Straps, Lace and Foam - Part One

After a major effort to get all my Christmas cards done I thought I deserved a little more lingerie sewing before I delved in to making the long awaited duffle coat. So I played around with a couple of patterns I hadn’t done before. First up I will introduce the Ohhh Lulu Jasmine bra with the lace back accompanied by the Ultimate Lace Panties.

I bought the Jasmine pattern last year as I loved the racer lace back version but had not found the right lace. On a promotional weekend at Costura Secret Shop I picked up this lilac lace as well as a lilac findings kit. I have only recently had time (and the will) to file away my stock pile and once I spotted these I thought they would be perfect. I always check out designers blogs before I start just in case there are any useful snippets. Right on cue I came across a tutorial about using cut and sew foam with this bra which uses a different technique to what I had seen before. Cut and Sew here I come!

With any lace pattern I mark the seam allowance so I can see where the pieces will meet. There is no separate pattern piece for the lace so you are not working with a straight line to put on the low point of the scallop. You are also matching in three places - centre front, cup and back seam. You then need to cut the pieces in foam and a lining fabric and include all three in the seams - unlike other patterns which join the cut and sew foam by butting up together.

I did start by pinning all layers together but this was very bulky and the layers were still moving around. So I basted through three layers for each piece, taking the stitches out after sewing the seam so I could trim.

There is a video in the tutorial which walks you through every step. The key is to trim the foam down to the stitching line and then sew through the foam and seam allowance flattening the foam. The stitching is not visible from either the front or inside as the fabric and lining are out of the way.

The back bands are put on next. The pattern does not tell you to check but because you have a lace upper edge you need to make sure the fastener will fit before you cut out, As I only had a 2 x 2 hook I had quite a lot to trim and you can’t shape as the scallop needs to be on straight line. The cup is enclosed in the band using the same method.

Next you attach the plush elastic to the upper edge ensuring you catch the upper edge of the foam and lining. At this point I had to choose between the blue and lilac findings. The edge of the lace is actually described as mint but the blue kit I had from Evia La Luve matched perfectly and I continued to use the light grey thread as this blended well into both colours.

Then you join at the centre front. After finger pressing the seam open I used my stitch in the ditch foot to topstitch through all layers. I then trimmed back to the stitching. Just the racer lace back to do!

A lot of bits of elastic to prepare but so worth the effort. I like to be really precise with my straps as I like them to be perfectly symmetrical. I mark the fold over point for each piece and use a glue stick to keep in place. I start sewing in the middle and go forwards and backwards and then back to the middle with a really small straight stitch. I trim back to the stitching and use a little fray check to keep them neat.

It looks and feels beautiful and just needed some underwear to match, I only had two metres of lace and was grateful that had enough left to make the ultimate lace panties. They are described as a boy short and that is exactly where they sit. Different to my other lace patterns in that the gusset is enclosed rather than the point of the lace sitting on the gusset. This makes for a very neat and comfortable inside.

Then on to the new Veronica pattern from Sew Swimmingly teamed with Nora, another Ohhh Lulu pattern.