Tips & Tricks: Enclosing the Seams of the Watson Bra
A couple of weeks ago, a reader left a comment expressing interest in a tutorial on how to enclose all the seams on a Watson Bra. This method relies on using lining fabric to enclose and trap the raw seams on the inside.
To start, pull out the outer cup and inner cup pieces. Treat the outer cup self and lining pieces as one unit. Treat the inner cup self and lining pieces as separate units instead of one. Sandwich the outer cup unit between the inner cup self and lining pieces and pin.
Sew the seam as you normally do and then edge stitch. As you can see, the raw seams are enclosed by the self and lining pieces of the inner up, leaving you with a clean finish.
For the next step, you pretty much do the same thing. Treat the cups as one unit and the cradle self and lining pieces as separate units by sandwiching the cups between them as shown.
Set the cups into the cradle and then edge stitch.
For the last part, treat the cradle as one unit and the back band self and lining pieces as separate units. Sandwich the cradle between the back band self and lining pieces and sew and edge stitch.
Et voilà! All the seams on your Watson Bra are now enclosed. This method can be used on any bra as long as it is lined. Hopefully this tutorial makes sense. If you have further questions, feel free to ask in the comments below.
11 Comments
Two Watsons – sewsannahsews
January 13, 2016 at 10:31 AM
[…] Both sets are made from 4 way stretch Lycra type material that I already had. The blue fabric was less stretchy and worked better and was easier to sew. I lined both cradles with tricot and doubled up the fabric for the bands. I didn’t have enough elastic for the straps on the snakeskin set so are some from lace and ribbon following this tutorial. Then I dyed them and the fastening in strong tea. They look quite pretty but I prefer the plain plush elastic straps. I also found a couple of old videos on YouTube which were very useful for working with lingerie materials. The pattern instructions are really clear and easy to follow. I did not think the sizing instructions would work first time but they did. I’m so pleased with them I’ve just sent off for some more fabric. Next time I might try finishing off the insides better using this tutorial. […]
Kim
January 18, 2016 at 10:32 AM
Hello,
Did you use a zig zag stitch or a regular stitch?
Thanks,
Kim
tailormadeblog
January 18, 2016 at 2:34 PM
Regular straight stitch.
Kim
February 6, 2016 at 10:45 AM
Sorry another quick question, for the side with the scalloped edge, what kind of elastic did you use?
tailormadeblog
February 7, 2016 at 3:28 PM
1/4″ Clear Elastic.
MarieHelene
January 27, 2016 at 8:51 PM
Hello! Thank you, that was very helpful! I’ve been trying to figure out a way to do this for a while. 🙂
I have a question… did you use powermesh to line the cups and cradle? Also, what kind of elastic did you use to stabilize the lace edge of the inner cup?
tailormadeblog
January 27, 2016 at 10:41 PM
Hello! Most of the bras I make are on the smaller side so I don’t usually use power mesh for lining. I use stretch mesh. I use 1/4″ clear elastic to stabilize the lace edge. Hope that helps.
marlen
January 30, 2016 at 6:30 AM
MIL GRACIAS BENDICIONES
tailormadeblog
February 1, 2016 at 8:54 PM
De nada. 🙂
Steph
June 13, 2016 at 11:30 AM
Great tutorial, however I’m having difficulty attaching the center front of the bra where the point of the cradle and the neckline edge of the cups meet. I can’t seem to sew them in such a way that when the piece is flipped and the seams are enclosed on the inside that the front center isn’t warped out of shape. Any tips are appreciated, thanks!
tailormadeblog
June 13, 2016 at 11:50 AM
Hi Steph. When you insert the cups, do you make sure to to stop 1/4″ away from the center point of the cradle to account for the 1/4″ seam allowance? See this diagram for easy understanding: https://flic.kr/p/Hc8Mzo
Amy of Cloth Habit and creator of this pattern also had a helpful post here showing that you have to stop 1/4″ from the center point when inserting the cups into the cradle. You can find that post here: https://clothhabit.com/watson-sew-along-inserting-bra-cups-and-elastic/
If you’re working with particularly finicky fabrics, I sometimes sew them on one at a time. I will attach the cups to the self frame first and then add the lining frame after.
Hope this helps!