Practical & Pretty (Emerald Erin Tuesday Boyshorts & Jordy Bralette)

This year, in addition to not purchasing any podcast hoodies, Quidditch jerseys, boring white tee shirts, etc., etc., as part of my RTW Fast, I have also made a personal pledge to make, not buy, any and all lingerie. Although the official RTW fast does not technically include lingerie, my ever-increasing stash of lingerie supplies begged and begged me to include bras and underwear in my personal pledge, and who was I to deny it? Luckily, my friend Erin asked me to test a few patterns for her very first pattern launch, so I had a great excuse–and a motivational deadline!–to get started right away. The patterns are launching today in honor of Valentine\’s Day and I hope you\’ll take a look here!

If you aren\’t familiar with Emerald Studios, Erin has been on the forefront of the lingerie sewing scene since, like, before sewing lingerie was cool. She has two amazing etsy shops with everything you need to get started and has always been there for me when I need, for example, a LOT of help picking out the right size underwires. Her blog is super informative too–I recommend you just go explore for a while. Obviously, I\’m so excited that she\’s releasing patterns!

First, the bralette: the Jordy is a great intro bralette with a few mix-and-match options. Although both of mine have bra foam and lace detail, you can make a softer, more basic bra by leaving out the bra foam and lace and just using jersey knit fabric for the cup for a sporty kind of look. If you want more sweet than sporty, using no bra foam, sheer mesh and lace is a super sexy, girly look. Keep in mind that it is a pretty minimalist bralette, with an all-elastic underbust band and triangle cups, so it\’s not going to be super supportive, but I love it for lounging around the house and it\’s really getting me more into bralettes!

The matching underwear, the Tuesday boyshorts, are my new. favorite. thing. I prefer wearing boyshorts as everyday underwear (specifically the aerie boy briefs which have been my preference for about… 15 years) and so I was thrilled that Erin was designing a pattern in this style. I love that the front is cut in one piece and the back in two for a little shaping, and the construction is so clever (it uses the burrito method for, er… a clean crotch). This is my second pair and the only different I made was to raise the front leg opening slightly. This is a full-coverage back (unlike, for example, the Evie la Luve Maxine, whice I\’ve made as a swimsuit here) so it\’s super easy to wear and very comfortable. One thing I appreciate about this pattern is that it leaves the finishes up to you–so if you prefer using fold over elastic, you can, or if you want to use lace trim, you can do that too. My first version used FOE to match the bralette but my second uses lingerie elastic… The FOE definitely makes it more of a \”matched set\” feel but I think I prefer the lingerie elastic to wear. The pink fabric I used for underwear and bralette is available in Erin\’s shop!

I already have another version of this pattern on my sewing table, although once it makes it onto the blog I expect it will be near unrecognizable with all the hacking I\’m doing! I have some bits of this gorgeous swim fabric from Spoonflower left over from my Beverly bikini and I\’m trying to replicate the J. Crew French bikini top… pretty different from the Jordy, right? Wish me luck–I\’m a pretty experienced pattern hacker but I\’ve never attempted it with intimates before!

xoxo,