Sewing the Free Noelle Bralette Pattern with Jersey Cotton
August is here! As promised, I will be trying some (if not all) of the free bra patterns I found and shared in the previous post. Today, I am sharing a halter top made by sewing the free Noelle Bralette pattern with a jersey cotton fabric.
The Noelle Bralette pattern
The Noelle Bralette is a free bra sewing pattern by Madalynne Initimates. It comes with sizes XS – L (28.5″ – 36.5″ full bust) with written instructions accompanying the free PDF pattern. There are no photos accompanying the instructions. Fortunately, the pattern is not too complicated to put together.
My jersey cotton halter top
The original jersey cotton top
I picked up this long-sleeved jersey cotton top for close to nothing at a thrift store. The kitschy design caught my eye and I knew I wanted to use the material in a refashion project right away.
When I started planning my sewing projects for BRAugust and thought about sewing the free Noelle Bralette pattern, this jersey cotton top came into my mind immediately. I decided to sew the Noelle Bralette using this jersey cotton material to make a casual, everyday top!
Sewing with jersey cotton
Since I wanted the top to look more like a casual top rather than an actual bralette, I omitted the following:
lining
plush elastic
strap elastic
rings and sliders
That's right, I basically just used the jersey cotton fabric for this version of the Noelle Bralette. Is it still accurate for me to call it a bralette at this point? Probably not.
My steps to sewing the Noelle Bralette with jersey cotton
After checking the size chart provided in the pattern, I decided to use size XS for the Noelle Bralette pattern for my top. For reference, my measurements are:
high bust = 31"
full bust = 30.5"
under bust = 26.5"
Here's how I put everything together:
1: Sew front piece and front bottom band RS together
- Darts for front piece omitted
2: Sew back piece and back bottom band RS together
3: Sew front and back pieces RS together, wear to test fit and adjusted side seams for desired fit
4: Sew band to centrefront neckline:
- Measure the length of centrefront neckline
- Cut fabric with these features: width = 2"; length = 90% of centrefront neckline; stretch lengthwise
- Fold band in half lengthwise
- Sew binding to centrefront neckline, RS together with 3/8" seam allowance
5: Sew band to centreback "peak":
- Measure the length of centreback "peak"
- Cut band with the following features: width = 2", length = length of the "peak"; stretch going lengthwise
- Fold band in half lengthwise
- Sew band to centreback "peak" with 3/8" seam allowance
Band sewn to both centrefront neckline and centreback "peak"
6: Sew halter straps:
- Put top on to gauge length of straps needed (Note: Another pair of hands and eyes will be helpful for this step!)
- Cut x2 pieces of rectangles with the following features: width = 2"; length of each rectangle = 90% of the measured length from the previous step; stretch going lengthwise
- Sew short ends of each rectangle together to make a loop
- Fold loop in half lengthwise (Note: The seam from the previous step should be hidden)
- Sew each loop to underarm armhole, RS together with 3/8" seam allowance
- Fold raw, exposed side of binding inwards (i.e. togethers WS of the straps), then sew zig-zag stitches in place
Zig-zag stitches for halter straps: Start from centrefront neckline band, end at centreback "peak" band
And done!
Unfortunately, I didn't do a good job at gauging the length needed for making the halter straps so I ended up with straps that were a little too loose/long on my shoulders initially. I fixed that by taking in some length at the point where the halter straps join with the centreback "peak".
Despite that little hiccup, I'm still really pleased with how the top turned out. I know I will be reaching for this top over and over again this summer.
Sewing the Noelle Bralette with jersey cotton
This sewing project started as an experimental idea. Admittedly, my method for attaching the halter straps is not the most elegant. I just don't have a lot of experience with sewing jersey cotton t-shirts and stretch fabrics in general! When I sew the Noelle Bralette with jersey cotton and making a binding for the halter straps like this again, I would definitely make use of a walking foot when sewing the binding. You might not be able to tell from the photos but the straps got stretched out after sewing. Then, it got shrunk again after I washed it once and threw it in the dryer.
Have you tried sewing the Noelle Bralette? What types of fabrics did you use? Share your projects with me in the comments below!
