Thread: How to extend bra band?

Greetings, O costume wise ones,

I bought a bedlah from a Bhuzzer a while back that sounded like it would just barely fit me, but alas, when it arrived I found it was a teench too small. I thought about altering it but never figured out exactly what to do, so it went into the Limbo of Eventual Projects.

A few days ago I tried on the belt on the off chance that it might work with a new skirt-and-top set, and voila! Guess those two pounds I just lost were exactly enough to do the trick. Now I am motivated to make the whole thing work, especially since the cups of the bra actually fit really well. However, the band of the bra is about an inch too small -- can't make contact at all.

Anyone have a good suggestion for how to extend the bra a bit? It is covered with gold sequins and beads, so if I try to sew a piece in, it might be kind of tricky to make it match. I thought about maybe putting some kind of decorative ring at one end, but I can't figure out what I would hook it to. Any ideas?

Originally Posted by JeanneLF

It is covered with gold sequins and beads, so if I try to sew a piece in, it might be kind of tricky to make it match.

If you have any accessories that came with it, like arm or head bands, you can use their beads to cover your extension. Or you could just get the closest you can find in gold beads and sequins to match and use those.

The extension itself should be made of about 4" of grosgrain ribbon with a 4" strip of thick interfacing cut to the same size. Cover that is a fabric similar to the base fabric of your bra, attach it to one of the band straps, and then decorate it to match with the beads and sequins.

I hope that helps.

Originally Posted by shushanna

If you have any accessories that came with it, like arm or head bands, you can use their beads to cover your extension.

Nope, there's no accessories. Guess I'll just have to get sequins -- fortunately, gold is not a difficult color to find them in!

Thanks for your advice.

I've covered extensions with a close match to the fabric if I didn't have something extra from the costume itself, and then stuck a big crystal or brooch on to cover most of it.

Originally Posted by nitara

I've covered extensions with a close match to the fabric if I didn't have something extra from the costume itself, and then stuck a big crystal or brooch on to cover most of it.

This was my thought, too. Of course you will be able to see the difference, but when it's on and you're moving it won't be as noticeable. If you have long hair it will be obscured even more. If there are other colors in the costume you can go for a contrasting decorative element rather than an exact match that blends.