The Secrets of Sewing Lingerie; Hush-A-Bye jersey vest and shorts
The Secrets of Sewing Lingerie by Katherine Sheers and Laura Stanford, is lovely little book with a luxurious feel. It goes over the small details often overlooked on how to sew, and decorate, delicate undergarments. To this end it includes a selection of patterns, that come on folded paper, as a pull-out from the book.
The book provides a range of sizes, of a roughly UK 8 to 18. Measurements are provided for the Full/Overbust, Natural Waist, and High Hip. The largest size being for 106cm, 90cm, 106cm, respectively. Which is not a common combination. Don't be looking for detailed fittings either, there are no cup options provided, instead getting 36A/34B/32C being the one size, and being the middle size available. No padding, no underwires. And tweaking fit is left as an exercise to the reader. These are undergarments as decoration, not for practicality. The instructions can be frustrating too, attempting to compress each to as small a recipe as possible by using numerous abbreviations, and referring you to other sections for detailed technique explanation. For example;
Most of the patterns are for light woven fabrics, but there is a knit jersey set that caught my eye, the Hush-A-Bye jersey vest and shorts. The supplies list is already dated at just 10 years old, as they want me to get 10-12mm stretch narrow lace. Which, and I can't stress this enough, does not exist. Anywhere. I guess it's out of fashion, replaced by elastic. The closest I could find was some black 20mm width edge lace, from aliexpress. I was worried it would be scratchy and stiff, but it is actually lovely and wonderfully soft. The pattern also calls for 20-25mm stretch lace, so I ordered some lovely faux insertion lace, black and pale pink (symmetrical) Stretch Lace Edging 1"/2.5cm, from a UK website that doesn't seem to exist anymore. And for the jersey I'm, of course, using Bamboo Jersey Fabric in black, 95% Bamboo, 5% Spandex (60% crosswise and 40% lengthwise), 220 g/m2.
But first I need to alter the pattern. Starting with the vest, I trace out the largest size. I work out the difference with my measurements, and decide on where to add volume.
- I add 1.5cms to the Centre Front and Centre Back folds, for a total of +3cms to both the front and back.
- Then, on the front piece I cut the piece in two, straight down from where the neckline angles to become the armscye, to the hem. I add +3cm at the hem, +1.25cm at the waist, tapering to nearly nothing at the neckline.
- On the back piece I do similar, adding +3cms at the hem, and +1.25cm at the waist. There is no neckline to taper towards.
For the shorts, I add 1.5cm to the Centre Front and Centre Back folds, for a total of +3cm to the front, gusset, and back. The change I made to cut off part of the Front (and adding seam allowance) was so I could lay out the piece on a small piece of left-over fabric, and is not related to fit.
The only other supplies needed are black thread, and a fine stretch needle. I used a narrow (1.0) zig-zag stitch and walking foot for the machine sewing bits. There is a fair bit of finishing / joining the edges of the lace by hand. But no seam finishing. (The pattern suggests adding decorative buttons, but no, thank you.) There seems to be a difference in opinion between the instructions and the photographed samples about which lace goes where. So I took my own liberties, decided by how much of each I had.
For the shorts, I used the faux insertion lace just for the side seams. (The side seams of the jersey are tacked together. The wider lace is laid on top, and machine sewn to the jersey down each side of the lace. Then the jersey under the lace is trimmed off. In the end you can see through the lace.) The waistline and leg openings are the narrower lace. This is fine, but a bit fussy for me. Adding a little extra seam allowance and doing a turned hem, without lace, would work just as well.
For the vest, I used the faux insertion lace everywhere. The side seams here are done with the same technique as for the shorts. I don't think it's clear from the photos, but the back of the vest, above the high waist / the middle line of lace, is open (there is no jersey fabric between the top two rows of lace). The lace strips are sewn together to form a ladder-like structure.
Overall these are quite a loose fit, which isn't helped by the drape of this jersey. They fit, but definitely in a lounging/sleepwear kinda way. But given that it's all jersey and stretch lace there would be no harm is going as small as is comfortable for you. Most importantly though, they still have that special, luxurious, indulgent feel about them.
The book provides a range of sizes, of a roughly UK 8 to 18. Measurements are provided for the Full/Overbust, Natural Waist, and High Hip. The largest size being for 106cm, 90cm, 106cm, respectively. Which is not a common combination. Don't be looking for detailed fittings either, there are no cup options provided, instead getting 36A/34B/32C being the one size, and being the middle size available. No padding, no underwires. And tweaking fit is left as an exercise to the reader. These are undergarments as decoration, not for practicality. The instructions can be frustrating too, attempting to compress each to as small a recipe as possible by using numerous abbreviations, and referring you to other sections for detailed technique explanation. For example;
'Trim the back n/l lace to lay 5mm under the s/s lace and sew whipstitch (see page 98) along the trimmed end. Repeat with the other s/s.'
Most of the patterns are for light woven fabrics, but there is a knit jersey set that caught my eye, the Hush-A-Bye jersey vest and shorts. The supplies list is already dated at just 10 years old, as they want me to get 10-12mm stretch narrow lace. Which, and I can't stress this enough, does not exist. Anywhere. I guess it's out of fashion, replaced by elastic. The closest I could find was some black 20mm width edge lace, from aliexpress. I was worried it would be scratchy and stiff, but it is actually lovely and wonderfully soft. The pattern also calls for 20-25mm stretch lace, so I ordered some lovely faux insertion lace, black and pale pink (symmetrical) Stretch Lace Edging 1"/2.5cm, from a UK website that doesn't seem to exist anymore. And for the jersey I'm, of course, using Bamboo Jersey Fabric in black, 95% Bamboo, 5% Spandex (60% crosswise and 40% lengthwise), 220 g/m2.
But first I need to alter the pattern. Starting with the vest, I trace out the largest size. I work out the difference with my measurements, and decide on where to add volume.
- I add 1.5cms to the Centre Front and Centre Back folds, for a total of +3cms to both the front and back.
- Then, on the front piece I cut the piece in two, straight down from where the neckline angles to become the armscye, to the hem. I add +3cm at the hem, +1.25cm at the waist, tapering to nearly nothing at the neckline.
- On the back piece I do similar, adding +3cms at the hem, and +1.25cm at the waist. There is no neckline to taper towards.
Hush-A-Bye vest pattern alterations
Photo by ![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
chebe
For the shorts, I add 1.5cm to the Centre Front and Centre Back folds, for a total of +3cm to the front, gusset, and back. The change I made to cut off part of the Front (and adding seam allowance) was so I could lay out the piece on a small piece of left-over fabric, and is not related to fit.
Hush-A-Bye shorts pattern alteration
Photo by chebe
The only other supplies needed are black thread, and a fine stretch needle. I used a narrow (1.0) zig-zag stitch and walking foot for the machine sewing bits. There is a fair bit of finishing / joining the edges of the lace by hand. But no seam finishing. (The pattern suggests adding decorative buttons, but no, thank you.) There seems to be a difference in opinion between the instructions and the photographed samples about which lace goes where. So I took my own liberties, decided by how much of each I had.
For the shorts, I used the faux insertion lace just for the side seams. (The side seams of the jersey are tacked together. The wider lace is laid on top, and machine sewn to the jersey down each side of the lace. Then the jersey under the lace is trimmed off. In the end you can see through the lace.) The waistline and leg openings are the narrower lace. This is fine, but a bit fussy for me. Adding a little extra seam allowance and doing a turned hem, without lace, would work just as well.
Hush-A-Bye shorts, finished, back view
Photo by chebe
Hush-A-Bye shorts, finished, front view
Photo by chebe
For the vest, I used the faux insertion lace everywhere. The side seams here are done with the same technique as for the shorts. I don't think it's clear from the photos, but the back of the vest, above the high waist / the middle line of lace, is open (there is no jersey fabric between the top two rows of lace). The lace strips are sewn together to form a ladder-like structure.
Overall these are quite a loose fit, which isn't helped by the drape of this jersey. They fit, but definitely in a lounging/sleepwear kinda way. But given that it's all jersey and stretch lace there would be no harm is going as small as is comfortable for you. Most importantly though, they still have that special, luxurious, indulgent feel about them.
Hush-A-Bye vest, finished, back view
Photo by chebe
Hush-A-Bye vest, finished, front view
Photo by chebe