About Us

Hi, I'm Helen.  Or the 'Nellie' in Nellie Joans.

I absolutely love sewing and I love sewing lingerie in particular.  I’m also passionate about helping beginner bra makers start out in this challenging, fascinating and rewarding hobby.

I remember when I first became interested in sewing my own lingerie and how bewildering it all seemed to be.  I sketched up a large image of a bra and with every blog or book I read I added more and more notes and question marks to it....powernet / powermesh? Frame / cradle? Tricot? What was all this new terminology and fabric?

Then came the sourcing of materials.  My first bra related instagram post is captioned 'Attempting to sew lingerie with very little access to lingerie fabrics and notions.  We will see...'

It took me two years from my initial interest in bra making to my first handmade bra!

And so my aim for Nellie Joans is to try and help clear up any confusion that new lingerie sewists may be feeling.  All items for sale shall have clear, informative descriptions so that you know specifically what each item can be used for and the blog will cross reference these items with actual sewn garments.

For those lingerie sewists with more experience, then I hope to fill my blog and shop with lots of inspiration for you.  My personal style is eclectic and arty - I adore colour, textiles and all sorts of fashion styles.  I plan on having curated collections but ones that aren't rigidly stuck to one style - because that's just not me. 

Lets create some gorgeous lingerie together!

Helen (Nellie)