I am really pleased with the lovely shape and design of this bra. However, as I am bigger boobed with inner fullness, I found I had to go up 2 cup sizes to that recommended for my measurements. I now have a good fitting toile and am ready to make more. The instructions are very clear, and it was very easy to construct. Now I have the correct size, I have also purchased the Symmes.

I'd wanted to make a bra for ages and so decided to make this as part of my MakeNine challenge this year. This is a really well written pattern and the masterclass is excellent. However, there are some differences between the two that as a novice bra maker were a bit confusing. That being said, making the bra was much less intimidating that I thought and so I’d definitely recommend it and I’ve definitely learnt a lot.

I measured myself carefully and I think was accurate in my sewing but the bra is a bit small in the cup size. It could be that I need to remeasure or that I wasn’t as precise in my sewing as I thought. I have a shaky hand so sewing the slippery fabric was tricky and required a lot of pins! I bought a kit from bratastic (UK) and it was lovely. I’ve also got a loftus kit so I think I might try that next.

So far I’ve made six of these as nursing bras. I’d like to make more but I ran out of underwires. I love this pattern! Underwire just feels better. To make the pattern work for breastfeeding, I got nursing clips and put them where the straps attach to the cups. I cut out two extra sets of power bars and sewed them together on the sides and top, clipped corners and turned them right side out. They get attached at the bottom of the cup and I put a short piece of strap elastic at the top to secure it to the nursing clip. I found the 5/8” nursing clips at sewsassy. Since they’re kind of expensive (for my extremely limited budget) I made up the cost on my more recent bras by not using rings and sliders and making the shoulder straps non adjustable fit to me. I know it’s not recommended but I cut cups out of bras from the thrift store and sandwiched them between the cup lining and the outside fabric. I either trimmed them to fit if they were too big or sewed them to the lining if they were too small because pregnancy and breastfeeding mean you end up with peekaboos if there’s no padding.
I tried the Loftus too and like that you don’t have to order underwire for that one, it’s much easier to make for someone else if you have elastic on hand. Loftus doesn’t have stretch in the cups so it’s really easy to use thin cotton batting sewn to the lining pieces instead of cups. Willowdale is much more intuitive to add nursing clips too.
The bra pictured has been through some repairs and is holding up wonderfully after over a year of being worn a couple times a week and washed after each wear in a normal washer and dryer.

This is my new favorite bra pattern! I’ve made 2 versions and it has quickly become my new favorite bra pattern. The drafting is great and the instructions are very detailed.

I approached the pattern with fear and trepidation. I made my first bra in a class with a great teacher who helped me to understand the process. My first bra fits beautifully and I am so proud of it. I’ll be making another one soon.

I bought the Willowdale bra some time ago and have to admit to being a bit daunted by the whole idea of making an underwired bra.

Having watched Jenny’s introduction to bra making I decided to get straight on with the kit as a wearable toile.
I recently bought a kit in the UK designed for the Willowdale which helped a lot as then I only had to buy the underwires.

Selecting these was fairly straightforward too as there are really easy to follow instructions with the pattern.

The next big thing was joining the Cashmerette Club in order to access the Willowdale bra Masterclass, which is excellent. With that, the feedback and support on line, and the access to the fabulous club patterns, I feel like I’ve had my money’s worth already…

I have taken three days over my first
Willowdale, following the instructions carefully- they are very clear and there’s a test bra sew along too.
All was reasonably straightforward. I still made a few mistakes, but these were completely down to my mistakes not the instructions. They were relatively easy to sort out as the kit had more fabric etc than I needed.

When I inserted the underwires they were approximately 20mm too long so my husband trimmed them down and used Araldite to make new rounded ends on them for me so they would fit. I need to look into this a little more to see what I didn’t have quite right. They were a different type of underwire because I’m in the UK.

So today was the big day, wires in final stitching and ribbon on. Time to try on.
I couldn’t believe that it fitted! Not perfectly, but so much more comfortable and well fitting than ready to wear.

I’m a convert and can’t wait to make the next one and a swimsuit and bikinis and and….

It’s a lovely shape and feel under dresses etc and surprisingly smooth under t shirts. The cut is a bit low for working around the house and garden so I need to work on a fuller cup more supportive version, something closer to a sports bra.

I also need to sort out the underwire issue.

Overall though the suggested sizing was excellent, though a much larger cup than my ready to wear bras. I thought it would be too large, but it’s almost perfect. The straps don’t fall down and I don’t fall out even when I bend down.

I just can’t say how pleased I am.
Thank you!
Xx

First of all, I did not make a muslin as suggested. I measured carefully and just made the bra from a kit. That was the easiest and cheapest option for me. I wanted to see if I actually liked the sewing. The bra is wearable, but it still needs to be adjusted. It is a little snug, and the cups are too small. I plan on making the whole thing one size bigger (sister size) and adjusting the band size down slightly. For some unknown reason, the underwire size size suggested for the bra was too small and did not fit. Fortunately, I purchased one size up and one size down in underwires and had a smaller size in my possession. I may have taken larger seams than I had intended. However, I am a quilter and am very experienced with scant 1/4" seams. I will be even more careful next time. I am wondering if the fact that I stabilized the front cradle made a difference??? All in all, it fits as well or better than some commercial bras that I have purchased. I am not sure that this will be an every day bra for me. The use of stretch fabrics, while helpful in fitting, might not provide enough support in the front to avoid spillage. I'm going to work on making the right size and then omitting the lace on the top of the cup.

The pattern fit well with no alterations. The instructions are clear and thorough. I love the shape of the bra and will be making many more!

I love this bra! It actually fit from the first toile. So far have already made five, and I have so many more planned :) the instructions are great and loads of great information on the website. Great work Jenny and the team!

I’ve made quite a few bra patterns before and also taken a lot of classes on line. In the past I have been left hanging by lack of fitting instructions or size ranges that stopped too small or were graded up without care. I wish the Willowdale had been available when I started making bras. The size range is huge, the instructions are detailed and the accompanying blog posts really fill in the fitting blanks that are usually ignored. I would encourage you to follow the instructions and sizing guidance exactly for your first attempt before you make adjustments, even if you are experienced because this bra is drafted specifically for big boobs and you may find it is closer to what you need straight out of the packet. The lining gives a nice clean finish and the stretch lace upper cup is genius too. The sewing isn’t really difficult once you’ve followed the process through once and practiced on your muslin. Personally I usually have omega adjustments in mainstream patterns because their Amazonian grading results in drafting for a overly big wire size. This is the first pattern where the pattern gave me the appropriate wire size for my cup. It is clear that Willowdale is expertly drafted for the very specific needs of the bigger bust and I managed to get to a good fit very straightforwardly in two muslins (usually many more are required). Even if you haven’t made a bra before, give it a go because Cashmerette will hold your hand and you will be so pleased that you did! I intend to make loads of matching sets with the Radcliffe undies now and see how I can hack this staple for infinite lingerie luxury. Highly recommended 👏👏👏

To be transparent, I only made up the bra cups from the Willowdale, then I put them into a fitting band that was designed for a completely different bra by a different designer.

I made up two sizes of cups, my regular RTW cup size, and the next size up. The larger size was an almost ideal fit for me, but still a bit lower at the neckline than I was hoping for. But since the upper cup it is a stretch lace piece, it is an easy change to make this piece taller and get more coverage. The designer collaboration for this bra resulted in a very nice, low projection, rounded bra cup that is very flattering under clothing. A win for the Jenny and Jennifer team!

I highly recommend buying both the pattern and the course that goes along with it for first time bra makers. I personally had trouble with the fit (perfect at the bottom but too loose at the top) so I had to make a lot of adjustments, but I’m very glad to have gotten to a point where I could make an almost comfortable bra for myself!

It didn't take me much effort to make this bra by following the good instructions. I am glad I found this pattern and will use it more often.

After not much success with other bra patterns I decided to try the willowdale bra pattern. I measured myself carefully, chose my size a began to sew. The instructions were excellent and to my delight the bra fitted me perfectly. I have to say it is the best fitting bra and most comfortable I have worn for a long time congratulations Casmerette.

I decided to try making my own bra this year. I had been on the search for a bra pattern that came in my size when I happened onto the Willowdale. I found it easy to follow all the instructions, the fabric requirements, measuring for the underwire, and sewing instructions. It was very clear on printing out the pattern on my home printer, which I had never done before. This has been a journey that I'm glad I tried. I am so happy with the final fit! I did make adjustments to the pattern a couple of times on my muslins, I made 3 before I got a good fit. I am making 2 more currently and then I plan to purchase the Loftus Bralette!

I was tired of buying RTW bras that never seemed to fit properly and were uncomfortable, so decided to have a go at making my own. Started searching for a pattern but couldn't find one that seemed to offer the support I was looking for with the shape I preferred. Then I came across the Willowdale bra and it seemed to tick the right boxes. I bought the pattern then started to make a series of mock up bra cups until I found the one size that was perfect for me. Got set to making my first proper bra and found the step by step instuctions easy to follow. It was sooo comfortable I have now made 6 different bras using different fabric's and laces. I have tweaked the pattern slightly in terms of the depth of the band to make it a little easier to sew for me and a slightly more comfortable fit. Finally I have pretty bras to wear that are comfortable and supportive. Thankyou so much for a great pattern and easy to follow instructions.

I went to the Bra Talk Retreat in April with Nikki. She introduced me to your bra pattern. She assisted me in getting my bra band to fit correctly. When I put the bra cups in they fit perfectly without any alteration. I love the fit and the lift. I will be sewing plenty of beautiful bras with this pattern. Thank You!

Only made a tester so far but found the pattern and the instructions very clear for this experienced sewist but first time bra maker.

I bought this to make bras for my daughter. She gave up years ago on finding a bra that fit and was comfortable. I've made four willowdales for her and she is thrilled. They provide the support she wants and with only one minor pattern adjustment, fit perfectly. Bonus- she loves that they are so pretty

Although my first Willowdale did not fit straight out of the traps, I must say it fit far better than anything I had bought in the past. I really can’t see that I would buy a bra again, having the multiple pattern sizes available to access the fit of the first bra and choose a different size is really useful and I am hoping that my second one will better, but I feel confident that I will achieve the fit I want. As usual Cashmerette’s detailed instructions are legendary at this point, and I learnt so much about bra making whilst constructing my first bra.

I have made so many bras for my daughter using so many patterns. The Willowdale fit her so well and gave support.I moved the straps towards the middle by 1.5cm and widened the bridge .Used two different cup sizes. I am about to use the pattern to make her a bikini top for the summer coming up soon.
The material used was embroidered tulle and lace I bought from UK. I was so happy to finally find a pattern that was right for her shape and large bust.