Here is a sketch of the bra I will be teaching you to sew:
What I really recommend you, is follow this step exactly when making your bra.
First of all, decide what is your bra main fabric. My entire bra will be made of this stretch beige lace:
But we need other materials as well. Every part of the bra must obey some rules. Let’s look at the bra parts:
Not, let’s see each part what materials requires.
The simplest of all is the back wing. The wing must be stretchy since it is the part that adjusts according to the body. Only a layer of fabric, which in this case is our main fabric, beige lace.
This means we will use this pattern piece (which has already seam allowances):
Next up is the cradle. The cradle is a fix part. It must not stretch since it offers support for cups and breasts. Because our main fabric (lace) is stretchy, we need to stabilize the cradle with some non-stretchy fabric. This means that the cradle will have two layers:
The top (1) is our beautiful lace. The lining (2) is a non-stretch cotton. For your bra, always choose the top layer a beautiful fabric, usually stretchy, but not necessarily – lace, lycra, knit, jersey. For the lining, always choose non-stretch fabric. There are special fabric, sorry guys I do not know its name, but it usually looks like a soft net. Always choose a fabric that feels great on skin, since this part is the first thing that touches your chest. If the lining is a rough fabric, you will end up throwing the bra away.
For my lining I use some magic fabric I found to be great. Its actually a cotton interfacing. When pressed with an iron, it will glue to my lace:
As for pattern piece, the cradle with seam allowance will be used twice, once on main fabric, second on the lining:
Moving forward to the cups. They are the most complicated. I want cups made of cut & sew foam. I can’t leave the foam out, can I? So I’ll cover the foam(2) with the lace (1). My foam is synthetic, I do not want it to touch the skin directly. I must line (3) the cups with some cotton. This means three layers for the cup:
For the top layer – lace – I use the pattern pieces that have seam allowances on all sides. For foam and for lining, I use other pieces (please note that seam allowance was removed from some sides):
The lining I use is the same as the one I use for the cradle. The foam is this fabric I found in one shop and is called neoprene:
We are not done yet. I must find a matching bra closure:
Boning (for side seam) and wires:
Elastics – I use the same elastic for the bra and the straps:
For straps I am going to use these metallic pieces (strap sliders). I don’t have metal rings and I don’t want to put the plastic ones. The above pieces will work for my purpose. If you have a pair of rings, replace them with a pair of strap sliders.
And embellishments – lace for cups, a flower for the center:
I gather all these in one bag. When sewing the bra, I look for supplies in that bag only. When pausing from sewing the bra, I put everything back in the bag.
Next time we get to cutting!
This article is part of a series of articles about How to sew a bra.
Previous step: Step 3
A glance on the pattern pieces
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Next step: Step 5.1
Cutting – Before cutting
