Scalloped Boylston Bra

 BOYLSTON BRA | TAILOR MADE SHOP 

I did it, guys, I MADE A BRA. 

A real life, underwired, foam bra. 

There were no tears, no swears, and no fitting woes.

I wish I would have done this a year ago. 

Contrary to popular belief (and the belief I had since, like, two weekends ago) sewing a bra is not difficult. I can think of many, many other projects I've tackled this past year that have been way more difficult (I'm looking at you, unfinished Nascha Mini Skirt) than sewing this bra. If you can handle elastics, and can sew a straight seam, you'll totally be fine. 

I repeat: You will TOTALLY BE FINE. 

Finding the fabrics was the hardest part of the whole process. With the second hardest being remembering that scalloped lace actually has a right and wrong side. Which, in the grand scheme of sewing things, aren't very hard at all. 

It was a breeze, friends. 
 

So, gushing aside, this is the Bolyston Bra by Orange Lingerie. I made a size 34B, and it fits pretty well - I'll maybe add another half cm to the band next time, but it's close to ideal. This is similar to the size I would get sized into at most mass bra retailers, but fit me a lot better.

Please note: This was NOT the same size I take when I go to a fancy specialty bra place. There I take around a 28D. Huge difference! Make sure you follow her instructions on measuring exactly, and don't just go by your usual - okay?

What drew me to this patter was the foam. I love the dainty look of the Watson and Marlborough, and everything Oh Lulu comes up with, but for my real life I knew I wouldn't wear a bra without foam. I've never had a bra without foam, and couldn't see myself stepping out of the house without that extra layer of comfort and coverage. 

I also heard some sewing chatter on the internet that foam bras were a little easier to fit than all-fabric bras because they mold your bust into the correct shape, and I was ALL about making this project as easy as could be.  

So a foam bra it was, and with all the mad trendy Boylston Bras I've seen on Instagram I knew it was going to be a great foundation pattern I could make over and over again. 

I used the scalloped cups tutorial on Amy from Cloth Habit's blog to add the scalloped lace cups, frame and straps. I really mucked up the center part and lengthened the upper cup piece too much, and ended up just tacking the ends together to make kind of a balconette style. I'm not complaining, though, its functional and doesn't look half bad. 

And I mean, this is my first bra we're talking about. My only requirement was that it didn't impale me with the underwires - not that the scalloped lace cups were perfect. 

So whatevs. You know?

I'm also really stinkin' proud at how beautiful the straps turned out, so I'll just focus on that instead. I've decided I want scalloped lace straps on everything - GORGEOUS. 
 

I also used her tutorial to add the foam cups, which was incredibly easy with her help. I felt a little overwhelmed while slicing up the pattern, but then it worked out like magic and I was all smiles again. 

Amy basically held my hand through the whole bra making process without even knowing about it, so that's super awesome - Thanks Amy! 

The gorgeous kit I used to make the bra was purchased from the LOVELY Tailor Made Shop. It's currently sold out, but all of her stuff is fantastically gorgeous. Ying was SO HELPFUL in finding a kit, and really pushed me towards taking the plunge and making a bra. I bought one of the lace underwire kits and some poly foam to make the bra (along with a few other goodies for future projects). This gave me all the supplies I needed to make the bra, but if I could have gone back in time I would have ordered some douplex to underline the lace and cover the cups. There's nothing in the kit to cover the outside of the cup, so I ended up just improvising with some quilting cotton and calling it a day. 

I learnt SO MUCH while making this bra and I can't wait to jump in and make another. I'm gonna try to get a few more Boylston's under my sleeve before I share some more concrete tips, but for now I just wanted to leave you with this:

If you've been on the fence about bra making, just start already. I spent the last year looking at kits, getting scared and overwhelmed every time someone said the word "power mesh", while wearing an uncomfortable bra that didn't fit right and cost way too much money. 

And now that I've finally made it, I'm kicking myself for not doing it a year ago. 

Just dive in. Buy a kit. Get the pattern. Do the things. 

I believe in you. 

Until next time, 

Rachel

PS: Something funky is happening with my memory card, so it's back to phone pics for this weeks make. Hoping to retake with crisper, beautiful DSLR technology soon! Thanks for bearing with me xo