Fifty Shades of Chocolate - A Wearable Muslin
Just a quick post today about my latest bra experiments. A wearable muslin in various shades of brown.
Being a muslin, I used whatever materials I had handy - which for me happened to be varying shades of brown (due to a few failed experiments in acid dying). I made some modifications to the cups of my striped bra [LINK HERE] and extended the length and height of the band. In years past, I believe this style of long line bra was called 3/4 bra and was often paired with a girdle.
I’ll admit, I am pleasantly surprised not only about the level of comfort this 3/4 (AKA long line) bra provides but also the shaping. Being apple shaped with the dreaded under bra band bulge under the cups, the taller band height (with boning inserted) kept everything smooth and contained BETTER than my partial band or full band w/gothic arch ever had. This is likely not news for those who regularly wear vintage clothing but what an epiphany for the rest of us!
The taller “V” shaped back also smooths out back fat due to the FIRM powernet!
This muslin is not without its faults. The underarm area gaps a bit and stitching is horrendous . Base of the center gore is a smidge too narrow not to mention the odd colors but it is definitely wearable. I’m so glad I finally got to finish this particular UFO - its been sitting on my desk in various stages for a good 2 months!
For those who are interested, the cups and cradle are made from sheer cup lining. Cup detail was created by sewing pieces together, then edges covered in FOE, top stitched down and inserted into cradle backwards. The faux twin needle on the FOE was mimicked using washaway thread for the first pass (zig zag) then straight stitched. There are 2 pieces of spiral boning in the side seams and 2 pieces of plastic boning in the cradle.
For those who are considering making something similar, remember to take your waist measurement. Being short waisted and apple shaped, this long line bra ends at my natural waist so I extended the total length of the band to accommodate. If you have a tall waist, you’ll likely need to measure above the waist.