Monday 21 October 2013

Tutorial: Shortening a Bra Band

When it comes to bra fitting, I have a philosophy of independence. I want myself and all women to know their shape and what fits them without needing to rely on commercial interests for that advice. I also want myself and all women to be free from the sometimes tiny constraints of the full-bust market--that is, I want us to be able to work with what is available, even when it is not good, to move  past the limitations of the market so we can get what we need. That is why I am an advocate of knowing how to sew--sewing is power, and if you know how, your bra world opens up to include models that wouldn't otherwise work for you. Sewing and alteration enable us to improve fit faster than the glacially slow evolutions of the brands themselves.

For those of us who wear smaller band sizes, we often find ourselves frustrated that the bras we want don't go up to high enough cup sizes. You need to go up a cup size to keep the same volume when you go down a band size, but most bras cut off at a certain cup size across the board. So a brand will claim "We can't make this bra above a G cup", when actually, the 38G that is produced has the same cup volume as the 30J they refuse to manufacture.

I've heard a lot of people cautioning that taking in a band can be disruptive to the fit of a bra. However, I disagree. Think about it--within most brands, the cups are usually not 'scaled' from size to size--that is, the cups will be identical across the sister sizes. All you do when you take in a band is remove the length that has been added. There are, of course, inconsistencies that will arise with home alterations; however, in a general sense, there is no reason you should not be able to alter a band--even many sizes--and still get a good fit. The only real sticking point comes if the point where the strap hit the band is significantly changed. If you find this is the case, you may actually like the results--it's nice once in awhile to have your bra straps sit somewhere slightly different--or you can take in fabric on both sides of the strap to even out the position. I did not find this to be an issue.


I'm a huge fan of Freya's padded half-cup shape, as seen in my review of the Patsy. However, I've been unimpressed with their lack of speed and enthusiasm in expanding the cup sizes for this shape, so I decided Freya's padded half-cup would be a good model to use for this post.

In this tutorial, I'll show you how I turned a 38FF Freya Daphne padded half-cup into a 32H. Since I modeled the alteration after a bra with the same shape, I was able to be quite confident that it would work for me. If you are altering a bra that you haven't tried in the correct band size, be aware that cups can seem bigger when you try on a loose-banded bra, so make sure the bra you are altering has enough room in the cups. You should also model your alteration after a bra with similar cup width and similar level of stretch in the band; otherwise the results may be different than you would like.

I did this alteration on a machine, since it's much faster. However, this alteration can also be performed by hand--you just need to use a small enough stitch to hold in the mesh.

This is an alteration that likely can be removed without damaging the bra. As always, though, alterations are performed at your own risk.

Here's the fit of the 38FF Daphne before alteration:


As you can see, it is massively too big in the band and rides up; the cups are therefore not supportive.

To begin, I compared the bands of my 38FF Daphne and 32H Patsy to mark how much material needed to be taken in.


I then folded the band over itself and pinned it in place. At this point, you should double-check against the bra you're using as a model to make sure the band has the proper length.




My next step was simply to sew this fold in place, all the way around so the stitching forms a rectangle. The most important areas to secure are the horizontal seams that will actually hold the alteration in place, but the vertical seams add strength and keep everything in place. I used a small stitch to secure the mesh material, and I used a dark thread so it is visible for the tutorial.


That's all! I didn't cut any material out, but simply folded it inside so it does not show when the bra is worn. With this strategy, it actually helped that I was taking in a band so many sizes too large--there was enough material that the fold can lie completely flat. If you are taking in just one band size, you may find the fold a bit bulge-y and want to do it the other way, so it is on the outside, for comfort.

Here's the fit of the altered Daphne:


25 comments:

  1. Terrific tutorial. I wonder, however, if with many bands one ends up having to true the new edge lines after making the alteration (necessitating the removal of the picot elastic, cutting the extra fabric and then resewing on the picot). Seriously, I thought it was a major thing. If it's this simple, I don't know why everyone isn't doing this!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have been doing this a while now, lol niw i realize i was doing it right i am a 38G, but in my country i dont always get it so i end up with sometimes a size 44 band and a DD cup so i have to make it work.

      Delete
    2. I have been doing this a while now, lol niw i realize i was doing it right i am a 38G, but in my country i dont always get it so i end up with sometimes a size 44 band and a DD cup so i have to make it work.

      Delete
  2. This is AMAZING! I want to try it on a Claudette Dessous!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Genius. Unlike the 'making a pointy cup rounder' technique, I think my sewing (non)skills can actually manage this one. I had been planning to just wing it (heh, see what I did there?) on an old Lunaire that's loose enough to warn as a shawl - but before reading this I would have attempted this much closer to the hooks, which I'm guessing would've been more bulky & visible. I suppose my 7th grade C+ in Home Ec was merited.

    ReplyDelete
  4. This is exactly what I did with one of my Freya Decos! Word of warning though (and I don't know if you've found this to be an issue), for me, the little tab of extra elastic always digs in and hurts a little, even though the rest of the band feels awesome. I imagine that the more band you take in though, and the wider this little section is, the less it hurts.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Are there any brands where they do scale cup sizes across bands?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ewa Michalak to some extent, I think. In their photos on different sized models, it seems that the bras have more section in the upper cup sizes.
      I don't think any British brands do.
      Freya changes the construction above a G cup for most of their bras that go above that, though. That's why a lot of times the GG-K size range is listed as a whole different bra--because it is. However, that's not the same as scaling and isn't done with awareness to sister sizes.

      Delete
    2. Just a few days ago I went to a store chain that is called "CHANGE"!!! I know, interesting name!!! They're in North America with both retail and website stores!! I believe I saw a 28G that I'm assuming is their smallest size but I can't be positive about that. I'm hoping this will help you out and anyone else needing our unique bra sizes!!!

      Delete
  6. Great stuff! I really need to do this with a couple of my Curvy Kate bras. Thanks for the details.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Great guide, but a word of warning number two )
    I shortened a band from 38C to 32E (which is my go to size) once and ended up with a bra which was way to small in the cups with the straps instantly falling down. I guess for this alteration to be successful you need to try the bra in the right size or at least close enough analog in the same brand and beware of straps placement, otherwise it's a lottery.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Your alteration looks great! I wish I had a way to know which bras don't change their cups across "sister sizes", and which do.

    For decades I heard that to take a bra band in, you had to do it in lots of places around the band to get a good fit, and since getting into full-bust bras I've learned that this just isn't true. I wonder where the rumor got started?

    ReplyDelete
  9. Your alteration looks great! I wish I had a way to know which bras don't change their cups across "sister sizes", and which do.

    For decades I heard that to take a bra band in, you had to do it in lots of places around the band to get a good fit, and since getting into full-bust bras I've learned that this just isn't true. I wonder where the rumor got started?

    ReplyDelete
  10. OK, so, embracing the reality that I am too impatient to sew by hand, I tried this with fabric glue. Total success! Also, it lays extremely flat and no additional stitching or knotting = less to annoy my sensitive skin. I chose a 40DDD Lunaire bra with a very stretchy lace band & it worked beautifully. I now have a 36GG lightly lined Tshirt bra, that I bought in the first place for the non-molded, delicious buttery fabric, but have never been able to wear because the band was so many sizes too big. I don't know how long this last as opposed to stitching, but it rescued a bra I love at a cost of 10 cents.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Having tried similar prior to my medically required reduction, if you are going too many band sizes down, it won't work as the wire width that's the front become the back also. However, I was an extreme case. 30V is my surgeon's low UK cup size guess. Or +25 inches. However, then bras in the US didn't exist over DDD, and DD was frequently all I could FIND for a +5, so a 50DD or a 48DDD. Which were near impossible to find and I'm betting my cup size was way too small as I remember side boob, under boob and muffin top boob. Well, there's not really any place to take in 18-20" in the band.

    But I do prefer side altering, as from hooks, it typically pulls the back strap attachment in, but then the straps are more prone to falling off. But, hey, it means I can love my pretty Fauves with their silly loose bands. And my stretched out Freya Erin is no longer stretched out.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Brilliant! I'm going to give it a try on some of my inexpensive bras that are too big in the band.

    ReplyDelete
  13. I just tried this on my masquerade tiffany and it worked great. But sadly the band was doomed from the beginning. Why masquerade.. why make a band that thin, stretchy and unsupportive? :( Otherwise the cups are perfect for me.

    ReplyDelete
  14. When the store where I buy the bras altered the waist, side of the cup went to the back instead of staying in front, Twice it did not work for me, so they returned the money. This time a new staff suggested it, I refused. I am 32 h . I am happy that it wprks for you and I was surprised that the underwire in the sode is sitting where it supposed to be.

    ReplyDelete
  15. According to bratabase, many UK bras get wider as the band size increases. So if you're not careful you can end up with cups acting as part of the band like literally every bra I own that fits in the cup. But I still recommend this alteration when you don't many choices like me.

    ReplyDelete
  16. i sew my own cheaper and easy

    ReplyDelete
  17. I lost 50 lbs and went from a 34G to a 32G. Now I can keep all of my beloved Freya bras. I've purchased several 32Gs that I can use as a guide. I like having bra straps in every color to match blouses, where they inevitably show, like tank tops. Thanks for saving me so much money now that I don't have to buy them all again :-)

    ReplyDelete
  18. So glad I found this! I'm 19 and my theoretical size would be a 26D (UK sizes) and that doesn't exist anywhere! I'd always have to cut and alter bras I liked to fit me and they'd end up looking a mess! I can finally make them fit, and still look nice. Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  19. I know this post is over 2 years old but the before and after show the incredible difference the right band and cup size makes. Awesome job. The bra must be worlds more comfortable to wear.

    ReplyDelete
  20. How big of a size discrepancy would you recommend avoiding? I should wear a 30J (or 30GG in UK sizes) and I would probably have to sister size up to a 40 or 42 band to find anything that fits the cups in my location.

    ReplyDelete