Pretty bra straps? A crazy tutorial / Create / Enjoy

Pretty bra straps? A crazy tutorial

8.26.2010

Okay, I have a tutorial to share with you today that I think is pretty cool, but some of you may think is the craziest thing you've ever heard.

In one of my magazines I heard about the Maidenform Charmed line, which has come out with some pretty bras, including two with pretty lace or straps--so it doesn't matter if they poke out from under your sundress!

And this slightly different one, with a pretty band and plain straps:

Very pretty, right? They're not the style of bra that I usually wear, but I like the idea of pretty straps that you're not afraid of showing a little.

This gave me an idea--again, please don't judge me too much if you think I'm ridiculous for doing this! ;)
I took an old bra that I liked but didn't care too much about, and added wide lace ribbon straps instead of the elastic ones. I removed the straps that came on it to do this. That's okay with me; they were kinda dirty already, you know how white bra straps get. It may be close to time for a new bra, but until then, I have pretty bra straps that look like another layer of tank or something, not too lingerie-ey!

So how about a simple little tutorial for how to do this yourself (if you're in the school of, "hey, that's a neat idea!")!

You can do this with a regular bra or a strapless (I also tried it with one of those removable strap ones).

Cut off the straps if necessary. you're going to sew at the point where the old strap attached to the bra.

Pin your lace or ribbon onto the bra. I like to make it continue to the bottom of the band, just for less strain on the stretchy nylon.

Sew along the ribbon or lace (I matched my top thread to the lace, bobbin to the bra) in line with the band.

Great. Now, try on you bra and pull the straps toward the front. Pin them in place where they'll meet on the front, and try to move around a lot as you do when you wear a bra normally. These won't have as much stretch as modern bra straps, so you want them at a nice medium length (not the tightest, not the loosest). You can always buy lingerie sliding pieces to use with your ribbon or lace, but I went the easy way and just chose a length. No pics of this part! Don't want to show the internet too much of my undies.
Make sure both sides match in length, or are close, and pin in place.

If you're doing this on a strapless, tuck the ribbon or lace behind the edge of the bra. If you do it on a regular bra, I suggest putting it in front of the cut-off part and finishing it nicely.