Bra adventures » Bra alterations

5

Jul 15, 2015

::looks at the beautiful 30D - Fauve » Delphine Padded Half Cup Bra (0381)::

::looks at website::

::looks at bra::

::looks at website::

::tries on bra again::

Hmmmmmmmmm. If no one wants to buy this from me, maybe it won't go to waste in my closet.

http://www.allsfairinloveandlingerie.com/?p=38

http://www.allsfairinloveandlingerie.com/?p=38

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Shared on Jul 15, 2015 Flag this
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1

Bending the underwire at the gore?

I've read from various people here that they bend their underwire out at the gore so that it doesn't stab them in the sternum. I'm wondering where to do the bending at?

I've got one or two bras that seem to be the right band size, cups fit well, but by the end of the day the underwire is poking ... in so much at the gore that I'm in pain! It was poking in at the top, so I tried to bend it out at the bottom of the gore, but now there's a lot of pressure at the bottom! Do you bend out from further out in the cups?

Just looking for a bit of advice before I bend this one all out of shape!
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Shared on Jun 21, 2015 Flag this

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- I bend them just before where the wires start to be parallel. This seems to work on my Marcie clones, anyway. Good luck!
  
  Edited: about an inch below the top of the gore on my Marcies. YMMV with other bras.
- I bent the gore out right where it started to touch my sternum on my (yet to be added to bratabase) Juna, which was about a half inch from the top of the gore at the center. Didn't need much of a bend to alleviate the end of the day pain; I was worried about altering the cup fit by making too drastic an adjustment.
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2

Silicone backed elastic vs regular plush elastic

Since most of my 30 bands are just way too stretchy, I've added ribbon to them to reduce their stretch, and for now, it works great. But I've been looking into adding elastic for a more comfortable fit, and I came across silicone backed elastic, which sounds great! Silicone should reduce the stretch, thus making the elastic last a bit ... longer. But possibly this is overkill? And wearing silicone all day might chafe, but I could always sew it so that the silicone is on the inside...

Anyway, does anyone have preference as to elastics for bra bands? I've looked at elastics from SewSassy and Bramakerssupply. BMS has firm elastics, but it's unclear whether they're also plush backed, which I like. There's no real significant difference in elastics, is there? The shipping at both these stores is really pricey. I think I'll try to buy local before resorting to online stores.
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Shared on Jun 03, 2015 Flag this

3 comments
- I haven't used it but if it is what is on most strapless bras it is super uncomfortable for me. have you tried shortening the bands themselves without using elastic? I just shortened the bands on two of my bras and am extremely happy with them!
- Dvrgrl812 - nah, I'm not interested in permanent alterations. If the elastic thing works out, I've basically got my favorite bras for life (or as long as the straps/fabrics last) since I can just keep replacing the elastic as needed.
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May 12, 2015

Has anyone tried to alter their bra so that the bra wires overlap rather than rest next to one another (at the top of the gore)? How might I go about doing this and reinforcing it in a way that won't put undue strain on the rest of the bra?

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Shared on May 12, 2015 Flag this

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- Rip out the stitches keeping the underwire channel closed on the end (at the gore, not the armpit side)
  Remove the wires from the channels
  Rip out the stitches on one underwire channel a few inches down
  Overlap it on the other wire channel
  Here's the tricky part: sew the sides of the channel down, being careful not to sew through the center of the underlying channel. You still have to be able to fit the wires back in
  slide wires back in. Check fit. Close up channel edges.
  You may need to narrown the actual gore after you unpick the channel but before overlapping.
  If you use strong handstiching, or preferably a machine (use a zipper foot to get close to the edge) it should be strong enough.
  
  Edit: NOTE: I have not yet done this, but as an experienced seamstress I can tell you this is how it *should* work, in theory.
- Wow, super informative! :) Thank you so much! I guess just narrowing the gore and in the process moving the wires on top of one another wouldn't be sturdy or reliable enough? That was my original thought but I wasn't sure if it was a good idea, lol. I tend to take shortcuts that don't turn out so well.
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1

Bras to alter - very wide gores?

So after wearing my Andorra full cup for the 3rd time today I've decided that I need to start altering bras to have overlapping wires in order to get a good fit. Does anyone have suggestions for ~28F even shapes with *really* wide gores? My idea is to just fold them over each other and sew them down. I've seen ... that in a tutorial and like that idea better than cutting a bra!

I just need reallllly narrow gores if they are tall and I like how secure tall gores feel. Even when the wire channels are narrow and right next to each other the gore still sits on breast tissue if it's more than about 1-2"

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Shared on May 12, 2015 Flag this

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- No idea about the shape, or if it'll be the same in your size, but the curvy Kate jewel I tried (32h) had a pretty wide gore. It actually had fabric between the wires, which was word because all my other bras have touching (but not overlapping) wires. The panache Olivia had a tiny bit of space between the wires too.
- OH! I had that in my amazon cart last week! I don't think I could get my hands on an Olivia though (plus it'd be sister sized). Thanks for the suggestions! I think it might just be more realistic to cut a precious bra that works for me and sew the gore overlapping :/
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11

Leah's amazing molded cup bra alteration

I want to alert everyone to an amazing post Leah did at hourglassy.com about altering a moulded cup bra. She made the cups lower coverage and shortened the gore. Those of us who have to reject bras because of excess gore height and/or cup coverage may benefit from this knowledge. Leah documented her work with detailed, step-by-step photos.

Off the Rack ~ Celebration Solutions: Altering Molded Bra...

For Hourglassy’s month of posts on “celebration dressing,” I’m starting with my big celebration—my wedding last year!

http://hourglassy.com/2015/05/off-the-rack-celebration-solutions-altering-mol...

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Shared on May 09, 2015 Flag this
- Awesome! Thanks for posting, I would never have seen it. Makes me want to work on my comexum basic to see if I can reduce the cups 😁
- Wow, that's really cool! I'm now also really tempted to get that bra. Especially if I did her alteration to make the gore a bit lower, it looks like it could be open up a lot of clothing I thought was unwearable to me.
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1

Tips for stretching out bands?

I have several new-ish bras in a 32 band (my ribcage is always 31-32), but they're a bit tight and give me back chub. Problem is, I can't get 34 bands because they get too loose too soon. Anyone have tips for stretching/wearing out the elastic a little without damaging the bra? I put up one around a chair yesterday but I'm worried that could damage the wires. Thanks!

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Shared on Apr 21, 2015 Flag this

9 comments
- The generally recommended way is to buy an extender and wear the bra with an extender until it stretches out
- I'm not sure where to get one where I live :( I'll see if I can order one online and have it arrive quickly. Thanks!
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1

what do you think?

I thnk I would give a try if I have extra bra

26 Designer Knock-Off DIYs That Cost Way Less Than The Re...

Alexander Wang–Inspired Strappy Bra | 26 Designer Knock-Off DIYs That Cost Way Less Than The Real Thing

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/242701867395518660/

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Shared on Apr 11, 2015 Flag this
- Just don't screw up! ;)
  
  I'd need 6 bras to work with in order to produce one successful result. Especially if I get frustrated with the first round and take it out on the two I start on with the scissors and cutting them into teeny tiny bits until I'm calm again. :)
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1

Apr 01, 2015

Does anyone know of a custom bra company who will make bras from my design or how to get started to make my own. As I am in love with the bras from Bordello but they only make their bras in small, Medium and large. And we all know how well those fit.

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Shared on Apr 01, 2015 Flag this

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- There's no-one who I'd give my money to for supporting a very large bust who doesn't require an in-person fitting (understandably). Most places who do 'custom' work will just select from a choice of fabric colours and certain pre-made pattern pieces. To be able to reliably draft a bra from accurate measurements to the point where only a remote mock-up would be required would need a lot of experience and expertise.
  
  I've been doing some drafting and design based on the information available on Foundations Revealed (there's a few free articles, but if you're interested in the paid articles, I suggest buying a month's subscription and saving copies of anything which really interests you). I've got some adventures up on the site regarding this, and I'm happy to answer any extra questions if you have them. I've found myself running up against some issues to do with the materials available for the home sewist and lack of support, but your breasts while large are still a fair bit smaller than my own, and I know that augmented breasts behave differently and so you'll probably have slightly different needs (from what I understand, sturdy support is often not as much of an issue for large augmented breasts as large natural breasts). You may still have troubles sourcing suitable wires. (With the exception of Bra Maker's Supply who are based in Canada and seem to cost $$$$ to get things shipped internationally, home sewist wires are both wide and very flimsy in larger sizes). I understand that the books available from Bra Maker's Supply are also quite useful, but I have no personal experience with their resources, so I cannot comment on how helpful they'd be for a large bust.
  
  Sewing a bra from a pattern is not especially difficult if you have basic knowledge of how to use a pattern and a sewing machine, but getting a good pattern can be more challenging, especially with your small band/large cup combo. Still, if you're prepared to sink some time into the whole process, I see no reason why you wouldn't be able to make some lovely things for yourself.
- The guy who does most of the bra articles on Foundations Revealed has, or used to have, a custom business. He definitely seems to know his stuff. You could probably contact him through the site.
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1

Sewists, any tips on adding stretch lace to a bra?

I'm still a complete novice at sewing but I figure I'm going to finally pull out the stretch lace I bought and see if I can use it to keep myself from spilling out of bras that would otherwise be fine if I wasn't so center full and soft (or rather, if they didn't have such harsh cuts) . I plan to look at other bras for guidance but do you have any tips, even if you haven't done it before? I've never worked with lace before either or any kind of delicate fabric.

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Shared on Mar 25, 2015 Flag this

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- Hand stitch it in place first to get the layout right (called basting. Can be done on machine but with something like a bra it's easier to do by hand). You don't need/want to have super neat or tight stitches for the basting, since it will be removed later. You may need to make tucks or darts in the lace to get it to conform to your boobs right.
- I had considered trying basting, but didn't think about the tucks/darts, thanks!
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1

Boobs and birth control... and alterations

A couple of days ago, I made a post about my new ventures into birth control territory, and losing weight in my boobs because of it. I've gone from a mostly-30G-bordering-on-GG to a 50/50 30FF-G. I took some time to try on every bra in my brardrobe to see which fit with my new boobs and which did not. Some ... were the same (thank whatever deity for that - I'm not quite ready to replace my *entire* collection), but some are too big to the point that they're unwearable. I'll be selling, swapping or giving away a bunch of these, but some I have dyed or altered and can't really pass on. One is my beloved Deco Hatty. I poked around with it for a while, and got to thinking... Maybe I can cut off a part of the cup to make it fit? Like it fits well enough in the bottom, it's just the cup that's too tall. If I make sure to do it neatly and sew the outer fabric back, just maybe I can make it work.

Would it be a bad idea? Would I be ruining a perfectly good bra (for someone else)? Has anyone of you cut up a bra like this, or something similar, and have some suggestions on how to do it? I love my bras and I don't want to spend forever and a fortune trying to find them in a smaller size again.
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Shared on Mar 23, 2015 Flag this

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- I honestly don't know whether it would work or not, but sounds like you have nothing to lose!
  Please take photos or video so you can teach others if it works. I cannot wear Freya, but a lot of cups are too tall for me so I would be interested.
- You might want to hang on typ a few of them if you just started the BCP. Your body might react differently in a month or two and they might grow a bit more.
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4

DIY red bra update

Bra is finished, need to dye it. Figured I'd break up the report on it into a few posts, and just finished the first one. I'll try to get the meaty posts with actual bra pics/sewing up this week sometime.
Make sure to let me know if I miss anything you want to know or if anything is unclear! ... class="smiley" src="https://d28qt14g3opchh.cloudfront.net/smileys/icon_smile.gif" alt=":)" />

*disclaimer: I have a blog, I am not a blogger. I get too wrapped up in my projects to worry about writing about them, but I'm trying to do better for the bra project at least.

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Alice in Sewingland

http://aliceinsewingland.blogspot.com/

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Shared on Mar 09, 2015 Flag this
- I'm trying to alter a bra band. :)
  Alice in Sewingland is so cute!LOL
  Yourlovealive
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9

Bra anatomy

Just read this article on the anatomy of bras. It sums up the basics for anyone considering its own bra project. Specially the part about how the direction of stretch hast to be strategically placed to achieve the desired shaping and support I found quite interesting.

Anatomy of a Bra | Seamwork Magazine

https://www.seamworkmag.com/issues/2015/02/anatomy-of-a-bra

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Shared on Mar 07, 2015 Flag this

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- Really interesting read. Thanks for sharing . I learned a few things.
- Thanks, sunbird!! :)
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Can I alter S into CHP in EM bras?

Sooo... is this possible? I currently wear 75J/80HH in EM bras and don't get along with the S styles very well. Also I like the CHP styles more because they seem to be more suitable with my breast shape. Any ideas if Ewa offers such alteration?

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Shared on Mar 04, 2015 Flag this

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- You can request any fabric to be made into any style of bra via email. For instance even though officially Ewa only made a CHP Gazeta, there's been a few S Gazeta bras added to the site, as someone made a special request. It can only be done if they still have fabric for that style and this will cost an extra 20PLN. So if you like the S fabric, you could get the bra made in the PL or CHP cut if you prefer.
  
  Having said that, the CHP is only made up to sizes 75HH/80H etc, so I'm not sure whether you'd fit in the range.
- I don't know if EM will do it themselves, but it is possible. https://instagram.com/p/uJl9VUtjo1/?modal=true
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1

A few thoughts on buying bras

Recently it looks like I am buying bras, trying them on, confirming the fit - and selling them, since actually I don't have space in my bra drawer and I can't afford them ("bra or lunch, bra or lunch - nah, I will loose a few pounds at least" Two days later: "Damn, I need money for lunch. Let's have ... a look, what can I sell on eBay...").
Are you guys feeling the same? Lately I started to feel like a crazy person, buying bras and selling them almost the next day xD For example my 70G - Pari Pari Lingerie » Catherine Iv Soft (Sale $32.00) or 32F - Curvy Kate » Coppafeel! Moulded Bra (CK3531) (Sale $28.00)](listing:9602) .
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Shared on Feb 27, 2015 Flag this

MiskiDwie

6201 reputation

586 bras

21 comments
- Um . . no . . . it takes me a lot of thinking and waiting until I'm ready to buy something. When I was younger and lived where I could walk around and had free time, if I found something I liked, I would not buy it, but I'd come back another time or two, and if I still wanted it and it was still there, THEN I'd buy it.
  
  I was actually planning on waiting 3 more months before buying my EMs, but hubby told me to go ahead.
- But I think a lot of people are glad you do this!
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10

The DIY red bra project

Well, my 36FF - Curvy Kate » Lola Padded Balcony Bra (SG1901) has been carefully disassembled, a pattern made, and fabric ordered.
I ordered the wrong mesh for the band though. It was some sort of athletic mesh, so I ordered swatches to make sure I'd pick the right one next order.
Just placed the order for the replacement, hopefully I'll be able to start it next week sometime.
I took a billion photos so far, so I can write a big post about it for anyone interested.

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Shared on Feb 17, 2015 Flag this

12 comments
- Blog post! Blog post! Blog post!
- I second that! I'm a somewhat craftsy person myself and the more ill fitting bras I try the more I feel like I should just sew my own. But my sewing machin gives me hell even with the simpelest tasks as of late so the first bra would come with a hefty price tag concidering I would have to purchase a new machine.. ouch!
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11

1st Bra sewing attempt

what i learned:
*to take breaks (sewn within 2 hours--includes cutting pattern, etc.)
*go slowly, hast does make waste, lol
*re-make pattern pieces; i made my own pattern from an old bra i cut up, a 32D - Paramour » Melody Full Busted Demi Contour Bra (135003) or use ready-made pattern

how it turned out:
*i messed up ... a couple steps as i was just "winging it", but after further research i found out what couple problems i did have and know how to do them for next time

how it fits:
*well the gore doesn't tack, but that's probably because of the plastic "wires" i used instead of metal because i didn't know if i was going to have to cut them to size
*the point where the 3 cup pieces meet are too pointy leaving a tad bit of empty space
*the band fits nice and snug
*i improvised the straps because i didn't have enough strap length to do a u-band, and would have liked one

all in all i don't think it's "too" bad...

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bra.jpg

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Shared on Feb 14, 2015 Flag this

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- For a first try I think that turned out pretty good. I love the blue fabric!
- That looks like a brilliant piece of work! Yes, the fabric is very lovely. I am seriously impressed.
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2

Surgery on a molded-cup bra?

Hey friends,

Has anyone ever tried to cut out the form lining on a molded-cup bra with a lace overlay? (I'm talking specifically about the VS Body by Victoria Demi, but other results would be helpful.) I don't hate this bra, but I just don't really like molded cups and I'm morbidly curious about what would happen. Does it ruin any ... possible structure and bra-purposes of a cup (shaping, holding in place, etc). Or has anyone had surprisingly good results from it? Or, if we don't have any data, should I find a give-away/cheapo and indulge in some bra-butchering? For science!
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Shared on Jan 31, 2015 Flag this

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- I have a preference for molded cups so I've never tried it, but I'm a big fan of scientific endeavors!
- for science!
  
  but in all seriousness, i feel like it would render the bra unwearable, or at least take away all support. the lace on the VS bras are usually just slings of them and not really attached to the straps at all, so i think there wouldnt be anything for it to hold onto if you cut the foam bit off.
  
  but, if you do want to try, i think the VS semi annual sale still has some stock in stores! you could probably get one for $10ish and hack away without too much remorse.
  
  **EDIT** im a donk! the demi if it is full lace would go all the way to the straps, so maybe it could work. FOR SCIENCE. i think the body line does an unlined demi too, but i only ever see it online.
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2

My credit card company is going to give me my BiuBiu money back!

A while back I posted here http://www.bratabase.com/adventures/entry/5599/ complaining about how BiuBiu didn't pick up the package that made it to Poland, and I went to dispute it with my CC company after Paypal didn't pick it up. Luckily, my CC I used was Discover which has very good customer service. They resolved it in a day and are ... considering it complete for now, though I did upload additional documentation, just in case.

However, now I've got a box of BiuBiu clothes here that I'd gladly let them have back if they paid for shipping and actually picked up. I feel pretty guilty though because if I sell them off I'll actually have made some money off the whole thing (even with the shipping costs). On the other hand, I don't really want the clothes which is why I sent them back! Er, what to do...
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Shared on Jan 15, 2015 Flag this

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- Give biubiu another 2-3 weeks to offer to take them back, then sell them. Consider it payment for all your stress. And you're giving people access to butler friendly clothing they might otherwise not have :)
- Not a bad idea. Do you think I should contact BiuBiu to ask if they want them back? Bastards ignored my last three emails...I kind of feel they left the clothes there on purpose, to avoid paying customs fees or some such.
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1

How does one go about making underwires narrower?

I have the Cleo Neve Strapless in 30D, and it is as close as I'll ever get to having a strapless bra that actually fits. It is shallow enough, cups are spaced far enough, and the tops of the cups are open enough for me. However, there is one thing about it that is not-so-perfect: the wires are slightly too wide. How can I get the wires to be slightly narrower? The cup width on this bra is 6" and I'd like it to be more like 5.625" or so.

http://funsizedfashionblog.blogspot.com/2015/01/cleo-neve...

http://funsizedfashionblog.blogspot.com/2015/01/cleo-neve-strapless-in-28dd-3...

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Shared on Jan 03, 2015 Flag this

Saskia_C

2062 reputation

89 bras

10 comments
- You can bend some wires to make them more narrow, but that makes the cups a little more projected. You can also do the opposite to some wires and make the cups more shallow and wide. Somebody wrote a blog about it. MEB
- Bend them, or replace them with new ones the correct width.
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