Thread: Tips wanted how to put in a lining on a bedlah

I searched but didn't find any results for how to put a lining in a bra and belt set. I have done it before, but would like to do a better job on my next one. Any tips?

check out Shira's site Index to Articles About Belly Dance Costumes on Shira.net (Site Map)

Or Shushnna's site Shushanna Designs: How to Make Costumes

My only suggestion is to make sure that the lining material you choose to use is not 100% polyester. You will sweat buckets!

Thanks. Shushanna's site has a really detailed and illustrated description of how to cover a bra, I guess the lining could be done in a similar way. I like how she pins the fabric to the cups before cutting, that's where I have often made mistakes, cutting the fabric too small or too big.

Then I suppose you need to secure the lining in the center of the cup so that it doesn't shift around, will the stitch need go all the way through the bra?

I have directions on how to create an x-back dance top on my blog, including lining. Scroll on down to steps 33 and 34. I like to use t-shirt fabric or just leftover cotton. I don’t sew all the way through the bra, but I do make sure the needle passes through the cup. (I don’t want my stitching to poke through to the outside of the cups.)





You can see the same images bigger on my site if you need to see the thread more clearly.

Great question! I was wondering if there is a name to the stitch that people use to sew the fabric to the bra, that I could google to see how it's done? I was never taught how to hand sew, I just kind of wing it, and it takes me so long to add a liner that I'm sure there must be a more efficient way.

I just wing it too. When I did the liner, for the thread in the middle I just sewed up and down or in and out. It's easier to tack down the center before sewing the edges. For the edges, I poked the needle in the fabric and came up outside of it so it wrapped around the edges.

Some of mine are whip stitched

I whip stitch the edges and place a single stitch through the apex of the bra. Mind you, I have no stuffing in my bras. This could make the difference.

{{{HUGS}}}}

Use the patterns you used to cover the bra and belt, if applicable. If you are relining, carefully lay the pieces on the pattern material and trace around them, adding 1/4 to 1/2 inch margins for fold over and seam allowance. All pieces will need to be the same size as what covered the bedlah, EXCEPT for the cups. They will need to be smaller in general, and even smaller if you pad heavily.

Pick a fabric that is as close to the color of your bra as possible. Best bet is to use a cheap cotton; but, I am partial to whimsical fabrics. Fold the seam allowance under and whipstitch (this was the best photo I could find) the lining inside the bedlah. Do this before attaching hooks (although there are exceptions). And, be sure to work the lining fabric to be "tight", forcing it to fit snugly with your fingers as you stitch. Gaps will cause it to pucker out, make the hooks loose, and do bad things.

If you ever have to open up a liner (ex: to re-pad a bra), cut the whipstitching about where you need to get into the piece. then work the threads loose to knot it about an inch or so away from where you need to work. Keep pulling out the stitching until you can get easily into the costume. Then, knot the other side of the whole. You can then work in the area you need to and will only have to re-sew part of the costume, not the whole thing.

And, never, ever, ever embellish a costume with the lining in it. I don't care how careful you are, some of those stitches will come through the lining, pulling off your embellishments when the lining is removed. Similarly, whip stitched lining threads only hold the lining on, and never any embellishments. ;)

Happy sewing!

There's already a ton of great advice here- I'm just going to second (or third...) the recommendation to use T-shirt fabric or something that is a cotton with some stretch.

Regular cotton will work just fine, but, especially since you have said that you're a novice sewer, using something with a little stretch will give you a little wiggle room. Otherwise, if you end up with the lining being a little off, it can radically change the fit of the costume. I've had this happen to me in my own costume making, and one of my classmates brought a brand new costume that should have fit and didn't- after a messing with it we realized the lining was far smaller than the cup.

I whip stitch mine in also, and put a knot in to hold the apex of the cup down where it should be. I find that helps a lot, especially for larger cup sizes.