One of the easiest ways to have that iconic Babydoll pyjama look but with full support we need today is to use a pattern we already know and love and convert it to a modern interpretation of that classic nightwear.
Our Design Team paired our Sweet Sixteen Bralette with Meghan Lace and re-drafted a cover to make nightwear worthy of the name. The secret support is the bralette made of sheer cup lining hidden under the lace, providing invisible means of support.
The bralette is sewn and created from a single layer of sheer cup lining. Sheer Cup lining is a lightweight and breathable nylon fabric, but don’t let its flimsy appearance fool you – this fabric is highly supportive. We chose the pattern option with the back cut on the fold but left the centre front seam open for the time being.
To draft the outer layer, we used the front cup and carried the line from the apex straight down from the apex and perpendicular to the DoGS line. We also added some flair to the seam line below the apex.
We extended the length of the other pieces as well and added flair to them.
The side cup and frame were combined to make a single piece for the cover to keep the lines as clean and tailored as possible. Looking back, we agreed that we could have rounded off that underarm curve. That would have made it easier to apply the fold-over binding later. Ah well, hindsight is 20/20 as they say.
We cut all the pieces of Meghan lace. We loved it so much in the Ingrid Babydoll set, that we decided to use it again for this set. It’s a completely different look! We sewed the pieces together but left the centre front seam open.
We laid the sheer cup bralette inside the lace cover and basted them together along the top edge.
Apply the Fold-over Elastic Binding on the upper edges as the bralette pattern instructs, including the neckline edge. At this point, the bralette and the cover are open along the centre front.
Stitch the sheer and the cover together with a distance of 1″ (25 mm) which should be roughly where the cup seams to the frame. Then go up under and stitch the bralette centre front and the cover separately. This makes a nice V-point on the fold-over binding at the centre front but allows the lace cover to free-float over the sheer bralette.
Attach the straps (nothing new here) and finish the hem. Then you can make a pair of sheer undies to complete the look. You have your Sweet Sixteen bralette converted to a Babydoll! We sewed up a pair of Cheryl Panties using the Pink Stretch Mesh to make the set complete!
Hello Bev,
I love this idea. Will this be able to pull on over hips or shoulders?
As long as your hips or shoulders aren’t really out of proportion with your rib cage, you should be able to pull it on without any trouble. That’s assuming you use a stretch fabric for the back band!
Thanks, Bev! I was thinking of making S16 into a slip already (1930s gore fashion), and this is another excellent option!!
Hi Beverly,
Is there any reason this lovely nightie could not be used with other bra patterns? Is there something special about this pattern? Thank you
No reason at all. I just chose the Bralette and the Ingrid so the conversion might appeal to both the smaller and the larger cups. However, any bra with a band could be converted to a babydoll!
Thank you Beverly
This is beautiful! I love it!