So last weekend, I had the delightful privilege of taking a two day bramaking masterclass. The class is the London Bra Masterclass by Beverley Johnson (the Grande Dame of home bramaking, at least in Canada), delivered by my friend Diane, of Temperance Swimwear Intimates, who got certified by Beverley as an instructor last year sometime. And it’s only the second formal sewing class I’ve ever taken, actually.
So… let’s talk about bramaking. This has always seemed like a fairly intimidating branch of sewing to me, and a little more risky than most. I can break it down into three main problems:
1) The materials list is complicated. There are a minimum of three types of elastics and two different fabrics, plus rings and sliders and channeling and underwire and hook and eye closure, never mind extras like lace or bows. Finding quality materials, at least locally, is iffy to impossible, and every change in materials may change the final fit. In theory a bra kit solves at least some of that problem, and I have purchased one or two in the past, but they’re expensive and feel too precious to waste.
2) It’s pretty much impossible to try on for fit until the bra is complete. Even some of the most seasoned bra makers I follow seem to make a lot of really beautiful duds, and alterations (especially to the cup) are nearly impossible.
3) The construction is complicated. Or at least, I’ve always found it a little overwhelming to keep track of and execute nicely, given the fiddly materials. Especially the elastic.
I’ve taken a stab at it a time or two. I’ve even made some very pretty bras. But none that have made it into my regular rotation, for reasons ranging from questionable materials or construction to fit that just wasn’t quite there.
But since having the twins, I’ve become much more accepting of soft cup bras, so when Diane offered a small class for some Sewing Circle friends, it was an opportunity too good to resist.
Even better, I dragged Syo with me. Over the last couple of years, she has become quite the seamstress herself, to the point where she’s set up her own sewing room at her house, and even made herself a custom dress form. I was pretty sure she would enjoy the learning, at least, as she enjoys sewing swimwear and last summer patterned and sewed a bustier dress for herself.
It’s a great dress, but was a whole (chaotic) process, and she’s since expressed the desire to learn some more basics (like following patterns and “proper” construction orders and techniques)—so a bramaking class seemed like a great option.
Now, getting to take a class with an included kit addressed all three of my roadblocks with bramaking. Although the thing I was arguably most excited about was getting to try on Diane’s sample sizes for fitting beforehand. While it doesn’t guarantee a perfect fit (and spoiler, I didn’t end up with one… yet), it does at least get you in the right ballpark. Which isn’t where I have always ended up in the past.
Now, I will say this about London: it has very pretty style lines, and a lot of options (focused around a range of support elements). It is very full coverage for my tastes. It is also designed to provide a lot of lift… which at least in my size looks like a very flat lower half of the boob and a bit pointy around the apex. This doesn’t seem to be as obvious in the larger sizes. For my next version, I will be rounding out the lower cup just a smidge.
I also needed more room in the upper cup. We noticed this in the try-on stage, and Diane had added a bit of width there, but not quite enough, I guess. I will note that London has the upper cup finished with fold-over elastic, and cutting in in the upper cup is an issue I have had with every single RTW bra I have ever tried on with an elastic top edge. This is probably related to the thing where I can’t use full bust minus high bust to determine my cup size, as there’s very little difference there… my upper bust is broad, and with my breasts not being particularly dense or firm at this stage of my life, it’s very easy for an elastic to cut in.
It was great to have the instructions printed out (I have this tendency to try to read them on my phone to save paper), and I found most steps quite easy to follow.
It was even better to have Diane there to clarify the ones I didn’t get (like the “wrapped strap attachment”), as well as provide suggestions on finer points like how much tension to put on the elastics while sewing (hint: mostly none). Oh, and the right order for topstitching the band elastic vs the underwire channeling.
Even her suggestions for attaching the back strap and hook and eye closure with a straight stitch for easy removal in case the band needed shortening (mine did… which we had noted on the try on, but Diane wisely left it a bit long as it’s easier to take off at try on then add on.)
Not to mention, two days spent sewing with awesome people (including my daughter!), excellent snacks, and plenty of tea… I really can’t think of a better way to spend a weekend.
And I finally feel confident to tackle that kit I purchased years ago…
Tanit-Isis Sews 