Bra Making Materials, Part 1: Large Busts

Hi, Ladies! This is Andie of Sew Pretty in Pink and Megan of The Green Violet. Today and tomorrow, we’re going to walk you through which materials we like to use, our favourite suppliers, and even give you detailed shopping lists for some of our favourite bras. 

Though neither of us claim to be experts in bra making, we’ve both been making our own lingerie for about a year and wanted to share some tips we have picked up so that hopefully you can start on your bra making journey with a more gentle learning curve. When you begin making bras and other kinds of lingerie, one of the most difficult things is finding the appropriate materials for your projects and knowing what to use based on your cup size and the support you need.

While this post is definitely geared toward bra making, there are some materials that overlap. Elastics used for bras can also be used in making underwear. Elastic straps, rings and sliders can be used for adjustable straps on camisoles. Channeling for wires can be used for some corsets. Fabrics may also overlap for soft, wireless bras and underwear or camisoles.

There are lots of options beyond bra making for the supplier list we have provided below. There are lots of great bra making kits available for beginners. After a while, though, you might want to look into purchasing larger amounts to make tons of bras. We have to admit that bra making can get a little addictive, especially when we’ve been used to boring old black, beige, and white bras for so long! We’re going to give you some tips for materials to buy for large busted and for small busted women, a list of bra making suppliers, and then we both will both provide a shopping list of materials that we used to create the bras shown below.

Feel free to ask us any questions and we will do our best to help out! We KNOW that if we can sew bras, you can too, and it will be an exciting and liberating process!

Large-Busted Material Tips

This is Andie representing Team Large Bust. I look for lots of support with a bra. I know the dangers of not wearing a bra that provides enough support for your bust. If you have a large bust, you want a fabric that has a low amount of stretch, good recovery, and with enough support throughout the day.

Duoplex, almost exclusively from Bra Maker’s Supply (BMS), is made from 100% polyester and has a 5-10% mechanical give in one direction. It’s very supportive and does not stretch out throughout the day. It washes very well and is very durable – survive the apocalypse durable. For very large cups, the supportive option is definitely duoplex. A similar material is used in large cup RTW bras, but they tend to come in a limited range of colours. Duoplex from BMS comes in tons of colours and matched with a lace upper cup can make for a gorgeous bra. Additionally, since duoplex has great recovery, it is good for a couple of days of wear before washing depending on your level of activity.

Another option for a stable cup material is non-stretch 100% nylon sheer cup lining. This is available from many suppliers. It has a bit more stretch than duoplex at about 10% mechanical give in one direction. It is more delicate than duoplex, but can provide adequate support for larger cups. Because it is a thin fabric, you can also use double amounts on a bra pattern with a power bar and in the bridge or cradle to give more support to the areas that do the heavy lifting. Sheer cup lining can go under stretch lace or bra tulle to provide stability, as well as under other materials, like satin or silk. A bra made with this material isn’t going to survive the apocalypse like duoplex, but it will provide enough support for one day of wear before washing.

Polylaminate foam (aka. cut-and-sew foam) is another cup option. It has about 15% stretch in one direction. You can line the cups with the sheer cup lining to give yourself extra support, if necessary. The foam layer will be between the lining and a main fabric. The main fabric on a bra like this can be made of anything, but I do recommend matching the stretch percentage of the foam cup. You can have a stretchier material, but going with non-stretch without any mechanical give on the outside may cause some puckering as the foam will want to stretch a little and have no room to stretch. Megan uses this foam in all her bras. I mainly use duoplex, but I have been branching out lately to foam and sheer cup lining.

The most important part of a large bust is the underwire and channelling. It really does provide the necessary support needed for all that mass. You can create a bra for a large bust without a wire, but I don’t have positive experience with that. For the band, I recommend doubling up the powernet if you have a bust as large as mine. It really helps keep everything in place. Look for a firm powernet.

Elastic is a huge part of the bra. For the band elastic, I actually recommend using a 5/8 inch strap elastic. It has a plush side and no picot edge. If your stomach starts extending under your bust like me, you will have an issue with the band elastic rolling, which can become very uncomfortable after a day of wear. Strap elastic will hold its shape throughout the day. Since switching to it, I haven’t had the rolling issue. You can also use the same strap elastic for the straps! The bonus is not having to buy several different kinds of elastics. For the underarm or the upper cup, a thinner width elastic (around 3/8 inch) with a plush back is what you need. Because these areas don’t provide support, you can go fancier here with picot edges and ruffled edges. The most this elastic will have to do is pull tighter under the arm and keep that area contained. Good recovery is a plus of that elastic.

Finally, let’s talk straps. If you are large busted, you may want to go with a fabric strap with no stretch plus a shorter adjustable strap elastic with rings and sliders. The fabric strap can also be lined in foam for extra comfort. I haven’t found I’ve needed to do that as I find enough comfort from the fabric alone, but I have tried it for a recent bra and like it. You definitely want an adjustable portion to make sure the strap is always sitting correctly and providing the right support. I use duoplex for the fabric portion of my strap and 5/8 strap elastic for the adjustable portion.

Megan will be here tomorrow with a run down on her favourite supplies for a large-band, small-cup figure. In the mean time, here’s a peek inside Andie’s shopping lists for bras she’s made.

ANDIE’S SHOPPING LIST:

Maya bra:

• Maya Bra Pattern from AFI
• F-325 Polylaminate foam from Sew Sassy, black for cup lining
• 5/8 inch waistband or strap elastic from Porcelynne, black for band and strap
• 3/8 inch scallop edge elastic from a local store, black for underarm
• 5/8 inch rings and sliders from a local store, black
• Nylon non-stretch sheer cup lining from Arte Crafts, black for cradle
• Black channeling from a local store
• Red stretch satin and blue/white stretch cotton from stash
• 3×3 hook and eye from Porcelynne, black
• FP-1 regular powernet from Bra Maker’s Supply, black for band
• WX-60 XL wires from Bra Maker’s Supply

Blush bra:

• Bra pattern made from cloning an Elomi bra (tutorial will be posted)
• Black Blush bra kit with large findings,from Emerald Studio
• Non-stretch nylon cup lining from Arte Crafts, white for bridge and cups
• 5/8 inch waistband or strap elastic from Porcelynne, black for band and strap
• Black ruffle edge elastic from stash
• WX-60 XL wires from Bra Maker’s Supply

Pink floral turquoise bra:

• Bra pattern made from cloning an Elomi bra (tutorial will be posted)
• 5/8 inch rings and sliders from Arte Crafts, rose gold
• 6” wide white/pink floral stretch lace from eBay user bestkids2011 (similar lace in their shop)
• Non-stretch nylon cup lining from Arte Crafts, black for bridge and a layer in the straps
• FJ-6 Duoplex from Bra Maker’s Supply, fuschia for straps and turquoise for main
• ES-4 1/2 inch strap elastic from Bra Maker’s Supply, fuschia for straps
• 5/8 inch waistband or strap elastic from Porcelynne, black for band
• 3×3 hook and eye from Porcelynne, black
• FP-1 regular powernet from Bra Maker’s Supply, black for band
• WX-60 XL wires from Bra Maker’s Supply

Megan will be here tomorrow with her perspective, and an overview of good suppliers online!