299597474-Bra-Sewing-Tutorial.pdf

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Materials and Supplies
When shopping, it’s important to locate your correct underwire size. If this is your first bra, I highly
recommend buying underwires in the size you think you are and then one size up and one size
down. Just 1/4
″
could make a massive diference in comfort. You might be surprised by what ends up
being comfortable. (And yes, I was wearing the wrong size underwire for many years so I can testify.)
What you choose for your bra fabric depends on your experience, and what kind of support you need
or want. Those of you with experience in bramaking or who have a diferent pattern than the ones I
chose may want to branch out and try some new fabrics or techniques.
FOR THE CUPS AND CRADLE
The patterns we are making require some kind of stable cup fabric that does not stretch. If you want
to use a stretch lace, lycra, or anything with spandex, you’ll have to either line or interface the cup in
some way. The bridge will always need to be lined or interfaced, unless you are using a very stable
fabric.
Traditional bra fabrics:
Duoplex, Simplex, bonded or fused tricot.
Of these, (I personally like
Simplex, which has a nice drape and is very soft on the skin.) These are all satin-y tricot/raschel
fabrics and are easy to sew.
Natural fibers:
Woven cottons or silk satin like a
charmeuse–a
beautiful bra fabric. Keep in mind
that woven cottons don’t tend to be t-shirt-friendly (fabrics stick to it) and sometimes the seams won’t
lay as smoothly. I love silk bras and I take good care of them, but they are not sweat-stain-friendly
(living in Texas, ask how I know!).
Lace:
A rigid lace made for lingerie is perfect as a cup fabric.
Lingerie stretch laces
are another
option and usually more widely available.
Sewing stretch laces do require a little bit of
experience in fitting.
They will also need a stable lining as I mentioned above. Some of you may
want to experiment with using lace or some kind of decorative mesh on the outside of your cups or
cradle. There are many diferent ways to use it.
For linings: 15 denier tricot or 40 denier tricot.
In some places these fabrics are simply called
“tricot” or net. These are very useful fabrics to have around in bramaking. The 15 is very sheer and
stretches just a little. The 40 is more opaque. Some of the kits will include a bit of this for lining. I like
to stash some in neutral colors because I use it everywhere. It is very useful as a stable lining for the
bridge and cradle area (and almost all my RTW bras use it for this). Some bramakers like to use
powernet for lining.
Instead of lining, you could also stabilize a fabric with
fusible tricot interfacing,
often used for knits.
Look for something that can be fused at a cooler setting on your iron.
Left to right: 40 denier tricot, 15 denier tricot, fusible interfacing
FOR THE BAND/WINGS
Ideally, your band should use a fabric with about 50% stretch and good rebound.
Powermesh/powernet:
Powermesh comes in many weights and qualities. Some women will need a
heavier weight powermesh. I like medium weights if I can find them. They are soft and drape well but
strong enough. Very lightweight powermeshes are useful as a lining for stretchier band fabrics but
are really only good for the lightest of bras or even knickers. (The ladyshorts photo in my sidebar is
made from a lightweight printed powermesh.)
left to right: heavy, med, lightweight powermesh
Lycra:
These can be good band fabrics but check the descriptions as some lycras may be too
lightweight or too stretchy for you. You’ll have more options in color choices, which is probably why
folks making bras tend to use lycra instead of powernet.
For now, try to avoid using jersey as your band fabric. This is something you might want to try later
but jerseys often get narrower as they are stretched and are quick to lose their elasticity. If you have
allergies or need/want a natural fiber bra, you can try making a band from woven materials, but you
will have to experiment with the pattern’s band length to find a comfortable wearing ease.
A note about lycra for those who are new to sewing lingerie or swimwear:
For the most part, fabrics
labeled “lycra” by lingerie, swim or dance fabric shops are tricot and raschel knits made with nylon
(sometimes polyester) with spandex for elasticity. The quality and weights of lingerie lycras will vary.
Some of them will have a 4-way stretch, some 2-way. Sometimes suppliers may sell an uber-soft
microfiber lycra, other times you’ll end up with something that looks more like shiny 80s swimsuit
fabric. I try to read the descriptions carefully if there are any.
ABOUT BRA KITS
With a lot of kits, you will need to order underwires separately. Be sure to read their descriptions.
Also, many kits seem to be short on strap elastic, so consider ordering a bit extra. For my bras, I
need about 114,3 cm of strap elastic and I have a short shoulder-to-bust length. The Bra-makers
Supply kits assume you are making the fabric strap in their patterns so they really don’t include much
strap elastic at all.
Note that Merckwaerdigh and Elingeria kits are often entirely stretch fabrics so you will need linings
of some sort.
BASIC MATERIAL CHECKLIST
Fabric for cups and cradle
Lace for front of cups/cradle (optional)
Stretch fabric for band/back of the bra
Lining for cups/cradle or suitable interfacing (optional)
Hook and eye
Rings and sliders
Strap elastic
3/8
″
picot elastic for top of the band and armline
1/2
″
-3/4
″
plush picot elastic for the hemline
1/4-3/8
″
narrow picot elastic or trim for the top of the cup
Underwire channeling
Underwires (optional)
Bow/rosette trim for front (I like making my own!)
Other things you’ll need for the sew-along:
clear ruler or way to mark seam allowances
tracing paper
a kick-butt sharp pencil
some kind of heavier paper like cardstock for your final pattern
tailor’s chalk or washable fabric marker
stretch needles (70 or 75)
zig-zag foot
thread (at least one full spool)
a rotary cutter is very useful in bramaking but optional

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