Pattern Background
The Jalie Barbara underwear set is drafted for knits with at least 50% stretch in both directions. The bralette is super basic, with the neck and upper edge finished with fold over elastic that also forms the straps. The panty has four different leg options as well as options for both high waist and lower rise.
Fabric and Notions
I used a cotton/lycra jersey from Fashion Fabrics Club for both version, which were the scraps from some Jalie Tina t-shirts. I used solid cotton/lycra jersey fabrics I had in my stash for the crotch lining and bra lining.
The 3/4” fold over elastic is from Wawak. 3/4” is my favorite width for fold over elastic because it is still fairly narrow while being a bit easier to work with than the more common 5/8” width. I find the Wawak elastic has good recovery and stretch. If you don’t like the shiny side just flip it over and use the matte side like I did.
For stabilizing the straps I used 1/4” clear elastic from Mandala Crafts on Amazon. Be aware that this particular clear elastic is thicker, stronger, and less stretchy and other clear elastics I’ve purchased before.
Fit and Alterations
Bralette
I went with a size Y based on my bust measurement. I cut the elastic per the measurement of my underbust which is waist size W and then stretch it to fit when attaching it to the bra fabric. I suggest doing this if you don’t fall perfectly within the Jalie size chart.
The straps on my first version needed to be 1” longer. I think it is because my clear elastic is less stretchy.
For my second version I used 3/4” wide elastic and added 3/4” to the bottom of the band to account for the wider elastic.
Panty
I made the high waist with the View C leg cut. I started with a CC, which was based on my hip measurement. I initially added 1” to the upper edge of the back, tapering to nothing at the front. It really wasn’t enough. In an effort to balance it I ended up going back and trimmed the waistline down 1” at the center front and 1/2” at the side seam, tapering to nothing at the center back. I should have just added my normal 2.5” of height at the center back to start.
I didn’t realize when I bought this pattern that the legs aren’t finished with elastic. They’re just turned up and hemmed in place. I trimmed away 3/8” from the legs and applied fold over elastic that was cut about an inch shorter than the measured edge of the leg opening. I ended up unpicking it and removed another 3” from the leg elastic length because they kept riding up so badly.
Construction
This is one of the newer Jalie patterns so the instructions were clear with good illustrations. The straps have integrated clear elastic sew into the straps which helps give more support and stability. I do recommend making the elastic just a bit longer and extending it about an inch into the underarm section instead of ending it directly above the fabric, as this will give a little bit more strength to this area.
Conclusion
The Good
It is economical on fabric. I had 1/2 yard left over after making a Tina t-shirt with these fabrics and I was easily able to cut both the bra and panties from it.
I also like how they drafted the crotch lining to be smaller than the crotch piece, for reduced bulk when turning the hem. That’s something I don’t think I’ve seen another pattern designer do before, and I will definitely do this for my next Ottobre hipster panties, or any other panty pattern that has an enclosed elastic rather than fold over elastic finish as I’m not keen on how bulky a double layer makes the crotch once the elastic is turned under.
I think this is a great pattern for those new to sewing underwear and working with fold over elastic. The seaming is minimal and the instructions are clear and lay everything out. It goes together really, really quickly.
The Bad
My complaints are mostly about the fit. Despite the various size models shown wearing it, the bralette is really not the best if you’re above a B cup. The 3/8” bottom band elastic just feels too narrow and I found it odd they didn’t make the bottom band elastic wider for the larger sizes. It ends up riding up during wear. That being said, while the 3/4” wide elastic on my second version helped it still creeps up in the front during the day and almost feels like I’d need to do a 1/4” to 3/8” full bust adjustment to get a better fit.
A lot of the shelf bras out there have some sort of gathering or dart under the bust to help give more definition and this has absolutely nothing. The result is comfortable to wear but gives a more compressed look and tends to creep up a little during wear. I assumed that Jalie did some sort of extra drafting for the larger sizes (even if it is just something like allowing for a wider elastic) and I’m surprised they didn’t for this pattern. But at the same time if they had some sort of underbust shaping it would require adding a separate band of some sort to sew the shaping unit instead of being able to just turn under with elastic. I’m thinking of experimenting with adding some gathering at the side seam with clear elastic. I’ve seen pattern designers do this for t-shirts for fuller busts.
The panty leg cut just doesn’t work well on me. I chose View C which appeared to be the more brief-like cut and it still felt too cheeky. Snugging up the elastic helped but they still ride up unless I’m wearing them under yoga pants. Overall I feel like this drafting is better for someone with a flatter butt. Not even smaller, but just flatter in shape.
Overall I think this pattern is best for rectangular shapes that aren’t very curvy. I don’t necessarily mean slimmer, I mean proportionally a B cup or smaller with a flatter butt and a more rectangular body shape. I also think the fully lined bralette would also make a nice no-fuss swimwear top for girls and preteens as well as smaller busted adult women that don’t like thicker straps.
