Bella Cami and Briefs Pattern Tester Roundup Part 1

Hi Ho my lovely sewist friends. And a fabulous Australian Sunday morning to you all.

 

Today we are featuring our Rockstar Roadies in Part 1 of the Bella Cami and Briefs Pattern Tester Roundup. And what a fabulous roundup this is going to be !!!

 

The Vintage Inspired Bella Cami and Briefs is a pattern that offers an extraordinary choice.

 

The Bella Cami offers itself in 3 lengths from Waistline right through to Bralette.

 

The Bella Briefs offers 4 fit choices – Full Brief right through to a Cheeky Gee Brief.

 

Choose fabric from cotton spandex, burn out velvets, stretch velour, lace – the combinations are endless.

 

YOU will WANT to make them ALL. 💗

 

The Bella Cami and Briefs offers a style choice of :

So again my friends prepare to be absolutely GOB-SMACKED when you see all of our roadies Bella Sets.

 

Some of our roadies made up to 5 sets and they are still continuing. It is LOVE all around for the Bella.  💗

 

And our roadies would like to share the following with you all :

1. Your name and where you live ?

2. Your choice of option for the Bella and why ?

3. What fabric did you choose and where did you purchase ?

4. What alterations did you have to make to your Bella toile ?

5. What sewing tips can you share when sewing the Bella ?

6. What was your favourite thing about making the Bella ?

7. Did you make more than one combo of the Bella ?

8. Have you worn your Bella yet and what compliments did you receive.

 

And the finer details;

(AU/UK) 6 – 30

(US) 2 – 26

(EU) 34 – 58

Cup Sizes – B, C, D, DD

On Sale for a limited time only – $9.95(US)

Very Confident Advanced Beginner and Above Sewing level

 

 

Hi, I’m Annet L and I live in the Netherlands. For my Bella Cami sets I used cotton jersey. The Bella Cami set is easy to sew and for everyone to do. I have worn the sets a lot and my husband also thinks they look great and they are very comfortable. Definitely a pattern to add to your collection!

 

Hello to you all, this is Brenda from The Netherlands.

For my Bella sets I dived into my scrap bin. Cause that is a perfect place to find left over precious fabric from other projects. They are all cotton lycra and that is my most favorite fabric to wear. I also upcycled a lace dress into a set.

For this test I made several sets (4 full length cami, 1 waist length cami, 1 boy leg, 2 full briefs, 1 bikini, 1 gee). They all fit like a glove without much alterations. I only raised the bust dart and lengthened like I always do.

The item that surprised me the most was the gee. I have NOT worn any “up my butt” underwear in like 10 years. This was my first in a long, long time, and it was not even annoying me.

I don’t really have tips for sewing the Bella set, they are so easy, and fast!

I plan to make a lot of extra cami’s to wear under v neck dresses and shirts. I think every item I make starting now will have one.

Want to see more of my sewing: https://instagram.com/fabricfairybrenda

 

Hi, my name is Christine M and I’m Dutch

I used cotton knits from my stash. Bella is a perfect scrapbuster!!

Make sure you pick the right size and you’re good to go!

I made the bikini and full brief. I was suprised how cute I looked with full briefs 🙂 The only alterations I needed (Ann Grose is the bustdart raise in the final pattern?) was to raise the bustdarts with 2 cm 5.

Since I made the Bella sets I’ve been wearing them non stop and I must say my husband liked them too!

I’ll be making more of these and go nuts on all the knit scraps in my stash. Want to see them all? Follow me on https://www.instagram.com/stienmakes/?hl=nl

 

Hi, I’m Efrat. I live in Sussex in the UK. The Bella is my first pattern as a tester for Designer Stitch and I am so grateful and happy to be part of this lovely team!

I made my Bella from Cotton Lycra from Rockstar Fabrics and the lace, foldover elastic and the notions from Little T Haberdashery. I chose the waist length cami and the full briefs for my test version but I am planning to make many more Bellas so other versions will be made too. The pattern was quick and easy to make, the instructions were easy to follow and I only had to make one adjustment: I raised the bust dart by 1 inch. My tip for making this set is to go slow when you sew the foldover elastic, to make sure you catch both the elastic and the fabric edge you are encasing. Enjoy making the Bella!

 

My name is France L and I live in Gatineau, Québec, Canada.

I was delighted when I was given the opportunity to test Bella. It was the perfect pattern to be ready in time for Valentine’s Day! So with that special occasion in mind, I chose a burnout velvet from Fabricville – Ann also refers to it as “devore” probably after the French verb “dévorer” = to eat very fast.

For this luxury version, I made the full length cami and the boy short brief. No adjustments required for me which made for a very quick and satisfying sew. I plan on completing the set with a short kimono in the same fabric.

I’ve been sewing for years but it was my first time using FOE and I was happy the pattern offered some guidance – very useful. I also appreciated the advice about not cutting the lace in advance because all laces do not have the exact same stretch. So I was able to adjust to my own preference as I assembled.

Because I wanted to make a surprise for Valentine’s Day, nobody but you and my fellow testers have seen this make yet. I even had to do a solo photo shoot 😉

For my toile, I chose the bralette and the full brief which made me feel sexy – a big surprise that I’d feel sexy in full bottom coverage. But what ever works!

Of course I plan to sew this pattern again and again… best fit I ever gotten on briefs and boy shorts. I plan to try the other styles as well.

 

Hi, I’m Genevieve and I live in England. I used Cotton Lycra for my Bella Sets and best of all, I shopped my stash and used mainly scrap pieces of fabric . My biggest tip for sewing your Bella set is to go slowly and ensure that you’re catching your elastic and lace. I made 2 full length cami’s, 1 waist length cami and a full, boy leg and bikini brief. I graded my cami from a size 3 D to a size 5 for my waist and hip and I made a size 5 brief. All my sets are so comfy and I feel wonderful wearing them but as it’s winter here, they are all undergarments at the moment. I can many more of these sets going forward, what a fabulous scrap buster ending is exquisite underwear.

 

I’m Liesel and I’m in Maryland USA. I chose a soft bamboo lycra. I wanted a cute and sexy set of undies and bra. As soon as I saw the pattern I knew I wanted to do my photoshoot with the Porsches. I did not have to do any fit alterations from the pattern but I did sandwich powernet in between two layers of fabric for my bra top so I could wear it anywhere. My best tip is to go slow when sewing the fold over elastic. It isn’t hard but you have to speak nicely to it. I always feel powerful in my Bella and I have plans for a few more. The undies are the most comfortable I own. You can find me at instagram.com/lieseltavfilmandphoto

 

I am Girl in Uniform Lieve from Ghent, Belgium. I made the camouflaged Bella set from leftover jersey I bought in 2016. The blue and white set I made out of Lady McElroy viscose jersey that I bought at Minerva. The lace strip I bought at Veritas, a Belgian chain. A tip? In the instructions you can find the length of the lace, but because I don’t like to wear clothes that fit very tightly, I first measure the length of the lace strip on my body before I sew it on. So I often cut the lace strip a few centimetres longer than recommended in the pattern, but that is a personal choice. Are you also a sensitive girl? Buy a bit more lace than indicated in the pattern, so you can anticipate and don’t run out at the end. I made two camis (one long and one medium version) and three bottoms: two boy leg shorts and one tanga slip. Yes, you read it right… I gathered my courage and went for the smallest pair of undies in the series. I used to wear tanga’s a lot, but lately I haven’t been able to tolerate them very well. This homemade version fits really well, though! My husband is a big fan of Bella, so more sets are sure to follow. For more information, visit www.girlsinuniformblog.com and www.instagram.com/girlsinuniformblog

 

Hello everyone! I am Marieke from the Netherlands and I am addicted to sewing the Bella Cami and Briefs….😄

On the moment I own seven sets and with that I finally got rid of some old briefs and cami’s that are actually not allowed to be worn anymore…lol.

Anyways, it is the most comfortable and quickest sew you can imagine. Just get your elastic lace, some scraps, cut and sew!

I used for my sets: velvet, CL, viscose jersey and stretch lace (but that last one I didn’t made pics from it, you will need your imagination for that, lol)

The funny thing about it, although it’s 1 pattern, with using different fabrics, they also make you feel different! My husband, who made the pictures, was surprised and said how it is possible to change mood, style and vibes in under an hour that often.

Although I love them all, I have a secret love for my black metallic version. I even can imagine to wear this over the day on a jeans.

I got this fabric from https://instagram.com/shanifabrics?utm_medium=copy_link- where I got half of my stash from 😄

The cupsizes is making the Cami fitting better then any other, that’s something I should not forget to mention!

Have fun sewing!

You can always have a look on my Instagram as well: https://www.instagram.com/jongdesign

 

Hi everyone, my name is Meredith and I live on the beautiful northern beaches of Sydney, Australia.

I made 4 sets of the Bella … WARNING!!! Addictive!! 🙂 First set was made with Art Gallery cotton spandex (Bebeloush Fabrics), 2nd with a rayon spandex (Spotlight), 3rd with a single jersey (Nerida Hansen Fabrics) and 4th with a sheer lingerie fabric with velvet appliqué (Booby Traps)

My only sewing advice for the Bella is to be careful applying your lace ensuring that it catches the fabric correctly.

I made each cami in the full length version, however I mixed up the briefs – bikini, boy leg and cheeky G.

I graded the cami from a size 3B bust to a size 4 for my waist and cut a size 5 in the briefs.

I have worn all of the briefs and I have been wearing 2 of the cami as sleepwear
. The cami and brief are a GREAT scrap buster so I can see many more sets in my future. I also had lunch with a girlfriend today and showed her my Bella makes, and she has asked me to make her a couple of pairs. She loved them!! 
https://www.instagram.com/sew_mere_makes/

 

My name is Synthia, I live in Central California. I sewed up two Bellas, one with a robe and one without. I used DBP and jersey knit fabric. Both my Bellas were with the longer Cami version and the briefs. I just had to pair on of my Bellas with the Willow robe, I love the overall look and style. I have worn both my Bellas at home for sleep and as a under garment to keep me warm when I go out somewhere. I do plan on make more Bellas as soon as I “hoard”, or collect more fabric, lol. Tips: always sew a muslin to obtain the best fit for you. https://sewsynsewn.blogspot.com https://www.instagram.com/sewsynsewn

 

My name is Stacey and I live on the South coast of England.

Both of my sets were made with cotton lycra from flamingo fabrics and Just Love Fabric on FB.

I think my top tip for sewing Bella would be not to stretch the fabric out when attaching the fold over elastic.

I chose to sew two camis because I decided I will wear them as outerwear as well as underwear, as they are too pretty to be hidden! I made a pair of boy briefs and a pair of full briefs to go with my tops.

Because the pattern has cup sizes included I didn’t need to make any major alterations. I just moved the bust darts up a tiny bit.

I have worn my sets a few times and my other half really loves them!

I will definitely be trying out more of the variations!

 

Hi! My name is Sue and I live in South Dakota, USA. I used a DBP for my cami set. This has been in my stash for a long time, so of course I have no idea where I purchased it. The lace trim and FOE was from a local fabric store. This is such a straight-forward sew that you’ll get a great result if you choose your supplies with care. Use good quality fabric, lace, and FOE. If you’ve never used FOE before, practice on some scraps. I like to keep the elastic open (not folded) and baste the back of the elastic to the garment first. After that, I fold the elastic in place and sew. My only alteration was to lengthen the bodice of the cami by 1/2″. This is a typical alteration for me as I am 5’7″. I have worn my Bella set and it is so comfortable! My husband highly approved. I just ordered several colors of stretch elastic and FOE to make many more sets. My IG is: https://www.instagram.com/sue_glasparrott/