Cecilia Bra, Top and Dress sewing pattern

The bra portion requires medium weight stable knit fabric with at least 4-way 50% stretch and good recovery. Lycra blends such as polyester, cotton, and nylon will work well. While bindings require a fabric with 50% stretch and excellent recovery, the type of fabric is dependent on the amount of support you are trying to achieve. If you are a smaller cup size and not looking for support, using a rayon spandex might be fine. If you have a bigger cup size that requires more support, you definitely need to choose something like a good quality cotton lycra. **A REALLY IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT FABRIC CHOICES: If you have a large bust, I highly recommend using specialty fabric for the built-in bra for support. You can read more about fabrics that can provide more support on the 5oo4 blog here. Quality power net, power mesh, or compression fabric can make a HUGE difference in how much support you feel! If you are adding cups, or if your support layer is too rough for your delicate skin, you can use a lining. Swimsuit lining or nylon lycra work well. The top/tank/dress requires a light to medium weight fabric with at least 2-way 50% stretch, 20% vertical stretch, and good recovery. Lycra helps the fabric keep its shape. A fabric without Lycra will become baggier throughout the day. Keep in mind that fabric choice will greatly affect your final garment. Fabrics with more structure and higher spandex contents (cotton Lycra, athletic wicking, supplex, etc) will be tighter and boxier than lighter weight fabrics with more drape (bamboo Lycra, rayon spandex, double brushed poly, etc).

1/2 yard 56" wide (.5 m 150cm wide) for the bra and up to 2.5 yards for maxi dress in largest size.