A bit of a delay, but the next video in my Youtube series about reviewing ten free bralette patterns is now live on my channel. Okay so… yes, it was originally supposed to cover cutting out the fabric and starting some sewing, but the video started running too long, so that part will come next.
Cutting out the fabric is never as straightforward as it seems like it should be (except for the Hyacinth bralette, that one was really simple). For a bralette, you’re probably dealing with multiple fabrics, like stretch lace and stretch tulle. They’re delicate and shifty. The patterns may need to follow certain directions for stretch (sometimes, but not always, you’ll want the direction of greatest stretch to go horizontal around your body), they may make use of scalloped edges, and you may want to mirror your lace for a better-looking end result. Plus, you’re probably dealing with much smaller pieces of materials to start.
With all that said, in the video, I do cover certain techniques and advice for cutting on the fold vs. cutting in a single layer, how to mirror lace, how to make use of a scalloped edge, etc., but mostly you just get to witness (sped up, of course) me hemming and hawing about how best to line up my pattern pieces, a couple instances of realizing I’m short on materials, trying my luck with cutting a piece with a different stretch direction, and the overall drudgery of cutting out ten bralettes in one go. (Drudgery, yes, but absolutely necessary, of course!)
In the video, I also briefly went over my favorite tools for cutting out lingerie fabrics. I am on Team Rotary Cutter all the way. I find it to be easier to work with shifty fabrics, especially when the pieces themselves have a lot of curves and are fairly small, BUT I also think it comes down to personal preference. I’m just a mess with scissors, is what I’m saying.
I think I downplayed the importance of pins in the video, but duh, I use pins a lot. Especially later on when it came to marking and sewing darts, because marking pens don’t really work on most lingerie fabrics.
I mentioned spray adhesive, but actually I really don’t end up using it for as often as I talk about it! I don’t know if it’s my materials specifically, but it doesn’t adhere that well to the stretch tulle or meshes I’ve used (too many holes??), so I don’t often see the benefit of using it for myself.
About a dozen different types of scissors are always needed for any sewing project, but for cutting out the fabric, good ole fabric scissors and a pair of snips come in handy the most.
And if nothing else, make sure your cutting instruments are sharp! Honestly, did you guys cringe as much as I did watching the video? I had a very dull blade in my rotary cutter and insisted on powering through the bralettes before changing it. It shows! You can honestly see the struggle to cut through the materials, and I had to edit out a lot of footage of me going back to trim all the spots that didn’t get cut during the first pass. Ugh, do as I say (not as I do) and change your blades!
In the next video, for real this time, there will be sewing! I’m going to start by constructing the cups and bands of all the bralettes, which will involve sewing darts, enclosed seams, and other techniques!