Thread: Defeated...by a bra...

I am so sad. I was doing all the right things to this bra and getting really optimistic about making my first costume (I've made skirts from scratch before & done lots of repairs & beading but never made a full bra / belt set before). I was all excited about its progress until I got close to the end. Now it just sucks. I took a regular bra that made my cleavage look breathtaking, cut off all the straps, reinforced the middle and sides, made new straps, covered in fuscia velvet, and it just no longer looks like anything fabulous. Then I drape my mirror & bell set over it and it looks like even less of anything. Previously, when I draped it over the original bra it looked fabulous because the cups were so molded to my form. Now the bra doesn't hold up as well or at least the shape isn't as defined under the stretch velvet. This project has taken me HOURS and I am just going to have to abandon it and try something else. Maybe I will try reinforcing the inside of the cups with stiff fabric as well (the cups are molded already but could probably be even stiffer. But the velvet is gathered in the center and I think that detracts from the look as well. I wish I had just spray painted the darn thing as it was originally!!! Has anyone ever used fabric stiffener on a bra and then spray painted it?

I have used fabric stiffener from Joanne fabric online. I used it after I covered the bra with fabric and decorated it.

It is a glue looking stiffener so I painted it on the inside of the cup. I used half balls of foam bought in a craft store, the same size as my breast (looked VERY strange when I was in the store holding up the different sizes next to the girls:-) I put wax paper over the foam half balls and set the bra over them after I brushed on the stiffener until they dried, to keep the round shape. You can just stick pins in to get the shape right.

Maybe you could try this since you put all the work into it?

Oh the balls are also good for traveling with a bra that you don't want to crumple.

I hope this helps, wish you luck! making bras is really hard! Have made 5 and they came out well but hard.

One thing to think about- did the bra fit exactly without fabric? I usually buy bras a cup size up at least, they tend to get smaller as you sew fabric on.