Foam Boobs (bra cup mini-tutorial) and the Last of the Summer Sewing - Part II

Another catchy title. I feel like I've made a hell of a lot of clothes this summer - and as previously mentioned, the ratio of summer dress to sunny day was way off. I have so much left over fabric that was intended for maxi dresses and various summer clothing but in the end it seemed a bit daft to make them just for the sake of it- to the stash they go for next year!

Just to tie in a little with last week's post and the self-drafting course -thought I would share this little dress I made for my holiday in France back in June. There were so many elements I'd not tried before (foam boob details coming up) so it was an experiment.

Using my self-drafted bodice pattern I modified the top to create a sweetheart neckline and low back - it was basically just a case of tracing the general shape of the sun dress onto the bodice and cutting the appropriate shapes out. 

 Now this is where it got crazy - I thought I'd have a go at sewing in some bra cups! As a small busted lady I rarely wear anything that I can't wear a bra underneath and tend to feel like a man in drag if going braless, ruling out most halterneck dresses. I also pretty much hate strapless bras aswell (except M&S - shout out there they do a great one!) but in hot heat figured that might get uncomfortable.

After someone suggested sewing a bra directly into the dress, I thought that was a bit DIY and less seamstress so figured I might just try bra cups and wing it...First I was a cheapskate and got some from eBay. That was a mistake. Thin and round, not shapely at all. I then discovered a website called GlamourSecrets which sells all things bra related and found these amazing bad boys! Bit pricier but the quality is fabulous and they are slightly padded aswell.

 To get the fit right just hold them up to yourself and then attach them together in the middle with a bit of bias tape - you can just see the purple band in the pic. I popped the mini-bra onto my lining pieces, pinned horrendously and just whizzed the machine around the edge.

 The pic above is the finished lining piece where you can see the stitching. Once done it was just a case of lining the bodice as usual! The result is great! Its incredibly comfortable takes away the stress of finding something suitable to go underneath.

I played with the idea of doing cross back straps but in the end a halter neck looked quite nice and stuck with that - the straps are trapped between the bodice and bodice lining. It was a good choice in the end as the day I wore it was 47 degrees C!!!

The skirt was simply my waist measurement and then free handed out to an a-line shape. As the material was floaty it skimmed the hips quite well and hung properly, a bit like a 1/4 circle skirt. It was a little snug at my middle - but by the time I wore the dress it was holiday week 2 and I had a lot of cheese by then heehee.

The fabric is a lovely soft viscose print from Anglia Fashion Fabrics - bright yellow covered with blue hummingbirds, I was really drawn to this and had to purchase!

 And if anyone wants an amazing holiday in France, check out Les Tulipiers run by a lovely lady called Lesley, then immediately book it - could not have been more perfect!

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