I have to admit that this part of the sew-along is the part I was most excited about! I love the process of thinking about shapes, of sitting down with paper and rulers (or lately, Illustrator) and drawing new design ideas. I know pattern-making can seem intimidating but bras are such a great way to jump in and exercise your secret hacker. It all involves so little paper and fabric!
So in the spirit of my Lingerie Fridays, I want to share some of my favorite bras with you along with some ideas on how to generate them from your base pattern.
band style
How about a longline? (Cool examples: Freya, Fortnight…) I love these for style but they’ve got a function, too. The wider the band, the more supportive it is. And I think they look pretty sweet underneath thinner tops. I’ve made this alteration to a few of my bras:
You can lengthen the band straight from center front, side seam and back, as the lines in red demonstrate. The longer these lines get, the narrower the band will at the bottom so if you need more width you might have to try lengthening at a different angle (lines in blue).
strap style
How about fabric or lace straps?
Again, style and function–the less elastic the strap, the longer it lasts. This beautiful Stella bra uses a scalloped lace and a silk satin strap in the front.
The back design is really up to you. I love having options in back strap designs. It’s easy to change your pattern back and forth from a u-back to a camisole back.
In a camisole style, the elastic works best if it is tacked down to both the top and bottom of the band.
bridge style
You can do a lot of funky things with the bridge, too. If you are using longer underwires but want create a little plunge effect, you can try using separator wires, as in this lovely Huit bra.
These wires come in all sorts of shapes. The construction would be a fun puzzle, as you either need channeling or a tunnel to insert the wire. I may try this on my next bra and I’ll let ya know how it turns out!
demi cups
If a demi style appeals to you, you can always take some of the height out of your cup and bridge. This is an Elle Macpherson demi bra with similar seams as some of our patterns. To do this you’ll need shorter or plunge wires, or clip your own.
I love playing the game of “How Did They Do That?” and often do a little investigation in the stores (it must look funny, as I look inside the seams–the things you do when you sew!). So I hope this gives you some fun ideas as you continue your bra-making adventure.
Tomorrow I’ll be taking the pattern-hacking a bit further with a tutorial on adding vertical seams to your cups. After bit of a breather over the weekend, on Monday we can finally get down to the business of sewing our bras. Woo!
Oh I love the shape of the cups in the first pictures (with just one vertical seam). Is that from a specific pattern or is that a ‘hack’ too? I’d love a pattern with cups like that!
Hi Meg, yes it is a very big hack–multiple hacks actually! The cups themselves were almost an entirely new cup that I drafted because I wanted more of a camisole bra without underwires. If you are interested in vertical seaming, I’m going to share a tutorial tomorrow!
What fun! I’ve always been curious about the separator wires. I too LOVE the purple long line. Hope you share how to alter for the demi bra. My girls adore this style. So pretty!
Naomi, I kind of prefer it, too. It’s nice to have the option!
Silly me, you’ve already covered the demi cup alteration – long day…
You’re too good
This is getting so addictive, I’m getting a bit worried as I will have nothing to wear over the bra! Thank you very much for these details, I can see a few styles to be copied, but first to get the base correct.
Sharon, I know! It’s really addictive. I’ve tried not to neglect the rest of my sewing projects…
I love the demi bra illustration. This is what I would like to try with my basic bra pattern and the lengthen bra band style, too. Thanks for showing us how this is in the flat pattern.
Can’t wait to see what you come up with, Kemish!
One more incredibly informative post! Thank you!
I have never seen the separater wire before. Neat!