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• Q. Is it hard to sew a bra?

  • A. Actually, It's Easy! Even students with basic garment sewing experience find it easy to sew a bra. We only use 3 stitches and the fabrics though stretchy are quite stable. If you aren’t sure if you fit the requirements please contact me or click here to read the requirements.
    
    You will be pleasantly surprised to see how easy it can be.

• Q.  It is expensive to sew a bra?

  • A.  It is much cheaper to sew your own bra that buy a good quality, well-fitting bra. Sure you can go to a discount store and get a flimsy bra for $20 or less, but a good bra costs so much more. And can you actually find the size that you need? Once you have determined the amount of fabric needed for a bra, you can buy the exact amount you need, reducing the cost even more. I will teach you how to best layout your pattern pieces; sometimes buying just a few inches more fabric will allow you to make 3 bras instead of just 1!

• Q. What happens if I gain/lose weight?

  • A.  If you are local, I will be happy to re-measure you and provide a new pattern at a reduced cost. If you are in a city I have visited, you can take your new measurements and send them to me. Again, I will provide you with a pattern and I will work with you online, by phone, or by mail if you need further help with alterations. I support all my pattern sales with help if any changes are needed to the pattern.

• Q.  Why do I need to wear my best fitting bra (or a bra at all) to be measured? What if my bra is very poorly fitting?

  • A.  I need to measure your breasts in a naturally upheld position to accurately measure the largest diameter around your chest where your breasts will be held in the new bra. Unless your breasts are quite perky :), they will sag when unsupported. This will skew the measurement of your chest, which, without my experience fitting, would mathematically put you into a smaller cup size. Even if your bra fits poorly, it will help hold your breasts into position for measuring. I sometimes have you or an assistant pull up on your bra straps to further lift the breasts for measurement. Then I will use my experience to put you in a bra that fits you closely. We will then adjust the bra as necessary. Which leads to….

• Q.  Why do I need to make 2 bras in class?

  • A.  A bra is the most fitted of any garment you will ever make. Your posture, breast size and bra style you prefer will affect how the bra fits. All women are so different (thank goodness!). Some women like their bras looser/tighter under the arms, around the band and in the cups. The pattern I use, while excellent, could never include the variety that I see in womankind. So we make the first bra with any large alterations I may anticipate but so much comes down to wearing the actual bra. Then we try on the bra and I even encourage wearing it for a few minutes to judge the comfort. Hopefully it is close to  perfect. If not, we alter the pattern for the second bra and if possible adjust the first bra. It is difficult to alter a bra because each step finishes the last step and the seam allowances are only 1/4” wide. So we make another bra which usually fits quite well. For most women this is the end of the fitting process and you can continue to make your own bras with the altered pattern.

• Q.  Why can’t I make a fitting bra (muslin) to check the fit of my bra and save my bra fabric?

  •  A.  The fabrics involved in bra making and the findings really have no cheaper substitutes that will adequately mimic their properties and allow for a fitting. The stretch of the fabric and the elastics are quite unique and specially designed for bra making. Each step in bra making also covers up the last so there are no seams to finish. This does mean though that you would have to deconstruct the bra to get to the seams you wish to alter. I make alterations by marking on your constructed bra and transferring the changes to the pattern paper. Since a bra fits so closely, the seams are very difficult to pick out of the stretch fabric and the pieces are so small, it would be very difficult to pin fit or use other alteration techniques. You may wish to use a plain bra fabric to test pattern alterations or new styles before using a more expensive fabric. If you are unhappy with any trial bra, do reuse the straps, wires and hook and eye tape if you wish.

• Q.  What if I don’t want an underwire?

  • A.  The pattern I use requires the use of a wire for sizes up to a 40 band size. 42 band size and up have the option to use a wire. As your weight around your chest at breast height increases, so does the curviness of your body. Therefore an underwire, which rises straight up after curving under your breast, may not fit you well and may poke into your tissue in your arm or your body under your arm. The wire just can’t curve to match the curves of your body. The option is one that you can try just before the last step of the bra making process, so you can wear the bra with and without the wire and decide which is more comfortable. Remember, this bra fits so well and is so supportive that you may not need the wires that you rely on usually. Many smaller breasted women tell me that they do not need wires but non-wired bras always have a band of elastic that circles the chest under the breasts. For short-waisted women, this band, especially if it is wide, can actually be less comfortable when moving that having a thin wire under the breasts.

• Q.  How do you choose where you teach?

  • A.  I usually have a store or interested person/group contact me and if enough students are available I start making travel arrangements. It helps to have a liaison in the host city to help me plan transportation and accommodations. I am available most months of next year. Please call me, or use my online form, if you are interested in a class for your sewing group (e.g. ASG) or store; or even for your small sewing club as I may be able to find other students to fill the minimum requirements for a trip. I love visiting new cities and really enjoy traveling.

• Q.  I belong to a chapter of a sewing association. How can more of my members benefit from your teaching since your classes are so small?

  • A.  I am able to teach a lecture style class called Your Breast, Your Bra, Your Health which will be of benefit to a large group of you members. The size of the class is really only restricted by the size of the group and my ability to project my voice (or the availability of audio equipment)! Please click here for details of the lecture.

• Q.  What if the bra pattern I ordered doesn’t fit me when I sew it?

  • A.  You should start by making tester cup which will allow you to assess the cup fit before sewing a whole bra. See the measurements page for directions. Most people who contact me have e-mail and I fully support my patterns with personal e-mail advice. I will try and describe any alterations needed or send diagrams or pictures. It really helps to have photos though, so whether you can e-mail a digital photo, or snail-mail an actual photo (please don’t include your face over the internet for security purposes) it really helps to have a photo. I will send you another size pattern if needed, but usually if your measurements are accurate you should get a close fit. Click here for measurement information.

• Q. Can I make a seamless cup bra at home?
   

  • A. I'm sorry to say that seamless cupped bras can only be made in a factory. The fabric for a molded, seamless cup is shaped over a breast shaped iron which heat sets the fabric. There is no pattern or procedure for doing this at home. However, most woman find that the seam in a bra made from my pattern does not show through most shirts unless they are very tight.