**Breaking news** – I’m back on the blog with a post celebrating BRAugust in a special collaboration with Spoonflower! The collab specifically involved making a bra using their amazing custom fabrics, and I was so so so excited when they reached out and asked if I could be a part of this fun project.

Y’all – this was not an easy collaboration to prepare for – mostly because there are so. many. fabrics. to choose from! I literally spent a week browsing through the amazing selection of unique prints available on Spoonflower, and eventually settled on this fun neon monsterra leaf print in the Sport Lycra. The monsterra leaf is everywhere this summer, and I loved this bright twist on the classic!

My next major challenge was choosing the best bra pattern to use – I’ve never made a bra prior to this so I knew I wanted to start with something simple and straightforward, and one that would also be good to show off a fun, large print. I eventually settled on the Cottesloe pattern by Megan Nielsen patterns, which is actually a swimsuit pattern. I’ve seen other Instagram sewists use the pattern to make lingerie separates, and I thought it would make the perfect bralette for lounging around the apartment, with enough coverage to wear as a crop top with the right outfit.

Regarding the fabric in particular, this was my first ever fabric from Spoonflower, and I was certainly not disappointed! The print was exactly as I had imagined it from the website, and the pigments were super saturated. The website describes it as “88% polyester, 12% lycra knit with a stretchy, sturdy construction and moisture-wicking finish.”

I was worried initially about the lightness of the colors that it I were to stretch the fabric out, it would be see through, but I didn’t have that problem at all! The lycra was super soft, stretchy and the perfect material for this pattern.

As for the Cottesloe bra pattern, the instructions were easy to follow. The hardest part was correctly dividing and stretching the elastic along the sides, and I definitely did not do the best job of evenly dividing the elastic around each of the holes. I don’t think this is necessarily obvious when wearing the bra, but I would be a little more cautious of this when I make this again. Also, I didn’t follow the elastic measurements given for the band – I simply wrapped the elastic around my ribcage where I wanted the bra to sit with the appropriate amount of stretch and cut there. This ensured the perfect fit around the bottom band of the bra!

As for changes next time, I definitely want to make the full length version of this as a swimsuit!! With all the amazing prints available on Spoonflower, I’m dreaming of so many fun swimsuits — corgi sushi print swimsuit, anyone?! Anyways, I’m thrilled with how this sports bra turned out – I love how easy it is to wear it around the house lounging around, and it goes so well with other outfits! I paired it with a denim Yanta Overalls by Helen’s Closet.

Making my own bra has been one of those sewing fears of mine, mostly because it I originally thought that ready-made lingerie would be far too complicated to make! While this bralette is certainly beginner level, I was so surprised with how simple and straightforward it was to make a bra that I would actually wear around the house. My previous struggle with bralettes would be that the straps would be too long, or the elastic would be far too snug around my cage, but when you can sew your own, you avoid all those problems! I’m now officially one step closer to making an outfit that I’ve *completely* sewn myself! Also, the #BRAugust2019 hashtag has sooo much inspiration that I can’t wait to sew up more intimates – check it out on Instagram!

Lastly, this foray into bra-making definitely has encouraged me to take the plunge into making actual bralettes – there are so many amazing DIY bralette and bra kits available online, especially from Tailor Made Shop, who is also sponsoring this month with Spoonflower. I’ll definitely treat myself to one of these in the future. Keep an eye out for the upcoming Spoonflower blog post featuring all the other collaborators for this month!

Happy crafting!!

Danica