The Sewing Place
The Emporia => What lies beneath... => Topic started by: BrendaP on March 02, 2017, 22:15:07 PM
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A bra is anly a small garment but it needs a lot of different fabrics, elastics and hardware. Buying a kit is one way of getting all (or most!) of the bits needed but in time you will amass a stash of some things and need to stock up on other bits.
Drawing of bra anatomy attached so that it's clear which bit I'm referring to.
Sometimes the wing and the outer part of the cradle are cut as one, sometimes there is a dividing seam.
Cups have at least two pieces, often three or more pieces.
Fabrics:
Generally it is recomended that knit fabrics are used for bras rather than woven fabrics. IMO that is probably as much to do with the non-fray properties of most knits and the narrow seam allowances (1/4"- 6mm) used.
For comfort in wearing the wings need to be stretchy, but at the same time quite strong as much of the support actually comes from the wings. Firm/heavy powernet is best, or a heavyweight lycra but if in doubt use your lycra fabric double.
The bridge, and the rest of the cradle if not cut with the wing piece, needs to be rigid; ie non-stretch. The fabric often recommended is duoplex. Other fabrics will need to be underlined with a non-stretch 15 denier 'bra lining'. Plain net curtain fabric will also work so long as it doesn't fray.
The lower cup also should be non-stretch and underlined with 'bra lining.
The upper cup can have a little stretch in smaller sizes, but larger sizes should be underlined.
If you want to use lace for the cups use skin coloured bra lining.
Elastics:
The lower band elastic is the most important. It is plush on one side and usually with a picot edge.
The under arm elastic is similar, but usually a bit narrower
Some bras have a neckline elastic which is narrow with a fancy edge. Often it's the same sort of elastic which is used around knicker legs. If the upper cup is lace it's more usual to sew a very narrow (2mm if you can get it) soft elastic, or transparent swimwear elastic, along the inside of the cup just below the dips of the lace scallops.
Strap elastic, also sold as suspender elastic, is quite firm with only a little stretch. It comes in a range of widths from about 8mm up to 25mm. The bigger the bra/cups and the more support that needed the wider the strap elastic should be.
Wire channelling is a fabric tube which is stitched around seam between the cups and the cradle and into which the wires are inserted. It is usually a plush fabric but occasionally smooth knit. A non-wire style bra still needs either channelling or a seam tape stitched over the seams.
Hardware:
Hook and eye fastenings are the usual back closure. They can be 1, 2, 3 or more hooks deep and usually have two or three rows of eyes for adjustment. The hooks are always attached the right back and the eyes to the left back.
For a front fastening bra either a bikini clip or hooks with a single row of hooks can be used. The difficulty is fitting it into the width of the bridge.
The straps are usually made with one end passing through a ring and then to an adjustable slider. The ring is attached to the back of the wing, usually by means of a short piece of strap elastic. The diameter of rings and sliders should match the width of the strap elastic. Wider straps use a second pair of sliders in place of the rings.
Wires:
There are a number of different styles of wire depending on the style of bra and it is important to but the right style and the right size. Here is a lot of useful information about bra wires.
[http://sewingchest.co.uk/index.php?cPath=91_37_54]
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A mine of info Brenda - bra-making is one of those things on my to-try list. I always gulp at the ridiculous prices for lingerie here in France.
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Making your own lingerie isn't the cheap option!
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I still think it's a lot cheaper. The Bwear "kits" that include everything run about £20. I regularly buy bras at £22 which I expect only to last 2-3 month before the underwires snap or the seams tear. £40-£50 usually means they'll last the year. And I handwash all of them!
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Might have made a bit of a splurge on Goldhawk today. Well an £11 splurge.
Found a shop selling polyester satin that has a nice feel to it, feels high quality and quite soft. Lots of colours and only £2 p/m so I bought 5 colours! Thought it would be good to give it a go.
I read the Orange Lingerie article on what fabrics to buy and it suggested they should be: low or no-stretch (check), smooth (check) and lightweight (check). I think I might need to line the cups with that rigid nylon cup liner I have because the natural give of this stuff is quite substantial due to its light weight.
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Question for those bra makers...
I picked up some powernet/mesh yesterday but it's quite soft and stretchy.
Should it be though? I haven't measured the stretch on it but it seems quite substantial. This stuff really is soft with a fair bit of drape. Softer than the stuff I got from BWear.
I'm wondering if I should double it...
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The lightweight powermesh isn't strong enough for bra wings. You have used the kits from BWear so you know what to look for.
I have bought all sorts of stuff, a lot of it from Sewing Chest, but unless it's descried as heavy/firm/strong it's not suitable. You might be able to use it doubled, but that makes the sewing trickier.
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I picked up some powernet/mesh yesterday but it's quite soft and stretchy.
Should it be though?
Yes, it should be like that as you've found the powermesh that dance makers use for costumes. It's used for its stretchy transparency rather than its hold. It's made in many different colours as it's not for underwear like the firmer powernet.
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I still think it's a lot cheaper. The Bwear "kits" that include everything run about £20. I regularly buy bras at £22 which I expect only to last 2-3 month before the underwires snap or the seams tear. £40-£50 usually means they'll last the year. And I handwash all of them!
I haven't bought any bras in the UK yet. I stocked up on my favorite brand - Wacoal - before I left America. They were upwards of 65 dollars each over there - expensive, yes. I don't even know if the brand is available here but they are beautifully fitting bras. If they are here, no doubt they are around £60 each so I might just have to learn to make my own.
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Selfridges stock Wacol, but I think you are north of the border.
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Selfridges stock Wacol, but I think you are north of the border.
Yes, I am but I could probably do mail order. I wish Selfridges was up here. :(
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The House of Fraser sells Wacoal as well, so try Frasers/Jenners in Edinburgh. The are also 'Frasers' in Glasgow and Loch Lomond.
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The House of Fraser sells Wacoal as well, so try Frasers/Jenners in Edinburgh. The are also 'Frasers' in Glasgow and Loch Lomond.
Thanks, Utta. I will try there. :)
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... I regularly buy bras at £22 which I expect only to last 2-3 month before the underwires snap or the seams tear. £40-£50 usually means they'll last the year. And I handwash all of them!
Bit late to respond to this, but I've only just seen it - I buy £16 bras from M&S and they last a couple of years, and I machine wash them 0_0
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Bit late to respond to this, but I've only just seen it - I buy £16 bras from M&S and they last a couple of years, and I machine wash them 0_0
I was thinking about M&S. I'll have a look and see what I can find.
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M&S do their sizing, so don't buy your usual thinking it will fit.
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M&S do their sizing, so don't buy your usual thinking it will fit.
Thanks for that, Utta, I have yet to translate my American bra size into UK anyway
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Best advice is to be fitted. I am a consistent 32F across several brands but after squeezing into M&S's, I was in no mood to try any other sizes.
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@BrendaP I see you have a whole line up of bras in the gallery! They are gorgeous :loveit:
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Best advice is to be fitted. I am a consistent 32F across several brands but after squeezing into M&S's, I was in no mood to try any other sizes.
Being fitted anywhere (not just M&S), in my opinion, is not a good idea at all. Most places that fit you have a stake in getting your size to align with their product. If you're just at the swap between a readily-available cup size and a rarer one, they're going to put you in the one that they sell in more variations.
I strongly recommend people who want a better idea of their size to visit A Bra That Fits (https://www.reddit.com/r/ABraThatFits/) and do your own measurements using their calculator. Also use their advice to find out what breast shape and roots you have. These are not things that most places will bother with but they are important to getting the right fit (whereas some shops have shapes that work best for only one type of breast shape or root, so they won't tell you something that is contrary to their product).
I am a 40FF, wide roots, even fullness 0_0 This means I can tell what is more likely to fit me and also get a better overview of product available. The site linked above is great for asking for advice once you know your size and shape and every time I've been recommended a particular bra based on my shape I've found it to be good.