An old PatternReview.com thread on plus-size bramaking was recently revived and Heather posted some photos of a Danglez bra she's working on. Together with seeing that and Sigrid's beautiful Sewy bras over the last year or so, I was duly enabled. Off to ElingeriA.com to buy some European bra patterns, all of which are different enough from the few American patterns available that I just had to try them.
The ElingeriA website is both German/English (look for the little flags in the upper right corner) and Michaela, the owner, is very helpful if you need assistance choosing sizes, etc. Note that Paypal doesn't always work when checking out so if you run into that problem, choose bank draft and leave a note for Michaela to send a Paypal invoice and she will take care of you within 24 hours.
I ordered my patterns last Saturday the 18th and they were in my mailbox today — from Germany! Here's what I bought:
After dinner, I traced the Danglez DB4 (first one above) and added the seam allowances. The instructions for these patterns are in German only and have no illustrations so if you don't know how to sew a bra (or read German), you'll need a reference. Correction: The Sewy is well-illustrated. The Danglez are not. But Michaela does have an English instruction PDF for the Sewy bra on her website and those instructions transfer pretty well to the Danglez patterns too. However, specific basic techniques applicable to all bra sewing are not fully covered so bramaking beginners may still need a reference. The cheapest instructions would probably be a Kwik Sew pattern. More expensive references include Making Beautiful Bras and The Bramakers Manual. I have the former and the latter is on my wishlist. But because I don't really *need* it, it's still on the wishlist and not on my bookshelf. Although I did just get my first tax refund in about 15 years direct-deposited into my checking account today ... hmmmm .... ;-)
After the pattern work, I went ahead and cut out a "muslin" using some very bright fabric I bought years ago for bras. I'll sew it "down and dirty" and will not expect a wearable bra out of this. I just want to know how it fits and for that, I need to sew the whole thing.
I'll start sewing in the morning. It's been a long week and I may pass out over the sewing machine if I try to do any more on it tonight.
A note for Marie-Claude: While you're correct that this is a Dutch pattern company, this is the German version of that pattern (I bought it from a German site). I believe the Danglez patterns do also have English instructions and, of course, Dutch, if you buy directly from their website.
WOW! This is going to be a great lesson. I too am very disatisfied with the retail bras available. I look forward to future blogs in the subject of bra-making. You make even the most complicated processes simple enough for anyone to follow. Keep up the good work.
ReplyDeleteDebbie, those patterns look very promising. I wish I could get my hands on the bigger one. They really look well designed for support. I am looking forward to your review.
ReplyDeleteJust as a FYI, the instructions of the Danglez patterns are probably not in German - it's a Dutch company and the writing on the packaging is obviously Dutch to me ;-) (I'm living in the Netherlands) You might want to look at the Knipmode glossary that was posted on Pattern Review a while back, maybe it helps.
ReplyDeleteBut thanks for these, I actually didn't know Danglez. I'll have to get myself one of their patterns, I saw one you bought goes up to a I-cup and that's just what I need :-)
Thanks for the info on ELingeriA. Those two Sewy patterns are very similar, if not the same style as my RTW bras. Good luck with the bra fitting. That's always the hardest part.
ReplyDeleteHi Debbie, those are pretty cute bras. Looking foward to seeing how they go.
ReplyDeleteGood luck, and hope you get a beautiful, well fitting bra.
ReplyDeleteThanks for all this info! I am looking forward to your pattern trials :)
ReplyDeleteAm I the only one to think that a bra pattern made by a company that I would pronounce as "dangles" is hilariously funny?
ReplyDeleteOh my, lingerie resources for us in Europe! And in Dutch too--Debbie, you enabled me!!! :) (Oddly, the word verification today is 'brapsy'--do they keep track of these things or what?
ReplyDeleteDebbie, how did you figure out your size in the european patterns? I have a hard enough time finding one in US sizes....
ReplyDeleteStrange! That's Dutch, not German, on the pattern envelope. Not saying thanks for sharing--au contraire! What a delight to find bra patterns drafted for sizes bigger than B, which renders my KS ones unusable.
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