Bella bodysuit

It seems that the sleek bodysuit is back in style. It takes me back to the early 90’s when bodysuits were cool. Now my daughter’s are asking for them, and they don’t believe me when I tell them they are not a new invention!

I’ve had a bit of fun recently making a bodysuit by combining the Bella bralette and Nora knickers patterns. Here’s a tutorial if you felt like giving it a go!

First you need to make a quick pattern hack. I’ve used the plunge neckline version of the Bella bralette, and the hipster version of the Nora knicker pattern, but you could easily use the high waisted version of the Nora knickers as well. You would need to add less into the middle section if you are using the high waisted knicker.

Use the front underbust lace pattern and the front of your hipster pattern. Draw a straight line and line the patterns up adding approximately 20cm in between. I used a size 12B bralette and a size 12 knicker. I’m only 162cm tall, so this a guide only as to the length you add in the middle. My fabric was also very stretchy. I’ll explain how to test your length before you finish to make sure its right.

Make a new side seam by drawing in a curved line between the bralette and knicker side seams. I used a french curve ruler for this, and remember to give some shape to your waist. Cut out your new front pattern.

For the back use the bralette back lace pattern, and the back of the hipster Nora knickers pattern. Do the same thing as the front, but add a little less in between the patterns. I added 19cm, this helped my new side seams match up.

After you have cut out your new front and back patterns, (and checked that your side seams match up) cut your fabrics using your new patterns and the remaining patterns from the bralette and knickers. Don’t forget to cut the underbust stabilser, and the underbust seam cover.

Prepare the cups first according the instructions in the Bella bralette tutorial.

Then prepare the lace and gusset sections using instructions from the Nora knickers tutorial. I use pins to mark the side seam notches, and also to pin the back of the lace, so I can tell the front from the back.

Sew the stabilser part to the wrong side of the front. Instead of using elastic over the edge of this, I’ve just used a 3 step zig zag along the bottom edge.

Sew the cups into the front piece. Attach the underbust seam cover around the cup seam as shown. I’ve used a white stabilser material so it didn’t show through my fabric.

Overlock / serge the side seams. When attaching the knicker lace to the body section, I recommend that you only baste the lace with a long straight stitch. That way, you can try the bodysuit on and ensure that the length is correct. This will save you unpicking the overlocking / serge thread if you need the shorten it! Overlocking this seam will be your last step.

Attach the gusset as shown in the Nora knickers tutorial. Attach the underarm elastic and shoulder straps as shown in the bralette instructions. Try the bodysuit on to check the length, if it is too long, you can take length off the body section. When you are happy with the length overlock / serge the lace seam.

Enjoy your gorgeous new Bella bodysuit!
Join our Facebook group and post your Bella bodysuit makes.
The Bella bralette / Nora knickers bundle is available here on the website, or on our Etsy store.