Somerville Sports Bra PDF pattern

Just what I was looking for!

I have been looking for a front close sports bra pattern for a while. I had tried the Porcelynne Jackie pattern but did not like the compression and profile it provided. I have made regular bras and was just about to use my bra making knowledge to modify my go to banded pattern to try for a front zip I probably purchased the pattern the first week it was out. I was a little put off by the suggestion of quilting cotton for the cups but since the first one was a tester I went with it. The directions are incredibly comprehensive and if I had not made other bras and taken a couple of Craftys bra making classes the information would have been incredibly useful. By following the measuring advice, I made the first draft and it fit well but the gore was not quite tacking. So on the second version I moved up a cup size and it was fine. The cup construction was nice and although I have seen it in other patterns, it is not typical and it does provide a clean finish without having to topstitch or cover the seams. I did "go rouge" on the second round and used fold over elastic on the neckline and the armholes. I split the FOE for the top of the cup and the strap, at the turn so that I could get a nice sharp point. I also sewed the shoulder seams before applying the FOE to get a nicer finish. I also thought that the method for shorting the zipper could lead to an issue becasue the stop was just sewn. I routinely shorten zippers using the appropriate stops. I got them from Wawak, where I also purchase zippers. A few comments and wishes. It would really have been nice to have the individual cup pieces on single sheets of paper so that you didn't have to tape. For the print at home that would have made sense and for me since I was adjusting the cup I would have liked to print out only the necessary pages. The instructions are incredibly detailed and I think that a careful person could make this sucessfully even if they had never made a bra before. This is a terrific pattern and the final product is as supportive as my Elomi Energise sports bra.

Awesome pattern

I have sewn a number of bras with good success but never found a properly supportive workout bra…till now. Wasn’t sure about a front zip but works and feels great. Large, asymmetrical cups and I got this fitting well on first muslin and super well on second version. Very pleased!

Not great out of the gate

To preface, I’m a trained and experienced bra sewist, and was excited to see an encapsulation style sports bra to try. I followed the excellent instructions and found them perfectly suited for an intermediate skill level. Bra fit is very individualized so everyone will have a different experience but for me the fit was extremely off. I followed the charts, picked the size they indicated, going up a size since I was between and it was comically too small in the cups. The bridge was also very wide for my frame. I expected to have to do some adjustments to get a good fit, but I’m basically redrafting the cups completely at this point. To be honest, I shouldn’t be surprised since this appears to be the first underwire bra pattern for this designer. As of now, I have given up on this pattern as it’s just more trouble than it’s worth.