Friday 31 January 2014

::Sewing::FO:: Bra Strap Stay Prototype


Okay people. It's about to get all personal around here. I'm going to be talking about bras and stuff so don't tell me you haven't been forewarned!!! :)

I must have really sloped shoulders or something because my bra straps are constantly slipping off my shoulders. ANNOYING! I'm constantly have to readjust my bra straps all the time. I have a bra that has removable straps that I could cross over at the back and that worked a treat except it made the straps a bit tight and they were already as long as they could go. Also, that wasn't really an option for bras that didn't have removable straps.

I got sick of my slipping straps so I thought I'd see if I could come up with a solution. I did a little bit of research about the internet and found a few ideas. Most of the options I found online were for converting a regular bra into a racer-back style bra and were made of plastic. That wasn't quite what I was after. I just wanted a joining strap that would sit halfway up my back. It would have to be removable so I could wash it and use it with other bras and I wanted it to be fairly sturdy and long lasting.

I had a think about it, had a look around at my supplies, had a quick look online for more supplies and came up with a cunning plan. This is what I came up with.


I was going to call it the over-the-shoulder-boulder-holder-strap-wrangler, but I thought that sounded a bit long winded :) So I'm going to call it the Bra Strap Stay (BSS). Essentially it's a length of folded fabric with 2 sets of snaps at either end. Each end of the BSS wraps around the bra straps pulling them to the centre and keeping bra straps taught so they don't slide of shoulders.

Here are my supplies and tools (excluding machine, thread and scissors of course)

I folded the fabric RST and sewed a 3/8' seam along the long edge

I pinked the seam to make the tube easier to turn.

Using my nifty Easy Turn I turned the tube right side out.

I folded each end of the tube inside and stitched the ends closed.

Now it was hammer (and snaps) time.
(Hee hee little things, amuse small minds : P)

The back piece of the snap was worked into
the fabric using my fingers

Using the top of the tool I pressed the
fabric into the centre of the stud back.

The prongs sticking through
the fabric ready for the next step

The cap piece was placed on top and centred so the
prongs of the  stud back sit properly

The tool that came with the studs was then
 popped over the cap and centred so the
 pokey outey bit (very technical here people)
didn't get squished.

I put a press stud at each end of the strip and the matching stud about 2 inches in from each end.

Ta da! All done and ready to wrangle some bra straps.
I've been wearing it for quite some time now and there are a few things I'd do differently. I'd probably make it a little wider and perhaps a little longer. Next time I'd use a fabric that was much 'softer' to the skin. Depending on the fabric, it may need interfacing too.

My skin gets irritated by the little bits where I turned the ends of the tube under and stitched them closed. Next time I'd sew a curve around each short end and turn the tube right side out through a hole on one of the long sides. Perhaps topstitch it as well.

I'll have to make another version and let you know how I go :)

Until next time, I hope you dreaming up some ideas that will make your life easier.
Vanessa xo

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