Did you buy or make a new bra and find out that it digs into your under arm? Ill-fitting bras aren't just uncomfortable, they can cause unnecessary pain!
I made this bra a few months ago using the Little Black Bra pattern by George and Ginger using an old athletic jacket. Due to the material having less stretch than suggested and me altering the pattern a bit based on my last make, it ended up being too tight under my arm pits! You could totally use this for anything you own with the same issue including store bought, wired bras, sports bras, or binders.
The internet can't be trusted with me modeling bras because THE INTERNET, so hopefully this walkthrough with pictures and descriptions is helpful for your ill-fitting woes! I'd use my mannequin but this won't even stretch to fit on her!
Ultimately to fix this problem, I need to remove fabric from this area somehow.
I originally thought I would need to unpick the band so that I could flip the whole thing inside out, cut out some fabric, sew it up, and flip it all right side out again. I tried to do that, but because of the shoulder straps, I wasn't able to access the underarm the way I needed to. So don't do that!
After undoing my first try by re-sewing the bottom band again I was able to fix it much more easily!
You'll need:
Picot elastic (also called lingerie elastic) or Fold over elastic
Sewing machine with stretch stitches + stretch needle
Sharp scissors
Pins + Clips
Fabric marker like chalk is helpful!
Try on your bra and figure out how much lower you think you need the fabric and mark it with chalk. You want to be conservative with this measurement, you can always cut more off but we can't really add fabric back once its gone!
Take the bra off and draw a full curved cutting line based on the marks you made while wearing it. Just do this on one side, we'll get to the other side in a bit.
If your bra is lined like mine is, pin both layers of fabric below your cutting line before you cut anything! This is going to help get a cleaner cut as lingerie fabrics are slippery!
Carefully cut along the line you drew and try the bra on. Does the new length feel better or is it still digging in? Cut more fabric off if you're still having problems!
Once you get one underarm to where you like it, you need to mirror the cut to the other side. I did this by folding the bra in half and tracing the new cut line on the other side. You can also trace the piece of fabric you cut off, if you got it in one go!
Then pin, cut, and try on like you did for the first side!
Now we just have to finish those raw edges. Grab your elastic and clip it along the raw edge. If you're using picot elastic like I am, you want the raw edge of the fabric to be behind the elastic so you don't see it while you wear it. Sew it down with a stretch stitch, I used a 3-step zigzag.
I actually wasn't sure if the elastic would be comfortable, but I've actually been wearing it for a few weeks now without any issues!
If you try this project, I'd love to see! Tag @Sunny_Salvage on Instagram or Facebook and follow me on Pinterest for more upcycling ideas! Hope you're able to use this tutorial to get your unloved bras back into rotation!
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