Review of Sewing Lingerie: Essential Techniques

Well, I’m the first stop on this amazing blog tour with my review of the Craftsy Class - Sewing Lingerie: Essential Techniques by instructor Alison Smith. I come to you all the way from Edmonton Alberta. So I guess I’m the western representative (or according to Our Fairy Bra Mother, the left cup). Valérie from  Élégantine has also reviewed this class and is also posting today! 

You might be amazed to hear this is my VERY FIRST CRAFTSY CLASS! It won’t be my last though because I have already bought Beverly’s Sewing Bra’s Construction and Fit and her newest Sewing Panties classes. Maybe those will keep me warm through the cold winter ahead? I’ve also become a Craftsy affiliate so any Craftsy links you see on my blog or on my posts are affiliate links. I love that you can come back to these videos at any time and how many different things you can learn. Here I am sporting my awesome Craftsy Swag that arrived in the mail a few weeks ago. Craftsy sent one to all 12 tour participants, how cool is that?!

I was excited to learn more about what craftsy classes are and how detailed they are. Many people live in smaller places and would have to travel great distances in order to take classes from expert instructors. Craftsy opens up the opportunity for everyone to benefit from the modern world of the internet and have equal access to their classes. The Sewing Lingerie Class is broken up into 7 lessons. You can also jump to specific points within the lessons which is extremely helpful when you are going back to re-watch parts of the video class during your sewing project. There is also the opportunity to ask questions directly to Alison, the same as you would if you were sitting in a classroom. I've always wanted to learn further techniques for sewing with different types of delicate fabrics such as silk, woven polyester, georgette, satin, cotton lawn, as well as lace and lace trim. She also explains what types of stitches are best for sewing with the lace trims and even how to pick the best lace trims. There is an entire lesson about sewing straps which is extremely useful because it is such a different technique from anything I've ever sewn before. All in all this was a very useful class that I am sure I will reference back to again and again.

Although there is a Vogue paper pattern included with this class, I elected to purchase two PDF patterns rather than learn how to follow a paper pattern (yes that’s right I’ve only ever sewn PDF Patterns!) A perfect fit for this Canadian Blog tour was to use patterns from the Canadian Pattern Designer Ohhh Lulu. She exclusively designs patterns for Bras, Underwear, and Lingerie and also sells some of her handmade intimates online. I purchased these two patterns from her Etsy Pattern shop and all opinions about the patterns are my own. I also kind of cheated because I love knits and am extremely comfortable sewing with them. I probably should have used some of the new techniques I learned in my craftsy class to make some gorgeous woven lingerie but i'm built for comfort and I know I will wear the lingerie I made often.

My first outfit was made using the Clara Camisole from Ohhh Lulu and the Uptown Undies from Peekaboo Pattern Shop (Peekaboo Patterns aren't Canadian but I already had the pattern and wanted to try it out with the Clara Camisole). I used an amazing deer antler custom knit strikeoff from Blackrabbit Fabrics. I actually don't fit into the sizing for the Clara Camisole. The lowest bust size is 34/35 and mine is 33". I made the pattern as is for the first one to see how big it turned out. It is slightly too big but nothing crazy as you can see in the pictures. The other thing I did for both camisoles is to use removable bra straps that I salvaged from an old bra I no longer use. The straps are in great shape and the light cream matched perfectly.

For my second take on the  Clara Camisole I ended up taking off approx 1/4 inch off both sides of the cup pieces before cutting my fabric. The fit is much better on the second version. The only other change I made was to do knit binding around the cups/back rather than fold over elastic. I have been doing a lot of binding lately and like working with it a lot better than FOE. I also used the removable straps on this one. I paired up this camisole with the Eloise Shorts also by Ohhh Lulu. I made a size small as it was recommended for 35/36 hips and mine are a 36. I used another wonderfully soft and stretchy cotton/lycra knit strikeoff from Blackrabbit Fabrics that is currently on pre-order. I find the shorts to be a little big but I think that is because of the stretchy knit. I will likely size down next time I make them in knits but keep the same size if I use wovens.

Thank you so much for reading to the end of this post! I had so much fun sewing these up. Check out my instagram account for more photos and be sure to check out all the posts during the tour. I'll be back on Saturday with my interview with Wendy from custombras.ca

As for the Sew Straight and Gather Pattern Giveaway from Yesterday, Sakina is the winner using Random.org.

Giveaways

Click the image below now for a chance to win a bundle of 3 Craftsy classes (your choice):

 Stay with us through to the end of the tour for a chance to win additional prizes:

• complete kits to make your own bra,
• bra- and swimsuit-making classes,
• fabric, and more ...

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Tour Schedule Itinerary

Follow the magical tour to see what we all have under our clothes

// Please note that none of these post links are available before the scheduled date. If you click on one too early, you will get an Error 404: Page not found. You know about those, right? //

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Sunday, September 11

• Beverly, our Fairy Bra Mother, launches with her airy fairy introduction

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Monday, September 12

• Valérie, la Élégantine, gets us airborne with some lingerie of her own, même en français & Her Bosom Buddy Michelle S. from Little Heart Threads, balances with more sweet lingerie
• Lisa who drinks Glitter in my Coffee brings us an Uplifting post
• Rachel of The Wild Stitch manages a little tête-à-tête with Emerald Erin

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Tuesday, September 13

• Lisa fits right in as a new Pin Up Girl & Her Bosom Buddy, Shelaine, also makes her first bra
• Rachelle gets up close and personal with Carrie from With Love Lingerie
• Valérie returns with a whole new Bosom Buddy to tell us about Miss Maika Fabrics (This girl gets around!)

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Wednesday, September 14

• Rachelle gets to the bottom of things with her review of a Craftsy class & Her surrogate Bosom Buddy Michelle N. from Michelle's Creations dishes on the same Craftsy class
• Jessica from Gracious Threads gets the skinny on our Fairy Bra Mother
• Deb of Sprouting Jubejube chats with Emilie from Jalie

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Thursday, September 15

• Karin gets chaotic (twice!) with corsets at Mrs. Weaver's Finest Unmentionables & Her BB Marsha flies by the seams of her pants into the corsetry web
• Shelaine is up to something and we have no idea what
• Michelle gets Mrs. Weaver to talk about her Finest Unmentionables

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Friday, September 16

• Wild Stitch Rachel tries her hands at designing her own assets & So does her Cross Country BB Jess from the west
• Valérie est du rétour avec une entrevue de Blackbird
• Michelle N. takes us to a secret spot in the centre of things

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Saturday, September 17

• Michelle S. returns to talk to Wendy about her bespoke bras. Be what??
• Marsha gets a taste of what's behind Farthingales' corsets
• Meanwhile BBs Deb and Michelle N. go bottoms up in panties

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Sunday, September 18

• Marsha from Seam of my Pants guest posts on Farthingales for the wrap-up post

Whoohoo! It's giveaway day today!

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Monday, September 19

Have you entered the giveaways yet? Today's your last chance.

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Tuesday, September 20

Giveaway winners announced on all the blogs:

Life of a Fairy Bra Mother, Little Heart Threads, Glitter in my Coffee, Michelle's Creations, Mrs. Weaver's Finest Unmentionables, Braphoria, Gracious Threads, Élégantine!, Shelaine's Designs, That's so Venice, Sprouting Jubejube, Flying by the Seam of my Pants, The Wild Stitch, Farthingales Corset Blog

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After September 20

• Come back to visit all the blogs for followup posts. It's always fun!
• Craftsy class discounts expire at midnight Sept. 30

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Pairing up with Valérie from Élégantine

On a whim, I signed up for what I knew to be an all Canadian bra making blog tour back in early July. I was able to convince my Sewing friend and fellow blogger Valérie to join in as well. 

Fast forward a few months and the tour is finally here. The tour is officially called Canada Cups - Cross Your Heart Relay. It's also sort of an East vs. West of which more will be revealed in the next few days. Check out fellow Canadian, and local bra making celebrity Beverly Arsenault-Johnson's post introducing the tour here. Oh and how cool is this, Beverly's nickname is "The Fairy Bra-Mother". Here are a few sneak peaks of my post for tomorrow.

Valérie and I have become online friends over the last year as we always seem to meet in various pattern testing groups. We even started our blogs within a week of each other only 7 short months ago! Valérie has put in an amazing effort to make Élégantine into a lovely blog with gorgeous photos of her children and sewing creations. I am slightly jealous of the absolute quality of her blog but am also extremely happy for her and always love to see her new creations and posts.

One of the pattern designers both Valérie and I have tested for is Terri from Sew Straight and Gather. Terri is also Canadian and I absolutely love her patterns. Check out one of my favourite dresses the Women's Uptown/Downtown Dress modeled here by both Valérie and Myself. We decided it would be fun to sew up different versions of the same dress and even more important than that, we each have a copy of this dress (or a different pattern of your choice) to giveaway courtesy of Terri! Leave a comment below and head on over to Valérie's post to leave a comment there as well. Winners will be chosen tomorrow, September 12th, by random number generator and included in our blog posts.

Refashion Month 2016

I am extremely excited to join in on the Refashion Month Blog Tour Hosted by House of Estrela. Head on over to her blog to see so many amazing examples of ways to reuse your otherwise discarded clothing. Learning how to refashion existing clothing is a great way to reduce your carbon footprint and an extremely affortable way to sew your own clothing. I always love a good refashion (although I usually call it an upcycle). I might switch to refashion though because it is a much nicer and more upscale word, worthy of custom made to measure clothing. Read on to see what I made...

For the top, I decided to upcycle a nightgown into an Essential Tank from Pattern for Pirates. I bought this pattern during their memorial day sale and wanted to test out the tank version before I try the maxi dress. The fit is great and it is super comfortable and light. 

Earlier this spring I started to plan out a capsule wardrobe using the sudoku style wardrobe I learned about through the Free Notion Blog. One of the pieces I decided to try out was a woven version of the very popular Brassie Joggers from Greenstyle Creations. My hubby had this amazing pair of woven athletic style pants from Lululemon sitting in his drawer that he hadn't worn in 5+ years. I elected to size up one from my suggested knit size and I love the results. I used the lower rise option but would likely opt for the mid rise option if I made these in woven again. If you look closely, you'll notice the lululemon logo and mp3 pocket I was able to keep on the back!

This outfit is the perfect lazy summer day outfit to head to the farmer's market or do some gardening in the yard. The best part is that other than my time it was virtually FREE since I used existing clothing and scrap pieces. I hope you like my outfit as much as I do!

Cheers! Michelle

As always, check out my instagram account for other projects

O Captain! My Captain! A new swimsuit from The Wolf and the Tree

I've been testing for Saskia Smith with The Wolf and the Tree (aff. link) for awhile now. So far, all of the patterns I've tested have been much loved staple patterns that I've been able to use again and again. This new swimsuit pattern, O Captain! My Captain! (aff. link), is no exception. There are literally too many top/bottom combinations for me to count. (Although I'm sure someone who can math well could probably figure it out.)

I pre-tested this pattern using one of my most favourite swim fabrics, a wonderful grey and white striped swim knit with mint polka dots from Marshall Fabrics in Edmonton. I've also used it for a swimsuit of my own, posted here. I love the print on this swim knit and I also love that it's not the typical bright pink princessy colours you see for toddler girls suits in the stores. This is an early version, so fit has changed a little, but the overall looks is very much the same. The top is the full length tankini with short sleeves. The bottoms are the regular rise with yoga band.

For the Official Test, I changed it up and made the colourblock bikini length with short sleeves. I found an awesome ladies swimsuit at a local thrift store which I was able to cut up and upcycle into this suit. I didn't have quite enough of the pattern/purple so I did add in some pink sleeves from a swim knit I had on hand.

I also did up another tankini length top with long sleeves in this solid hot pink swim knit. I love having the option of a long sleeve top for the sun protection (and extra warmth in cooler water). Plus the hot pink top matches great with the patterned bottoms as well as both of the swim and surf shorts I made a few weeks ago and blogged about here.

This pattern has a massive size range of 12 months all the way up to 14. My little one is only in size 2T now so I forsee MANY uses of this pattern over the next 10 or so years. Oh, and there's talk of a Ladies pattern, so I guess she'll be covered for life! Don't forget to grab your copy of O Captain! My Captain! (aff. link) while the pattern is on sale for $8.

As always, check out more of my projects on Instagram

Cheers! Michelle

Pattern Testing the Swim and Surf Shorts by Gracious Threads + Giveaway!

I have a very special place in my heart for Jessica from Gracious Threads. First, because she gave me my very first pattern testing gig for the Starfish Shorts. Second, because she lives super close to me and I love to know that people are designing patterns in my own backyard!

 ... but seriously, how cute is this little bug! She had a lot of fun playing while I snapped photos back then, but we've definitely both gotten better at photos over the last 15 months.

I decided to hit up the thrift store for fabric for this pattern test because there is no board short (microfibre) fabric to be found anywhere in Edmonton and I didn't have the time or patience to order any online. I ended up finding two different pairs of shorts to use for this test. The blue pair are a men's large and cost $3.99 and the stripes are a youth size 14 and cost $4.99.

These Swim and Surf Shorts are a size 2 for my mini 3 year old. There are two length options with this new pattern but I chose to use the shorter length. This first pair was made with the board short fabric for the main and waistband and quilting cotton made into binding.  There is instructions right in the pattern tutorial to make your own binding. I also included the optional swim bottoms with this pair. I absolutely love the colour pairing of the dark blue (my 3 year old's favourite colour at the moment) with the bright pink to make them girly!

I couldn't be happier with how this second pair of Swim and Surf Shorts turned out. I ended up having to use the stripes turned vertical for the waistband in order to have enough length for the fabric (one of the joys of upcycling) but to be honest I think it worked out great as an accent. I also painstakingly removed the binding from the original pair using my seam ripper and re-used it for this new pair. I decided not to put the swim bottoms in this one because I have a purple women's swimsuit that I will be making into a 2 piece suit for her in the next few weeks.

 ...And now for the best part, my very first giveaway. Jessica from Gracious Threads has donated a copy of this amazing pdf sewing pattern for me to give away for free! Just post a comment at the bottom of this blog post telling me who you will make these shorts for if you win the pattern and I will choose a winner using random.org on Thursday, June 23rd around 8pm MST.

Thanks for stopping by!

Read more about these shorts on the Gracious Threads Blog

Follow me on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michelledschuh/

Gazelle Biker Shorts - The Wolf and the Tree Blog Tour

I'm so excited to be a part of this blog tour for The Wolf and the Tree! (affiliate link). I've already written about Gazelle here but I'm back with another pair of biker shorts "AKA Run Shorts"

I love longer run shorts. No matter how good of shape i'm in, I always have a little thigh chafe after running unless I'm wearing proper spandex (long) run shorts. I have a pair that I truly love from lululemon (bought long before I started sewing clothes) but at $60 per pair, I've been making it work with just the one.... and let's be honest, a girl needs more than one pair!

...enter the Gazelle. I made a pair of biker shorts length during testing out of a mystery thicker cotton lycra to try things out and although they do work for running, I'm a little worried about their non-wicking capabilities. I set out to find some athletic wicking knit at my amazing local fabric store Marshall Fabrics and was able to grab some deep blue athletic fabric for $14.99 per meter (and I only needed 0.7 meters!). 

So, basically I managed to make myself a brand new pair of run shorts for $10.50 CDN and about 30 minutes of sewing time. I used the lowest rise and made the yoga band double wide. I tested them out this week and they work great. Best of all, hubby looked at me all ready for my run and said "did you make those or buy those" to which I replied, "I made them", and then he said "wow, good job". I will take that as a sewing win!

Somehow, I managed to go from running in jacket, pants, toque and mitts on Monday to running in (unfortunately store bought) tank and my Gazelle shorts on Tuesday. I'm not entirely sure what to think about the current weather situation, but i'm sick of Winter so i'll take it!

I also thought i'd share with you a fun little collage I made mostly from tester pics of many of The Wolf and the Tree patterns. I have a designer crush on Saskia Smith, she makes such awesome staple patterns that I will be using again and again and again and again and again!

You can get your own copy of the patterns HERE (affiliate link). Use the code YellowRibbon to save 25% through Monday May 30, 2016. Be sure to check out the other blogs this week as no two have sewn the same item!

5/23/2016	Amy Carter	http://wallyandgrace.blogspot.com
5/24/2016	Patricia	www.sewfarnorth.wordpress.com
5/25/2016	Heather Tinkey Jones	http://allthingskaty.blogspot.com/
5/26/2016	Essence	Adventureswithbubbaandbug.wordpress.com
5/27/2016	Michelle	http://littleheartthreads.blogspot.ca/
5/28/2016	Kelly	www.handmadeboyblog.com
5/28/2016	Larissa	www.connectedbyathread.wordpress.com