Thread: Bra padding 101

OK ladies, HELP ME, PLEASE!

I have always been either a 36D or 36DD. So as you can imagine, I have never padded a bra in my life. I can take pads OUT like a champ, but putting it in? No idea.

Now that I've lost some weight (about 15 pounds this round- going for 6-8 more), I have gone from a size 10 to a 6, and from a full 36D (bordering a DD)to a soft, squishy 34D/36C, depending on who's measuring. I sold 1 costume and a couple of my costume bra's actually look better, but my 2 newest costumes both desperately need to be padded- the bras were already a smidge big, and there is about an inch of empty bra at the top of the cups.

If you want to read about my horror of NOT asking for help, read the thread where I'm asking for advice on cleaning my Bella. Clearly, I need help. So...

What kind of pads should I buy?

Where do I buy them? (I am in a relatively large metro area- the Twin Cities, MN)

How do I attach them to my costume bras?

Are they filled with goo? (see Bella-cleaning thread)

Should I buy several and sew them in, or is there a better option?

What else should I know (in case I know so little that I don't even know what to ask)?

I know that there are master-padders out there! I want to learn!

i buy that poly stuffing that u stuff pillows with. make a small cut at the bottom of the lining on the cup and stuff on side and bottom of cups, sew lining back.

I made some myself by filling up the toe area of old panty hose and stuffing it with poly fill. I then molded it to the bottom of the cup and sewed. It acts like kind of a shelf...

Great explaining pic´s Andalee!

I buy shoulderpads myself,cut them into a good shelf then sew them securely under the lining.

When I used to pad my bras this is what I did:
1. I always lined my sets with felt, but it would work with other fabric. I would leave open, or cut the stitching of the lining at the top outside corner / side.
2. using the same material Zana mentioned, place it in there. Basically you want the stuffing to go on the bottom outer corner. The same way most push up bras are done. That is the most flattering.
3. Stitch the lining back, but of course try it on to see if you need more.
4. After you performed in it a few times you will need to add more, because the volume of the padding reduces as all the air is deflated out of it.

The main thing is the have your padding between the lining and the bra, not between the lining and you - it would move around, and probably come out during a performance - oh no!!
Some people use shoulder pads, silicone pads, but I think using this method is the cheapest and easiest, because it's hard to tell if a shoulder pad is enough. With this stuffing you can use exactly as much as you need. You can take some out later, etc.

I was able to pad bras as big as 36DD when I was a 34 B. My previous teacher gave me a Pharaonics costume as a present, it was worth about $800, so I was going to say no. I just had to pad, and no one could tell that I did. I even have pics to prove it :)

I was normally a 34 C but when I lost weight I was a B borderlining on an A. This costume below was a DD, and you can't tell that 80 % if the bra is padding and the rest is... me. :)

Attachment 15694

I open the lining and use the polyfil for pillows. Shape it how I want it then sew the lining back down.

Congrats on the weight loss. What did you do?

Noussa's, at least the one I had (the yellow one...) was stuffed... I mean STUFFED with polyfil.

depending on level of push up I need i either get one of these.

Dritz® Molded Foam Bra Cups - Fits C/D Cup*: foundations*: sewing & quilting*: Shop | Joann.com

Dritz® Push-Up Bust Enhancers*: foundations*: sewing & quilting*: Shop | Joann.com

when you put them in the bra you angel them and place more to the side rather than under

Ladies - great ideas !!!!!

and on the weight lost!

I use the foam cups SaNoorah suggested and trim the tops so that they are far away from the edge of the bra (I dont like the bra standing out away from my body). I tack them in on the bottom outside and try it on, adjust the straps and see if I need a bit more padding (fibrefill stuffed between the bra and the foam cup) and then completely tack the foam to the costume bra.

I am a barely-A and padded a full C bella bra and it doesnt look "padded" at all :-)

I love everybody's padding ideas! Following very closely. I'm a barely A-cupper, so padding is a way of life here ,r:;

Depending on the shape of the bra, I'll either add poly stuffing like Zana suggested (this works great for hard Egyptian bras) or I'll cut up a Frederick's of Hollywood Extreme Cleavage bra (those bras have the most amazing padding built in!) and sew the cups into my costume bra. Sometimes, before I stitch everything into place, I'll even put some poly stuffing behind the Frederick's cups to make the inside of the bra convex - then, the "girlfriends" have nowhere to go but up and out!

Thank you so much for everyone's ideas! I went to Joann's and bought the poly-fil that people suggested, as well as several types of pads. I got one of my bras to fit perfectly, and the other one that needs major help (my Bella)- I'm going to start working on that one now. Thanks, everyone!

Originally Posted by SaNoorah

depending on level of push up I need i either get one of these.

Dritz® Molded Foam Bra Cups - Fits C/D Cup : foundations : sewing & quilting : Shop | Joann.com

Dritz® Push-Up Bust Enhancers : foundations : sewing & quilting : Shop | Joann.com

when you put them in the bra you angel them and place more to the side rather than under

That, what she said. Works like a charm!

One of my teachers is not very large chested, but she looks fantastic in her bras. Her secret is to use socks wrapped in donut shape. The "hole" gives a place for the nipple to sit and it will keep your breast in place...no accidental slippage or pop-ups that can happen with more traditional padding. She places the padding under the bra lining. Stunning!

Originally Posted by SatinWorship19

I love everybody's padding ideas! Following very closely. I'm a barely A-cupper, so padding is a way of life here ,r:;

Depending on the shape of the bra, I'll either add poly stuffing like Zana suggested (this works great for hard Egyptian bras) or I'll cut up a Frederick's of Hollywood Extreme Cleavage bra (those bras have the most amazing padding built in!) and sew the cups into my costume bra. Sometimes, before I stitch everything into place, I'll even put some poly stuffing behind the Frederick's cups to make the inside of the bra convex - then, the "girlfriends" have nowhere to go but up and out!

I've done this, too, for bras that needed extreme help.

Get gels! They're gel bra bads. They're amazing. I don't have any, but troupemates do. You'd have to just keep them out of costumes to interchange them, but they kind of stick to you so I don't think they'd ever fall out

Thanks for the tips on this thread! I am a 28E on a small frame, so thought I'd never have to pad, but having tried on my first costume which i bought a year or 18 months ago, I have lost a bit of weight off my bust and it gaps a little, so out comes the padding! Just as an aside, I visited Eman and Sahar to get costumes in Cairo and both of them suggested I pad - they are the experts, so I went with it!

Originally Posted by shimmytwin

Get gels! They're gel bra bads. They're amazing. I don't have any, but troupemates do. You'd have to just keep them out of costumes to interchange them, but they kind of stick to you so I don't think they'd ever fall out

She did that until the gel sack popped and dribbled goo all over her Bella.....c::

So I don't think she'd want to go that route again

Originally Posted by shimmytwin

Get gels! They're gel bra bads. They're amazing. I don't have any, but troupemates do. You'd have to just keep them out of costumes to interchange them, but they kind of stick to you so I don't think they'd ever fall out

Noooooooooooo!!!!! I know not one, but two dancers who have had traumatic runaway chicken cutlet experiences at restaurant gigs! Even the adhesive kind can get slippery against oily or sweaty skin. I personally wouldn't try this unless you felt like tempting Murphy's Law.

Now, I've heard of dancers making a small slit in the lining of their bras to insert their choice of of gel-filled "cookie." When it comes to falsies, this would keep things secure and be a much safer way to go

Dribbling gel on a bella? NOOOOOOOOO. How awful!

Originally Posted by shimmytwin

Dribbling gel on a bella? NOOOOOOOOO. How awful!

It was SOOOO traumatic. The safety pins I used to pin the pads in place punctured them, and the spurted horrible goo all over the inside of my brand new Bella! It was horrible- soaked through the bra and was visible! I sent my husband to Wal-Mart at 12:30 am for Woolite (only place open 24 hours- normally I despise Wal-Mart) while I searched Bhuz for advice on how to clean costumes. I soaked the bra in Woolite, lightly scrubbed with a baby toothbrush, and it came out PERFECTLY- no sign on anything! <relief>

So I'm trying to avoid goo-filled ones. However, I did buy myself some cutlets and they are EXACTLY what I needed for my other new costume, so I'm going to sew in a little extra liner to tuck them in- sort of like a pillowcase, but that opens on the top and folds over to keep them in. So far it's working, it's just not sewn in yet.

But the cutlets won't be enough for the Bella- those cups are BIG! For that one, I'll need to use the Poly-Fil advice from this thread! Love Bhuzzers!