The last couple months have really thrown me for a loop! I’m sure so many of you can relate: being quarantined, having businesses closed, or at the very least having your shipments delayed. COVID-19 has disrupted our lives in countless ways.
I was really excited to sew the Coco Bra for the Jalie Patterns 2020 Spring Pattern Release. I found out about this pattern in February but it took me much longer to complete than anticipated. In March, New York State began quarantine and it took me about a month to adjust to being home all the time. I didn’t feel like sewing for most of the first month. Somehow time kept passing by and I’m still behind on most of my sewing projects!
I started a new venture to help people in my community get the face masks they need. I’ve been sewing and selling masks almost full time for 4 weeks now. We’ve just begun our 9th week in quarantine. It took me all of that time to work on and complete this Coco Bra. I worked on it bit by bit spaced out over many days.
This is such a fun design with so many options for colorblocking! I especially love the view from the back. I believe I’ve sewn View A here:
I had just enough Statement Stripes from a 2019 supplex round from The Styled Magnolia to make this bra. I colorblocked with a plain black ABP.
I used a lightweight swim lining for both the inner lining and the outer lining (if that’s what you call it). I’m not an expert in supportive undergarments, but based on how snug this bra is, and the number of layers involved, I think it would be good for supporting ‘the girls’.
Some fit issues to tackle…
When I make bras, I’m usually at the upper end of the Jalie girls’ sizing. I did run into some fit problems my first go around. This does not surprise me as I am very small busted and am short from my shoulder to the apex of my chest. My torso is also smaller than normal and I often find that bras come too low on my ribcage for comfort.
I could tell I needed a small bust adjustment. Some signs I noticed were that the underarm area came up too high underneath and towards the bust, thus cutting my underarms uncomfortably. This is a common problem with me and sports bras.
Ladies with large busts often have the opposite problem: The underarm area is too low and exposes breast tissue many want covered/supported. This is because the bust is pulling the fabric down. This will also result in straps that are too tight and a neckline that looks lower than normal.
I needed a small bust adjustment and I managed to do just that, despite the colorblocking in the front. I mostly adjusted the center front piece without distorting the side front pieces too much.
With my muslin it was evident that the straps were too long. You can see in this very shaky cell phone pic that there is gaping at the back, near the bra band. This is caused by an excess of length in the straps.
I cut out a second Coco bra in the exact same fabric and got to work. This pattern is definitely suited better to intermediate sewers. There are some tricky parts that tripped me up but the designer helped me through them. I’m admittedly not the best at understanding instructions.
The covered bra band construction is a bit unusual but once you do it, it makes so much sense! The fabric and seams are completely enclosed which makes wearing the band against your skin very comfortable.
I absolutely love the way my Coco turned out. I almost didn’t model it. I put it on for the first time and getting the fit this good felt like a great victory! Especially after the spring we’ve had, and my gaps in getting this project complete, I’m very happy to see it sewn up.
I included a few pics of the inside:
You can see that the edges are completely enclosed. I put removable bra cups in my Coco. (You can see my source for these bra cups in my post here.) Yes, my coverstitching is a little spott in the back here. It was my second attempt so I think I’ll just go over the back of the band again with my sewing machine. That coverstitch machine is not a fan of super bulky layers.
I hope you get a chance to sew up some of the patterns in this new Jalie release! Don’t miss it!
Leave a Reply