DIY Lingerie: Raquel Bralette

It's official! I made my first bralette, and it wasn't an epic fail. Seriously, I own most of Madalynne's Simplicity patterns & had two bra kits in my stash but always questioned if I was ready for this type of project. Well, the answer is hell yes! Without further ado, let's talk about the Raquel Bralette.

Raquel is Madalynne's newest free pattern, that's right you read it correctly “free”. Not only is the pattern free but she sells kits for the pattern, and the kit contains everything you will need to make the pattern. Now I don't know about you, but it's pretty hard to find everything that's required to make a bra at my local JoAnn and sourcing online can be a headache too. Madalynne eliminates that issue with the kit, which comes in several variations.

I'm sure you are here for my review of the pattern though. So first, let me say that the instructions are good and this pattern even has a YouTube sew along. My only issue was that I could not figure out which side of the front bra piece was the center of the bra. Maybe it is self-explanatory, perhaps it doesn't matter. In the end, I just picked a side and sewed it to the back piece. Based on my measurements I cut the medium (for reference my FB is 34 1/2). For the most part, the medium fit well, but I realized much to close at the finish line, that I should have graded to a small at the waist. Naturally, I did what any good home seamstress would do; I winged that thing. By wing it, I mean I added a large dart at the center back and serged the excess fabric to get rid of bulk, which nipped that problem in the bud. I also had to add the third strap in the center, the girls were just a bit to heavy for the two straps.

Overall, I really enjoyed my first bra making experience. I have a few more projects planned but I hope to use the kit sitting in my stash later this year. I styled this with a pinafore skater dress, which is also a made by me (blog post coming soon) and my Bleecker and Bond Elise sandal from DSW. Interested in making your own bra or lingerie set? I highly recommend that you head on over to Madalynne Intimates website and start shopping!