Elementary - the Watson Set

When the Watson Bra & Bikini pattern first came out, I eyed it with a lot of skepticism. It looked like something I had no use for, until a friend told me about sleeping bras. This set makes an amazing set of pajamas, and I’ve been wearing it constantly since I first put them together. This was a super fun and easy sew, and I’m looking forward to making many more sets. :D

Unlike the Marlborough bra, this needs a fairly stretchy lycra. That means that there was a lot more room for error with the fit and technique, which was a great change of pace after the super fiddly sewing for my first 2 bras. The set came together incredibly quickly – about 4 episodes of Star Trek TNG start to finish.

The lycra was a little annoying to sew with, but it was nothing billions of pins couldn’t solve. That said, I couldn’t figure out how to serge any of the seams – the lycra kept sliding all over the place, since I couldn’t use pins.

I cut the L bikini and the bra in a 30G. The teal lycra and the watercolor silk (?) remnant were from Fabric Depot, so I have no idea what the fiber content actually is. I’ve been putting off burn testing the silk, since I’m afraid of the answer. The elastics and powernet were remnants from my Grey’s Fabric’s Marlborough kit, and the straps, rings and sliders, and hook & eye closure are from various Etsy sellers.

My second Marlborough bra was made from a lovely lingerie kit from Blackbird fabrics. This lycra has less stretch than my teal version, so it functions as a fairly comfortable bra. There’s almost enough fabric in there for 2 bras – the limiting factor ended up being the tricot and notions.

The dress form belongs to my roommate, so it’s not quite my size, but it’s my best choice for modeling this.

These make fantastic pajamas/loungewear, and I’ll definitely be making a few more.