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Dear Muddled,
A lingerie bra goes through some dramatic changes to transform
it into a well-constructed costume piece. It must be covered
with costume fabric, reinforced, and ornamented. Many dancers
would like to make a beautiful costume bra, but the fabric-covering
part is too difficult, mostly because they don't know the tricks.
If you have good hand-sewing skills, you should be able to cover
a bra using these instructions and following my diagram.
A ready-made velvet-covered bra such as those made by Victoria’s
Secret is a suitable substitute for those who find the following
instructions too much of a challenge, but it may still need reinforcement.
You will need:
- About 3/8 of a yard of costume fabric. (See Fabric
Choices--a fabric with a bit of stretch will be easier to
work with.)
- Grosgrain ribbon in ½” and 1” widths
- Skirt hooks and eyes
- Firm non-roll 3/4" elastic
- About 1/8 yard of heavy interfacingBra pads (if applicable)
Purchasing The Foundation Bra
Start with a well-fitting, well-made underwire bra. If you
plan to add padding, you may start with a cup that is one size
larger than you normally wear. If cups seem slightly too close
together or too far apart, make a seam or extension in center
front to correct the problem. The cups should be as
sturdy as possible, to support the weight of any fringe or coins
you add. If the cup seems too soft, it needs to be lined with
a stiff bra cup such as those made for swimsuits, or interfaced
on the inside. If your breast seems to ooze out of the bottom
when you raise your arms, either the band is too loose or the
center strip is sewn too high up between the cups. Adding a second
lower center strip between the cups may fix this problem. If
your breast bulges out of the top or sides, the cup is too small,
obviously.
Replacing And Covering The Straps
Replace the elastic shoulder straps with grosgrain ribbon
or heavy interfacing. The elastic won't be firm enough to support
the weight of beads or coins. The ribbon or interfacing will
be covered with costume fabric or decorative trim, after the
bra cups are covered. Try on the bra, make sure the straps are
tight enough to be supportive and mark attachment line with safety
pins. (Don't sew them on yet.) If converting to halter, mark
the center back of neck. A second set of straps may have to be
added if finished bra is particularly heavy.
Reinforce the back of the midriff strap from the center to
the shoulder strap with ribbon to provide strength for closure
and shoulder straps. What you want is a non-stretch center back,
while leaving stretch in the sides for comfort. This will make
the strap slightly tighter, so try it on again and adjust the
fit. Leave an inch or so of overlap at the center back.
Cover the back and side straps. To allow the sides of the
bra to retain a degree of stretch, they can be covered several
ways, as illustrated.
- For a solid, covered strap, cut a piece of fabric the size
of the stretched strap, adding ½ inch all around to turn
under. Pin fabric to strap, stretching elastic as you do. Hand
sew this fabric to the midriff strap with zigzag stitches, which
expand and contract with elastic. (Straight stitches will prevent
elastic from stretching and result in a too-tight fit.) The stitches
should appear long and slanted on the inside of bra and very
small on outside. If sewn properly, the finished strap will appear
slightly puckered on the side and will expand smoothly when worn.
- For a double side strap, cut off side of bra, leaving elastic
stubs about a half-inch long.. Replace lingerie elastic with
½” or ¾” non-roll elastic, stitching
it securely to stubs of lingerie elastic or bra cup, and to the
reinforced ribbon at center back. Try it on and adjust the fit.
It should be snug but not stretched to the maximum. Cover these
elastic straps with elastic trim such as stretch sequins, or
use decorative ribbon sewn on in zigzag stitch as described above.
Overlap the trim where the straps converge and continue across
back.
Sew the skirt hooks and eyes to the back closure with heavy
thread. Do not leave the original flimsy lingerie hooks in place.
Do not secure it with safety pins!! It's not a bad idea to add
a second set of hooks on the other end of overlap, to distribute
the stress on the closure.
Covering The Cups And Straps
Cover the cups, starting with the bottom half. Cut a generous
oval bigger than the cup. The top edge of this piece should be
slightly higher than the apex of the cup. Pin, adjusting dart
until piece fits smoothly over cup. If a large size cup, two
darts an inch or so apart might work better than one. Trim, leaving
a ¼ ” margin all around. Baste the top raw edge flat
just above the apex of the cup-- this will be covered by the
second piece. Pin around the underwired edge, turning under margin
neatly so that the raw edge is hidden. Don’t leave the messy
raw edge on underside of cup. Sew darts and around edges, using
small slipstitches. Most of this stitching will be hidden by
trim and decorations. Just make sure the fabric fits smoothly
over cup with no wrinkles.
Cover the top half with a rectangular strip cut on the bias
(for woven fabric) or stretchy grain (of knit) to allow some
give. The seamline should be at the apex of the cup. Pin to fit
and sew neatly as described above. If sewn properly, the cup
should be smoothly covered with unobtrusive seams and nearly
invisible stitches.
Completely cover the straps with costume fabric or matching
trim, using hand or machine stitching.
Assemble The Bra
Pin the straps to the cups and back strap. Try it on, adjusting
if necessary. Once you have the proper fit, securely sew the
straps into place. If using halter straps, sew hooks to the back
of the neck. If straps are snug, but the bra still sags, a second
set of straps an inch or two closer to center may solve the problem
and look good too.
Cover the center of the bra between the cups with costume
fabric, if it will be visible under ornament.
Add bra pads, if you wish more fullness and have allowed for
a slightly larger cup size. The pads are usually placed at outside
or bottom half of bra for push-together or push-up effect. Do
not overpad bra: this will cause it to stand away from the body.
Your bra is ready to be decorated!
--The Costume Goddess
Note from Shira: although my usual web site policy is to
not recommend specific vendors, I will sometimes do so for products
that are very difficult to find. It's extremely difficult to
find bras in the extra-large sizes that are suitable as a base
for costume construction, so I've made an exception to that rule
to bring you two web sites that The Costume Goddess found which
sell them:
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