Dear Costume Goddess,

I have read your tips on covering bras. Unfortunately, I have trouble finding ones that fit my DD figure, especially with a seamless shell or support built into the cup. I have found a seamless soft-cup bra made of stretchy material. How could this be covered with a non-stretchy satin-like synthetic? Should I try to fortify the cup in any way? I'm afraid that the material might be too flimsy to support a lot of beading. Any tips would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Your suggestions for making a belt pattern were very helpful. I was also quite impressed by your designs.

--Curvy In Canada

Dear Curvy,

A stretchy cup will be nothing but problems to cover or reinforce. A bra that has a well-fitting non-stretch cup that is too soft can be reinforced on the inside. I do this by lining it with interfacing, using the same two-piece method that I use for covering the outside of the cup. Non-woven interfacing is neater because it does not ravel. If it feels too stiff inside or looks ugly, cover the interfacing with tricot or felt as a lining.

For extra reinforcement, I've also sewn in a strip of plastic boning, the same kind used for strapless dresses; either the kind that comes in its own casing, or the kind you can sew through. The boning, or cotton casing, is sewn in horizontally across the cup seam, as shown in the photo, through all layers. The stitching on the outside will be covered later. This works well for me. I haven't tried sewing it in vertically, but that might work better in some cases; experiment until you get a satisfactory result.

More detailed instructions and illustrations are in my book, "Cabaret Belt and Bra for Bellydancers". Yes, I managed to get a plug in!

--The Costume Goddess

Other articles on this web site that you may find helpful include:

Ask the Costume Goddess: How to Cover a Bra. Describes how to cover a purchased bra with costume fabric. Ask The Costume Goddess: Attaching A Coin Bra Cover. Now that you've covered your bra with fabric, you're ready to put a chain/coin covering over it. Here's how.

Ask The Costume Goddess: Beads Connecting Bra. How can beaded strands be used to connect a bra to a collar? Ask The Costume Goddess: For Large Bustlines. Bra shopping tips for well-endowed dancers.

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