Hello all lingerie sewer enthusiasts!
Summer is getting closer and after an unforgettable 2020 we deserve to show our most colorful bras. We hope that a bit of summer is allowed to anyone for 2021! Today, on this blog post, I would like to show you one of the most original bras I have in my stash! The pattern I used for it is the Darcey Bra from Evie la Luve on its Keyhole style.
This time I used the Keyhole Version, which differs from the original version on the style of the center front bra pieces, that show some kind of curves that give the impression of a keyhole. It is a fun version to make and it includes an encaged strap area at the front that makes it very sexy.
I prepared a kit based on the bra I sewed, which is the Bra Making Kit - Flamingo and Fauna Scuba Fabric. If you want to replicate my bra, please select Darcey Bra Keyhole Style and you will get with it all the necessary supplies to make it + some extra material to sew a pair of panties! There are also other options to purchase, if you want to make a different bralette or underwired bra.
For this bralette pattern, I cut the XL size based on my full bust measurement. The bralette can be made in stretch fabrics like scuba, stretch mesh and cotton jersey. In my opinion, the fabric that offers more support to this bra is scuba. It has less spandex on it and you feel that your bust is on its place all times. That is why most of my stretch fabric kits are made up of scuba fabrics.
For the lining, I used white stretch mesh from my shop, as you can see on the following picture, and I sewed it with enclosed seams to have a neat finish. You can see that there are small snips on the cups seam. That is because we get a better curve and adjust.
This style is quite easy to sew. For beginners on lingerie sewing, the most challenging part can be the keyhole area, as the Fold Over Elastic needs to have the right amount of tension to obtain a professional look there.
However, for the rest of the bra, normal bra making sewing skills are enough to sew it.
What are the things that I like the most from this pattern?
★ The design at the center front, which makes it a more modern version of any other bralette pattern available.
★ The encaged strap area at the front. It is not only sexy but also gives more support to the bralette. You can show it off in summer with any t-shirt, which is a bonus!
★ I can use different bra rings and sliders on different sizes, so I can make the most of my wide range of hardware :)
What are the difficulties or what I dislike from it?
★ You need to apply very carefully the FOE at the keyhole area. If the tension is not right, you can end up with a misshapen keyhole (I hope that it is the right word in English! I mean a not good looking hole there, maybe bigger than it should be).
★ In my case, I needed to add more strap elastic length at the center front area. I think measurements for me are a bit tight when I extended the strap using the sliders there. This may not happen to you, but I already sewed a couple of keyhole darcey bras and I had to add extra cm to the strap elastic to be more comfortable.
Overall, it a great pattern. I will keep using it to make more bralettes. Something I do not want to miss is that you cannot sew this bra without purchasing the Darcey Bra Pattern itself. The Keyhole Version only has the center front bra pieces. Pattern pieces for the side cups and bra band are on the Darcey Bra Pattern. So, bear this in mind :)
To finish this post, I would like to add that I will publish periodically a series of posts showing you different bras and panties that I sewed and the patterns used. I will give you my honest opinion and thoughts of the pattern when I worked with it, as I did with this one. But, of course, this is just my own opinion. Other lingerie makers can have a different views about it. Mine is not based on any commission from any designer of any of the patterns I will blog about. I do not get any payment whatsoever to review this or any other lingerie patterns.
I hope that you liked this post about this Evie la Luve bralette pattern. If you have any questions or would like to share your experience sewing this bralette, please, feel free to comment down below. If have any questions about lingerie making, patterns or you would like me to write about something in particular on this blog, please, also leave your suggestions on the comment section.
Have a great week!