5
Jun 17, 2013
So I finally got the nerve to take the scissors to my bra. It was mostly out of desperation. You see, I have one well fitting bra, a 28E - Freya » Just Flew In Padded Longline Bra (1393) , and have been wearing it almost daily for the last week while I wait for my next shipment to arrive from overseas. Out of fear of ruining my one true bra love by wearing it too much, I went to Nordstroms to see what they had in 30 bands.I ended up with 30DD - Betsey Johnson Intimates » Eyelet Lace Demi Cup (723325). It didn't fit perfectly, but I hoped it would get me by and give my Freya a break.
It did not. It was comfortable for the three minutes it on in the dressing room, but I couldn't wear it for more than 20 minutes without wanting to rip it off. The issues were: the band was too loose, the center gore was a bit too wide, and the straps were too wide set and cutting into my armpits.
I did not have the foresight to take photos of the process, but here is what I did:
Removed all of the bows.
Added a dart to the center gore - reinforced by stitching over twice.
Removed the fasteners on the back, and cut off about 1/3" from each side.
Reattached the fasteners.
Removed the stitching from the outside of the cups, from where the outside strap attached to about two inches down. This left me three layers: outside lace, inside padding, and elastic.
Moved the outside strap next to the inside strap, and stitched in place.
Cut down the lining to reshape the edge of the cup - zigzaged on edge to help prevent fraying.
Cut down the lace, folded over the newly formed edge, and tacked down.
Attached elastic along the edge of the cup up to the straps.
Reattached bows all in the center to try to cover up dart.
The results: a much better fitting and more comfortable bra! The band is the right tightness on the first set of hooks now, and the straps are cutting into my armpits. It's improved the shape it gives me bust a little, but it still can't match the awesome profile created by my Freya. I think the difference is that Freya's cups are much stiffer, so they hold shape better. The Betsey Johnson cups seem to be stretchier, with more give. Reshaping the cups as I did created a little bit of a gap where the cups meet the center gore. I may place a couple of stitches here to tack it down if it starts to bug me, but for now, I'm happy.
Bra Alterations - Imgur
http://imgur.com/a/zczKL
Filed under Bra alterations