Thread: covering a bra....with NON stretch material

Originally Posted by jenlindseys

It will probably end up looking a lot better this way, but take a little more time. No? Is this the easiest technique for you? I guess I was a little worried because I don't plan to cover the bra near the armpit area with many beads/sequin. Mostly just a large trim near the top/chest curve and a beaded trim around the whole bra.

Time-wise, it depends on how much time you wind up putzing around with the pleats and darts to try and make it look just-so. I know with this method exactly how it will look, that there'll be no bulk to cover up and about how long it will take me to do (which isn't long once you get the hang of it). On the other hand, if you're going to have a minimalist look with little or no decoration, you'll have a seam through the middle to deal with. It really all comes down to the finished look that you're going for.

A quick addition to the dart advice, so expertly given.

If you stop the dart tip an inch or so away from the exact " peak" of the cup, you'll get less nipple accent and should still get all the benefits of the dart.

post pics, I'm excited to see the progress!

Originally Posted by jenlindseys

hmmm, this project might need to wait a bit. Haha. Might need some more thinking to be put into it.
Iam not sure how I could shape the fabric before I put it onto the cup, unless I gather it on the machine before I baste it to the cup.
how do you put shape to non stretch fabric? maybe this is a bit advanced for me.
I have a lesson on my serger today and maybe I'll take it to ask the lady there. she's a pretty amazing seamstress. Its a free lesson because I bought my machine there, so I'm not sure how much help she will want to give on this...but its worth a shot!

The secret to turning two flat pieces into a single three dimensional piece is the shape of the cut. A dome or bra cup shape is made from two curved pieces. Picture an egg, cut in in half, you'll have two pieces with curved side, kinda like this ( ). Now, flip the two pieces so the curves are together, like this )(. Now, stitch the curved edges together.
Now when working with bra cups, you need to "tip" the () on it's side, so that the seam moves from one side of the cup to the other, dividing it in a top half and a bottom half.
Another method is to place the right side of the fabric against the bottom half of the bra, and sew it to the cup at the center of the cup, moving from one side across the fullest part down to the other side. The () tipped on it's side. Anyway, flip the fabric up so right side is up, pin and fit it to the upper half of the bra, starting at the point where the strap attaches and smoothing the fabric outward towards the center and sides. Then, put the fabric right side down against the upper half of the cup (the part you just finished covering), and sew it along the same seam line used before. Flip the fabric down and pull it smooth to cover the lower section of the cup, beginning in the center bottom of the cup.
Dina Lydia and Dawn DeVine both have books that describe in detail & illustrations how to cover bras.

thanks ladies...good ideas again. I didn't get to post pictures yet. I left my project at my boyfriends on superbowl night and his house got broken into yesterday!
no worries- they didn't steal my costume project, haha....but I was in a tizzy about the other things they stole and am still not over it

Originally Posted by acmcgraw

A quick addition to the dart advice, so expertly given.

If you stop the dart tip an inch or so away from the exact " peak" of the cup, you'll get less nipple accent and should still get all the benefits of the dart.

post pics, I'm excited to see the progress!

Yes so true - I should have specified in my description that you would stop short of the actual nipple point with the dart...no need to create a pointy nipple effect! LOL

It sounds like you found a great solution, Jen - yes, good thinking to sew down your darts in the area with the most decorative coverage. Can't wait to see it!

can you please post a link to the photos you took of your project Jenn as i attempt to make my own costumes at home and dont want that home made look either. So i will learn a lot from seeing what you did.

aaliyah, the thread is over 2 yrs old, and it doesn't look like jenlinsdeys is posting much these days.

You might want to take a look at some of the recent "what are you working on" threads to see pics of costumes in progress.