Brassiere Bags

Supplies

The perfect bra and supplies for this project are going to feature the following:
• A small bust (34A to 36C)
• Elegance—go for something sassy and saucy. Reds, purples and blacks will work best. White bras are a little eck! (Photo 1)
• Underwire. Support, ladies, support!
• A touch of the fancy-smancy such as lace and satin trim.
• A nice drapey fabric for the bag. Try reusing fabric from a dressy lady’s pullover or dress. Polyesters are a great choice. “Here, you’re searching for a garment with a continuous hem that later becomes a casing for a piece of 1⁄4" elastic,” Lucy says. “There are also rayons, metallics, holographics, and silks to choose from...oh, why not buy them all?”
• Trim! Fur, boa, fringe, whatever floats your boat. “Bulky fur and boas can be sewn on with clear monofilament line so that the stitches are hidden later beneath the bag lining. Fringe can be stitched to the base of the brassiere before the bag is sewn on,” she says.
• Liner: The inside of the bag will need a liner, so seek something silky and complementary to the fabric that you will use to create the bag. Silky and satiny blouses are great places to find such fabric.
• The signature touch. This can be a vintage pin or brooch, a funky medallion you picked up at the thrift store, a widowed earring, anything that says you.

What follows are Lucy's directions, in her own words, for creating the bag.

Stage 1: Forming and Attaching the Bag

Fasten the brassiere back to its smallest size and cut a piece of elastic (1⁄4" thick) one inch longer than the bra’s bottom circumference. Place a safety pin in each end of the elastic, turning one pin perpendicular to act as a “stop.” Then turn the dress or top upside down and, with a seam ripper, open one side of the seam at the hem. Thread the elastic through this hem “casing,” drawing the two safety pins together outside of the casing opening (Photo 2).

Pull enough elastic clear to overlap an inch and securely handstitch the elastic ends together. Let it slip back into the casing and whipstitch it closed. Distribute the gathers evenly around the casing.

Handstitch the bottom edge of the elastic casing to the bottom edge of the brassiere. Hang the bra-with-upside-down-dress on a coat hanger, and eyeball how deep the bag should be in proportion to the brassiere (Photo 3).

I cut the butterfly dress off at ten inches, but you may want to make your bag shallower or deeper. Place a few pins in the dress or top to mark the cutting line.

After pinning the desired bag depth, lay the bra-dress/top combo flat on your worktable and smooth out the fabric gathers so you can make a clean cut. With a marker, sketch a horizontal line to connect the pins and cut along this line. With heavy upholstery thread, place a gathering stitch about 1⁄4" from the cut edge (Photo 4).

When gathering the bottom edge, take about six stitches, draw the fabric tight and secure the gathers with a few anchoring stitches. Continue gathering around the bag bottom until it’s drawn tightly together (you will still have about a 2" opening).

Stage 2: Making the Tassel

Set the bag aside now to make the tassel. Of course, you can purchase a tassel at any fabric and craft store and your bag will still look terrific, but making your own is a lot more fun. I use black rayon crochet cord, which is heavy and slick enough to swing nicely. For a healthy 5" tassel, you’ll need about nine yards of cord.

Cut a 6 x 6" piece of cardboard (Photo 5). Tape over the edges so the cording won’t snag. Secure one end of the cord to the cardboard with a pin, and begin wrapping. When you’ve made about 25 passes, cut the cord and secure the end with a pin. Slide a short piece of cording under the wraps to secure the head of the tassel when you take it off the cardboard.

Now gently slide the cording off the cardboard with your fingers. Draw the cord loops together with the short cord and tie it securely but don’t trim it. Cut the bottom of the loops with scissors and straighten the strands.

Double-thread a needle with black upholstery thread and wind it several times around the cord strands near the top to form the neck of the tassel. Backstitch a few times to anchor it, and dab a little seam sealant on the anchor. Then run the needle and remaining thread out the top of the tassel.

Shape the tassel with your fingers so that it hangs straight, and then trim the bottom evenly. Sometimes the strands will have kinks—just hit them with a burst from your steam iron and they’ll usually straighten right out.

To attach the tassel to the bottom of the bag, turn the edges of the bag’s gathered opening to the inside. You will be working with the bag right side out, but with the inside bottom pulled up to where you can get at it. Slip the threaded needle and cords, securing the tassel head through the gathered opening from the outside, and pinch it shut. With the needle, stab-stitch the opening closed, making sure to catch the cords securely. Make a few stitches through the knot at the top of the tassel as well, and then tug gently on it to make sure it’s there to stay.

Stage 3: Sewing the Lining

Lay the bag (with tassel tucked out of the way) on a piece of paper and draw a generous line around it (Photo 6). Cut the pattern out and lay it on the lining fabric, making sure to keep the grainline vertical (you don’t want the bag lining to stretch out of shape later). Cut two pieces and pin them together, right side to right side. I use silk satins and velvets from thrift store garments for all of my evening bag linings because the fabrics are so lovely, but you can use whatever you like.

I always add a small metal clasp anchored to the bag bottom. It’s for securing your keys so that you don’t lose them when your mind is on making merry—such a comfort at three in the morning! Adding a small pocket for mad money or a credit card is a good idea, too. If you have your own label or nametag, add these extras while everything is still in the flat. In Photo 7, I have shown the clasp on top of the lining for illustrative purposes—of course, you’ll place it between the lining pieces right side to right side, catching the clasp’s fabric tether in the seam allowance. Stitch the lining pieces together. Keeping the lining wrong side out, pin it to the bag interior, easing the fabric here and there to accommodate the irregular shape. With tiny handstitches, sew the lining to the bottom edge of the elastic casing. This is because you may want to add a metal snap for closure.

Stage 4: Closures

The brassiere bag will close naturally when you hold it by the straps, but you can attach a metal snap for added security. The snap’s male and female parts will be anchored on the elastic casing. Snap kits vary in their components, so follow the manufacturer’s instructions for installation. They can be purchased in fabric and craft shops, or online at www.fabricandbuttons.com. After you’ve installed both snap parts, go back and handstitch the top of the elastic casing to the brassiere.

One of the brassieres that I used was strapless, so there went the built-in handles for Rosie’s Bag.... and because the bag’s opening was small, I didn’t need a snap to close it. Instead, tiny metal rings were sewn to the tops of the underwiring on both cups and a braided rattail cord was threaded through. When the bag is held by the cord, the brassiere naturally collapses!

Stage 5: Charms

The final touch for each of these bags was to add some kind of charm in the form of a vintage pin or earring. I have found lots of interesting little shapes in various thrift store jewelry cases, as well as at flea markets and quilt shows. Place a pin high on one of the bra cups and put a dot of glue on the catch to keep it secure. Earrings can be taken apart and modified, such as the charm on Butterfly Luck. Originally, this Chinese symbol fu, meaning “lucky”, was metallic green. I spray painted it with a few coats of silver metal paint, followed by a coat of clear lacquer, then stitched it to the right brassiere strap.

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