Sewing the Queenie Bralette: ups & down • #5
Hellooo! Welcome back to my Lingerie adventures with today’s Queenie Bra! When I started working on the Queenie bralette, I was surfing on my first lingerie success thanks to Evie La Luve and her Darcey pattern. Nevertheless, still full of wisdom, I started with a toile in my trusty stripy jersey that you have seen here and there. And then … on the way, I realized that making a Queenie toile implied sewing a full bralette …
Previous episodes
#1 • Harriet Bra (Cloth Habit) & Marie Poisson’s Master Class
#2 • Watson soft bra (Cloth Habit)
#3 • Marcus soft bra (Petit Patron)
#4 • Darcey soft bras (Evie La Luve)
ITEM | SHOP | QUANTITY | PRICE |
Queenie pattern (on sale) | Evie La Luve | 1 | 6,93 € |
Blue stripes jersey knit | Mamzelle Fourmi | 0,2 | 2,10 € |
Mint rayon jersey knit (remnants) | Les Coupons de Saint-Pierre | 0,2 | 0 € |
Soft wide elastic | Mercerie Extra | 0,7 | 1,11 € |
Rings & sliders | Aliexpress | 4 | 0,36 € |
Strap elastic 12 mm | Mercerie Extra | 1 | 0,85 € |
Thread | Stock | 0 | 0 € |
Total | 11,35 € |
The Queenie bralette pattern
The big feature of that pattern is that it has only one piece! The ideal pattern for the lazy sewist!
This piece is to be cut 4 times, 2 times in the main fabric and 2 times in the lining fabric which – beware! – will be visible at the knot. It is therefore possible to use the same fabric for the inside and outside but, personally, I would find it a pity to do without the opportunity to play with contrasts and colors.
For the rest, the pattern is essentially based on the elastics for which the lengths are always specified.
In particular, you need some soft & wide elastic special for lingerie for the underbust band. A few months ago, it was quite a challenge to find that in France … especially in colors other than black or white and without any brand or tacky writing on it. However, since a few months, those elastics are available in shops in France and I’ve seen them in quite a few shops in the UK and USA.
Sewing the Queenie bralette
Assembling the 4 pieces is extremely fast. I sew with my the serger but for elastics, I switched to the sewing machine instead.
Regarding the adjustments, I should have stretch the back of the piece towards the center of the elastic back so as to avoid the slight folds visible on the top of the cup. There’s not notch to indicate where the piece is supposed to be attached to the elastic at the back. I guess this is my main (and only ?) reproach on the pattern.
I could also probably have stretched the pre-folded elastic a little more.
I lenghtened the bottom elastic of 8 cm compared to the recommended length due to my more cylindrical than conical bust. In fact, I think it’s better to take your underbust measurement and take a few centimeters off to have the elastic slightly stretching and supporting without being too squeezed. In this case, I could have left myself a few extra cm. However, this elastic is very soft and soft, it is quite wearable without choking.
To sew the elastic, I opted for coverstiching with a very soft foam thread underneath because I have the luxury of having a combined overlocker-coverstitch machine … But the pattern recommends a wide zig-zag stitch or the use of the double needle and it surely works very well too.
Derniers mots sur le Queenie
The Queenie bra was sewed with the same ease and pleasure as the Darcey bra. Frankly, the Evie La Luve’s pattern are a breeze to sew.
By cons, I must mention that wearing the bra is another pair of sleeves. The knot, very pretty on photos, makes a bump under the clothes. In addition, the double layer of jersey on the breasts keep a little too warm for summer. So it’s probably more like a winter bra, where the thickness of the clothes will hide the bumpy knot better. However, in the next episode, I made a swimsuit version that does not care about these concerns … To be continued!