Cloth Habit Watson Bra without the Hook & Eye Closure AKA Pullover Style

With all the excess spandex knit fabric I have, I really wanted to alter Cloth Habit’s Watson bra pattern so I could use up all my scraps. The original bra pattern requires different fabrics for the cups and band. The pattern recommends that the bra cup fabric be 4-way stretch with spandex and approximately 75% stretch. It is recommended that the bra band fabric be a medium to firm powernet with only 30 – 40% stretch.

Cotton spandex can easily be used for the bra cups traditionally but is too stretchy to use for the bra band as the pattern is written. This is where I wanted to make my changes. The cotton spandex knit fabric is mostly from Art Gallery, though some fabric is from Jo Ann’s character section. I also have some knit fabric from Nosh. In general, all my knit fabric has 5-10% spandex to make it stretchy.

If I measure myself for the pattern my ribcage measurement is 32-33,” and my measurement around the full bust is 38″. Therefore, my size for the Watson bra is 36F. I’ve made this pattern years ago and that size still works perfectly for me. To make a pullover style with nothing but stretchy cotton spandex knit, I went down a size to 34E.

The only other adjustment I made was on the band (piece C). I took off ¾” where the hook & eye closure would normally be attached. This seam also became center back and was cut out on the fold.

Here’s a list of the pieces I cut out:

A. 2 x inner cup (one for the right cup, one for the left cup)
B. 2 x outer cup (one for the right cup, one for the left cup)
C. 2 x band on the fold (one for main and one for lining)
D. 2 x cradle on the fold (one for main and one for lining)

I sew everything mostly according to the pattern instructions. I sewed the band and cradle pieces together to form a complete circle. One set was the main band and the second set was the lining. I was able to baste the two sets together with wrong sides facing. The benefit of doing two sets for the band is that the side seams are now hiding!

Instead of cutting two shoulder straps, I just cut one approximately 36″ long, then I just centered the elastic across the back and stitched in place.

I love that I’m able to have matching lingerie sets in crazy fun fabrics.