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Quietly Curious

Quietly Curious

Intentional Family Living

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March 11, 2016
Sewing: Boylston Bra Take Two

Sewing: Boylston Bra Take Two

March 11, 2016

Sewing the Boylston bra review
Sewing the Boylston bra review

Wow, look at that crazy happy face! And in reality it should even be that crazy happy as the bra still isn’t an ideal fit and not one that I’d be able to actually properly wear, BUT it’s a lot closer than my last try which was too small, so it’s a big step in the right direction AND it’s super pretty, soooo, crazy happy face ensues!
My last Boylston bra was a 36DD with about 4 inches taken off the band (taking down to what was fit me like a 28FF) and was about 2 cup sizes too small. As the Boylston bra only goes up to a DD cup, my only option to get bigger cups was to keep going up in band size then reduce the band even more dramatically, so I went a 40DD and chopped a as many inches as possible off the band without making it disappear! And here’s how it turned out:

Boylston bra review
Boylston bra review
Boylston bra review

Well, I think it looks awesome in this fabric, but it’s not a perfect fit by any means. There is definitely enough space in the cup now, but the cups are slightly too tall which means I’m getting gaping at the top. I think what I’ll have to do is size down to the 38DD, chop off lots of band, but increase the curve at the apex of the cup to get more space, then I might have cups that fit!
The other issue is that even though I chopped out as much band as I could from the power mesh at the back, it’s still too big in the band – even on the tightest hooks it rides up like mad. I think I’d need to reduce fabric at the edge of the bridge (under my arm) too in order to get rid of some band here. Because of the band being too big though, the wires aren’t being held in place firmly enough to tack at the gore or provide much lift, so it’s not quite functioning as a bra should right now. Usually wires not tacking on the gore equals a too small cup, but I think the combination of high gore and no tightness in the band means it’s kind of just floating there rather than pressing in.

Pin this for later:

Sewing the Boylston bra - Orange Lingerie
This one came together SO much better than my last one too though. I knew where I was going with it so much better after having already made one Boylston and a couple of other bras so the instructions were super simple. I love this fabric too – it’s from IKEA and technically upholstery fabric I believe! I hadn’t even realised our local (read: day trip away) IKEA had fabric until recently, then I hadn’t considered it for any projects because I thought it was only useful for furnishings. But when I saw this one on sale (Tigeroga – I think I got 2.5m for about £8, which is ridiculously cheap!), I grabbed some thinking it could make a nice heavyweight circle skirt. Then when I decided I wanted to make a new bra, the cherry on this design caught my eye. I mean, the Boylston instructions do say to use a fabric with very little to no stretch, and this has that, so why not?! I’m sure it’s not ideal for bra making, but it worked!
It took more tracing (with my never ending roll of tracing paper) as I’d picked a new size. I lined it with the same sheer rigid nylon that I used for my last as well as black power net from Remnant House in Harrogate for the band. The findings and elastics were all from Sewing Chest where I have ordered lots of bits and pieces for bra making from!
So what do you think of it? Even though it’s not the perfect fit, it’s still a pretty awesome bra I think and I’m really pleased with it. I’m definitely well on my way to figuring out my perfect cup fit. But in the meantime, I’ve also managed to make a bodysuit using lace and the Watson pattern…more on that soon!

Sewing the Boylston bra review
Sewing the Boylston bra review
Sewing the Boylston bra review
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I accidentally fell into the world of Scandi kids I accidentally fell into the world of Scandi kids clothing a little while ago, and last week, I decided to grab some bits in my first DUNS drop - eek! @dunssweden has wonderful, uplifting and unique designs that are not only GOTS Certified but are also unisex and even have clothes that are now known as “Mama Duns” – matching pieces for mums (and sometimes dads!). Emmy and I managed to snag matching Purple Meadow Baggy Pants and we're in love! Head over to the blog (link in bio) to read more about my journey into Scandi clothing and how I grabbed this pair of baggy pants (yes, they might be a size 134/140!). #organic #fashrev #dunssweden #schwedischen #scandinavian #shopdunssweden #morethanafling @shopdunssweden #organickidswear #kidsfashion #sustainablefashion #sustainable #gots #byttilleko #inspiration #ecokids #goorganic #unisexfashion #swedish #summer2020 #colorful #happykids #organickidsfashion #emiliajane #emmyjane #themodernmotherhood
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But today I'm back with a post all about baby led weaning. Over on the blog (link in bio) I've shared 50+ tried and tested baby led weaning meal ideas that Emmy loves (this girl LOVES her food!). We were super lucky to be gifted some @littlefreddieuk pouches to try recently, and this Grass Fed Beef Lasagne with a pinch of parmesan pouch has been a big winner over here. Available at Sainsburys, organic ingredients and a commitment to real food and sustainability, what else could you want from baby food? We were really impressed at how this little pouch packs a punch nutritionally and with flavour too - we may have snuck a couple of tastes too!

Check out how we incorporated this pouch into a meal for Emmy over at the blog along with a lot more meal ideas for 1 year olds, as well as a link to the Little Freddie coupon page where you can claim your own coupons.

#ad #littlefreddie #sainsburys #babyfood #weaning #babyledweaning #blw #themodernmotherhood #whatmybabyeats #babyledweaningideas #blwideas #weaningjourney #whatmytoddlereats #toddlermealideas #1yearold
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(Swipe to see this time last year!) #helloautumn #hellooctober #yorkshirepumpkins #lifegoals #pumpkinpicking #autumnessentials #impressionsofautumn #magicofoctober #discoverunder10k #fallcolours #visityorkshire #outandaboutengland #getoutside #mummyblogger #lifeisbeautiful #yorkbloggers #sweaterweather #bootseason #autumnready
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I'll have a full review on the blog soon but in short, this was the most powerful and passionate performance full of strong women. And even though I've seen it twice in two days, I wouldn't hesitate to see it again.

#therearenobeginnings #leedsplayhouse #thisiswhatafeministlookslike #emiliajane #EmmyJane #womenintheatre
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#emiliajane #emmyjane #quietinthewild #autumnleaves #aharvestpack #mistymilkyfoggymoody #cherishandrelish #thischarmingautumn #openuptoautumn #babybooties #babygirl #cozyautumn #embracingtheseasons #thatautumnfeeling
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