Thread: Lame fabric? Making first bra/belt....

Hi All,

I have been obsessing about making my own costume for awhile, and finally I have decided to do it! It won't be easy I know, but I am prepared! I have so-so sewing skills but I consider myself crafty....,r:;

That being said, I just have a couple questions. I searched long and hard on bhuz and google for info, but haven't found something that answered my concern.

I found this gorgeous lame fabric I intend to use to cover the bra and belt. The lame is a heavier weight than tissue lame. I'm wondering if this would be OK for covering a bra/belt? I have read that it is better to use stretch fabric, although I don't understand why??? I will be using denim or some stiff fabric as the base, with lining, etc. I don't intend to do any beading if at all. I only intend to sew on some appliques, and sequins here and there.

Side question:
I have read in some threads that when beading, it is best to only go through the top fabric layer of either the bra or belt. Why is that? Wouldn't it be more secure to at least sew the cover fabric to a base, then put on the sequins/beadings, etc?
The same concern goes with appliques. When I sew them on, do I sew through all layers?

Thanks!

-ecnyx

The reason that stretch fabric is recommended is because it is much easier and gives a neater finish. If you are covering a rounded surface (bra cup) with something flat (non-stretch fabric) you will either end up with it wrinkly, or if you do a good job, with lots of darts. It is best if these darts lie to the bottom half of the cup, then at least the top line of the cup will be smooth, and you can bead or applique over the darted area. Once the fabric is attached it makes no difference if it is stretch or non stretch.
Some people prefer to have costumes only beaded on the top layer because it makes it possible to adjust bra size etc. Personally I sew through all or some of the layers because I want my beading secure, and I'm making the costume to fit right anyway.

My first thought was that lame would detract from the embellishments you would add to the bra and belt.

For your first, I recommend using a stretch fabric because it is so much easier.

I embellish all the way through, not just the top layer. I do that mostly because I want to make sure I like how the fabric lays before I do anything else.

Good luck and enjoy the process!

If you use Lame, I would make it more supportive by using a fusible interfacing for the back. Make sure to use a wash cloth or piece of fabric between the iron and the lame, because it will burn!

I make the bra and belt base completely and then embellish by only sewing through the top layers. In my experience sewing the beadwork all the way through the bra or belt has a tendency to make the bra cups specifically a smaller size. In addition it is more difficult to pull a needle through all of that fabric and unnecessary. Not to mention how ugly and scratchy that makes the wrong side - which is not a problem if you intend to line the wrong side when you are done any way.

Unless you have a lot of sewing experience with fitting bust darts or you know someone who sews and who can do the fitting, I would suggest finding a commercial lingerie or swimsuit pattern to help you get the right 3-D shape out of non-stretch fabric. Depending on the end product you're hoping for (i.e., if you don't want super-pointy bullet cups), you may find that getting the darts to lie neatly is a real challenge without some hints on how to position them.

I've had the best luck with using an old bra pattern that comes in two pieces for the cup--hard to describe, but the top piece is sort of a distorted rainbow and the bottom piece is eye/almond shaped. This style does make a seam that runs along the top of the cup about an inch and a half down, but this is easy to cover with decorations. Running a wide band of design down the tops of the cups is a classic style, and a lot of commercial costumes still use this idea, so it doesn't look homemade or weird. Even if you were hoping for the modern minimalist look, you could put a thin line of beading or rhinestones directly over the seam.

As for whether to sew all the way through or just on top of the cups, that depends on the weight of your decorations and the cup materials. If you are using a lot of heavy beading, it makes sense to use the heft of the cup for stabilization, but if you are using a commercially molded cup as your base, the weight may cause the foam rubber to develop stress holes. This shouldn't be an issue for non-molded cups or if you reinforce the molded cups with a substantial woven fabric. If you are going to use just light sequins or trim, you can probably keep the designs on the top layer regardless of the base, unless your fabric is unusually flimsy.

Wow! Thanks everyone for your response! I'm a bit bummed about the possibility of not using the lame...... I'm going for a shinier fabric because I don't intend to embellish much.....GRRRR..decisions decisions....

Thanks again!

If you cut the fabric on the bias, that help a bit with the stretch. You can also pinch and pleat the fabric in the middlle instead of darts. This makes the pleats part of the decoration. Somewhere there are photos of this.

I used lame (not tissue lame) on my first project and it was a disaster. I know people who have finished and worn lame bra and belt sets and while some turned out pretty well, they were made by people who had a lot of costuming/sewing experience. Beginning costumers (like me) finally threw up their hands or ended up with something they couldn't wear for anything but a student night or a hafla.

I've had a lot of luck with stretch velvet for bra/belt bases. I'm not a fan of crushed velvet but it worked well also. Plus it was a bit cheaper than the lame, which made me less scared of "wasting" it.

Originally Posted by ecnyx

Wow! Thanks everyone for your response! I'm a bit bummed about the possibility of not using the lame...... I'm going for a shinier fabric because I don't intend to embellish much.....GRRRR..decisions decisions....

Thanks again!

Don't panic--you can still use the lame fabric! Just get a sewing pattern like KwikSew 2489 so that you won't have to spend hours on trial and error. You might still want to make a test run on muslin, so you understand the cup construction and get the sizing right. Pick the next cup size up so that it will fit over the top of the bra base and leave a little more seam allowance on the outer perimeter to wrap around. You can freestyle the rest of the process or use their directions as a starting point. (Obviously, you won't want to follow everything they say because you want a costume bra, not a piece of lingerie with adjustable straps.)

I sew all the way through the bra when beading and, because of that, I second Fayrouz Farasha about the fact that the bra cup will decrease in size.

I've used tissue lame in the past (twice, actually) and have never had a problem getting it to fit over cups with one large dart in the lower section that I can then cover with embellishments. I love working with crushed panne velvet -- a little stretch, very forgiving -- but because it's stretchy, watch out for stretching it while covering the cups! If you s-t-r-e-t-c-h it over the cups at all, you will reduce your cup size! Then if you end up beading all the way through the bra cups, you'll end up with really pretty pasties! ACK!

Deborah

Kwik Sew and Elan have excellent patterns for bras, I've used both with good results. If you are looking for underwires to go into them, you can get all the sizes (there is a difference-ever had one pinch you?) at Lingerie Fabrics, Bra Supplies, Lycra® - Sew Sassy Fabrics

I've bought from them before, mostly because my area really bites for getting sewing supplies......cr.:

i've covered my bras with lycra. works great, only use one layer (sufficient enough and you can't see through to the actual cups). i also sew my beads through the cups. haven't had an issue with the cup being smaller