I made our Ciara lingerie set in 2021 when I had a bunch of deadstock mesh to use up. I then made the pattern available, and it has been one of our most popular styles since then. But I would often get questions asking if you could use non-stretch fabrics or how they could be altered to be suitable for non-stretch fabrics. And so, I finally decided to make a rigid fabric version!
Sometimes, when drafting a new pattern, the best thing to do is take an existing pattern and make alterations to it. This can be quicker and easier than starting completely from scratch. As a starting point for the Niamh set, I took our Ciara set, went a size up, and changed the grain to be bias-cut. I then made an initial toile for the bra and the thong.
The thong fit really well, but I needed to make a few tweaks in order for the pattern to work with rigid fabric. The front leg line was parallel to the grainline, so I changed the angle of this slightly to give me a better frill. I also sharpened the angle of where the leg edge joined the thong strap. I also added 1cm at the side seam and dropped the leg edge a few mm to help smooth out the join.
I then made a second toile. I was happy with the alterations I had made, but when I was hemming, the fabric kept tearing on the gusset. I tested hemming on a bias-cut gusset and a straight-cut gusset. The bias-cut one tore as I hemmed, and the edge was too frilly to go in between the legs. The straight-cut one was a lot easier to hem and still had a nice frilly effect, so I decided to change to a straight-cut gusset.
The bra needed a lot more work than the knickers. The cups and band fit ok, and the underband and wings had a nice frill, but the neck frill was completely straight and was quite difficult to hem. I tested the scooped neck a couple more times, but I couldn't get it to work the way I wanted. So, I went back to the drawing board and redesigned the cups so that they had a less defined apex and a continuous underarm-to-neck edge. I also made a few tweaks to the pattern at the wings, and I adjusted the fullness of the cups to be more accommodating. I was really happy with the second toile, and I only needed to make a couple of tweaks before making my final bra.
I then started on the brief version of the knickers. I took what I had learnt from the making of the thong and applied it to the new pattern. I checked the angle of the leg edges to allow for maximum frilliness, and I altered the side seam slightly. I also went ahead and made a straight-cut gusset. The initial toile was pretty much perfect and only needed a few very minor tweaks before I made the final pair.
I am really pleased with the finished look of the set. I made a fun bra and thong set in teal green satin with contrast hot pink hems and a bra and brief set in a sweet daisy print cotton.
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