam lining is something I've tried a very long time ago when I was not very experienced yet, it was nice to try it again.
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10 Comments
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Very nice! I'm glad you tried this, it worked our well.
12/2/12 10:46 AM
I am so glad you did this review. I had been looking at these patterns and I have been looking at your blog too, regarding bra making. Thank you for sharing.
12/2/12 12:21 PM
Yet another great review for a great bra.
12/2/12 1:34 PM
Fascinating and lovvely!
12/2/12 2:42 PM
Looks great Sigrid. Your comment about the FOE is interesting - I was going to try it, thinking it would be easier, but it is obviously trickier than I thought.
12/2/12 3:18 PM
Very nice! I have never tried making a bra yet...this would be a good one to try! Thanks for sharing!
12/3/12 5:28 AM
Looks great -- interesting print and thanks for the very helpful review!
12/3/12 9:06 AM
Gorgeous bra!
12/3/12 10:08 AM
Great looking bra...not sure how I missed this review. I'll be curious to know whether you decide you really like this pattern. The foam cup bra I made just isn't right. I turned it into a workout bra. As always from you, great review!
12/3/12 11:56 AM
great review hope it it wearable
12/3/12 1:02 PM