And now, for the fourth and final lingerie set (at least for now!), I’ve got a new-to-me bra pattern to show off!
I’ve been wanting to sew the Hari Ito “Epervier Bralette” pattern for a while and even printed it out pre-Long Covid but never quite got around to sewing it. Considering my current lingerie sewing momentum, I thought it’d be a perfect time to give it a try. So I first printed it out in a bigger size – since the NCH Wren bra fits brilliantly at 36 C/D I decided to go with a size 36C for the Epervier too (my pre-LC size was always 34B but I’m still ~10kg heavier). I’m not even going to rehash all the various ways of bra size measuring never ever work for me, so I always just ignore the size charts entirely and choose my RTW bra size which works 90% of the time.
Before buying from New Craft House’s lingerie haberdashery section, I did the smart thing and raided/reorganised my lingerie sewing drawer, making a checklist of all the notions each set needed, and ticked off what I already had and put those into a ziploc bag for each set. Then I only bought what I needed. 😎
For this set, I already had a semi-sheer satin jersey and small offcuts of the laser cut scuba I used in the black and blue Triumph Suit sample. I also already had black bra straps, a hook closure, and a million rings and sliders. So I only needed to purchase more 1cm (finished width) FOE and plush underbust elastic (which New Craft House had at 17cm width – perfect).
The Epervier pattern is good and nicely drafted, but I found the instructions a bit chaotic and hard to understand in places, even for someone like me, who’s sewn a lot of lingerie.
My main issue is that there are two back pieces, which much be joined to the fronts as paper before cutting out. The pattern says this is do you can mix and match the backs, but there’s no illustrations anywhere of the other combination, and it doesn’t seem like it’d even work? Also, when you join the pieces, the DOGS arrows are pointing in completely different directions… uh?
The other chaotic bit is just that the order of construction doesn’t flow logically to my brain – like, you construct the straps, then do something else, then come back to the straps (and same with the hook closures). Just do them all at one time! There’s nothing wrong per say with the order as given, it just felt jarring to the way I think.
That being said, those are fairly minor complaints that can be worked out in the first sew. It’s a really unique design, with that extra underbust cradle layer to give more support. The bralette itself is just one layer of fabric (unlike the Wren, where all layers are doubled) so most of us really do need that extra cradle support.
The cradle edge is finished off with bra channelling (which I also had in my stash) without the underwire, which is an ingenious way of adding support imho!
I even found some fancy square ring sliders in my drawer (likely cut off of RTW lingerie at some point?) which I added to the front for a bit of interest.
I’m really pleased with the fit of this bra, too! The cradle gives more support than you’d expect for an unwired, one layer bra, and the cup shape fits me well, too.
The matching panties here are the Evie La Luve “Chloe Thong” (strappy style), finished in the same FOE, plus 1cm strap elastic, rings and sliders from my stash (same as in the pale floral set).
As before, I used the max XXL size(!!) and increased the strap lengths from 40/44cm to 50/55cm respectively. The side straps are all adjustable so this is a perfect pattern if your weight fluctuates! I cut the front of the thong from the lightweight satin jersey, and the back from the laser cut scuba, since I didn’t have enough fabric to cut both in the same.
And now, I think I’m done with my semi-annual lingerie sewing blitz! Which set is your favourite of the four? Have I inspired you to sew any lingerie for yourself?