Lingerie Society Sewing Retreat - Sewing with Julia!
I recently had the pleasure of hosting 20 lovely ladies for the second Lingerie sewists retreat. It's a wonderful weekend of sewing, socialising, meeting new friends and catching up with old ones. It's such a treat to take some time from our busy lives to dedicate purely to sewing. The wonderful thing about being away on a retreat is you don't feel guilty for sewing all day. There's no washing to fold, no lunches to make.... it's just you and the machine.
This makes for a very productive time! Of course, I took my trusty creative 3.0 along for the ride, and boy did we tick some things off the to-do list!
I wanted a sewing win first up, something tried and true, that I knew would work before I ventured into something I hadn't made before.
As suspected this came together really well. I completed the set with some matching knickers. For these I used the Noelle panties pattern
This knickers pattern is high-waisted, with good coverage, perfect for underdresses
With that make under my belt, I wanted to try something a little more challenging. A foam cup bra.
I used these moulded cups, and the frame and back from the Evie bra
A good tip when choosing the right size foam cup is to measure the wireline of your bra pattern and match that measurement to the bottom curve of the moulded cup. This will be set into the frame so the measurement needs to be as close as possible. Remember you can cut the foam cup down if needed
I chose printed lycra from deep in my stash for this project. To cover the cups I cut a small square of fabric and layed it over the cup. I rat a stitch along the top of the cup, then gathered the fabric at the bottom of the cup to mould it to the shape. I then stitched all the way around the cup and cut away the excess fabric.
The rest of the construction was very similar to a standard wired bra, and I of course had to make matching knickers for this one too, again with the Noelle pattern.
I feel this set could also double as a swimsuit!
Don't be afraid to sew lycra! The Pfaff creative 3.0 handles knits beautifully, just be sure to use a ballpoint needle.
Next up I wanted to make something really out of the box.
I used a slow stitching kit, paired with some lingerie-making essentials like power mesh, bra tulle and elastics to make a long line evie bra
I lengthened the frame and the back of the Evie pattern by 6cm to create a longer line bra. To patch all the pieces from the slow stitching kit together i cut the cups and the frame out of bra tulle them layered the pieces on top and stitched around them. It's got quite a rustic look to it, which just adds interest alongside all the vintage textiles.
The construction other than this part was the same as a standard wired bra. I shaped the back to accommodate for the longer line so I could use a 4-hook bra back.
This set has such a cute vintage vibe to it, and the bra can be worn as outer wear with a high waisted skirt and a shirt tied over the top.
Matching knickers for this one are again the Noelle pattern. I sliced the side front to add those lace frills in, which are a super cute addition.
Ok... now for some selfless sewing
I made a couple of Evie bras for my daughter. She picked out the kits and I really loved making them for her.
I also sewed up for her a trio of Izzy things. This is a super quick, simple make as it leaves the edges raw for a seam-free finish, which means they come together in literally minutes! I used some super sweet liberty printed lycra for these, which is perfect as it doesn't roll or curl when you cut it
Inspired by the lovely Liberty prints I moved on to a sleep set. I used a vintage pattern for this one. The jersey was quite stretchy and fine, but once again the creative 3.0 handled it beautifully.
I cut some stripes of the fabric to self-bind the neckline and create the straps and finished the other edges with a fine black lace.
I didn't have my overlocker with me on the retreat but the creative 3.0 has a number of finishing stitches, great for sewing with knits
Not wanting to let any of the scraps from this beautiful Liberty jersey go to waste, I squeezed out a Lily bralette for my daughter. This is a free pattern and a popular choice for those with a smaller bust and teenagers.
Sunday afternoon allowed just enough time for one more project and I decided to end how I started with another Evie bra. This time in a beautiful piece of black French lace from my stash.
All in all it was the most wonderful weekend, and I can't wait to do it all again soon!
The creative 3.0 is the perfect companion, whatever I throw at it, it handles beautifully.
And here is our lovely group of lingerie makers! Some long-time sewers, some new to sewing, some seasoned lingerie makers, and others who had never sewn lingerie before. Such a great group of ladies and an altogether inspiring, creative weekend.
Julia Mulcair is the owner of Pitt Trading, an Australian online fabric store and the lingerie society, a monthly subscription service for lingerie sewers. She grew up around fabric, and has been sewing for 30 years.
Julia focuses on garment sewing, with a particular love of lingerie making. She shares her makes on Instagram and YouTube and is always working on the next lingerie design!
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