In collaboration with Natasha Estrada, a very good friend and owner of Arte Crafts, a shop with a great stock of bra making supplies, we have created a Bra Making Facebook group. It’s meant to be a place to post what you’ve made and get almost instant feedback on your projects, pattern reviews and supply needs. If you love sewing bras, you are welcome, regardless your skill level. Want to toot your own horn and share your blog or bra related business? We welcome it as long as it’s respectful and not spammy. We didn’t create it to be one specific thing; the community will dictate the direction it moves.
Natasha writes on the reason why she approached me about forming the group, “Over a decade ago, I took sewing classes at the local community college. I loved the camaraderie we had. It was nice to always have someone to share my project and ideas with and to have someone help me when I got stuck. There were these two awesome ladies who worked at the post office and kept sewing machines under their desks. When the boss was away, they pulled them out and started sewing. They’d show up for our Thursday night tailoring class with garments in tow and would be like ‘LOOK at the all the things we made this week.’ I loved that! I also took a semester of independent study, focusing on bra making. Back in the early 2000s, there was a usenet group solely focused on bra making. It was a great resource and I printed and saved the entire FAQ. With the resurgence of bra making in the blogging world, I was hoping something like that would pop up. There’s a lot of new resources out there in the form of blog posts, tutorials and sew alongs, but it’s all fragmented and there’s no place to hang out. I also get a lot of questions about technique from customers, but it would be a lot of work to create a blog post for each individual question.”
Natasha and I are the administrators, but by no means are we claiming that we’re experts or professional bra makers. Our role will be to monitor the page to make sure it doesn’t become advertise driven. Self promotion is totally okay -linking to your blog, website and such- but we don’t want it to become a place that only sells stuff. Leave the Nike, vitamins or a Snuggie advertisements for infomercials.
Also note that this is a private group, so if you post images of you in your bras and/or knickers, it won’t be public domain.
What some of the folks from the group had to say:
“I love having found a bra-making community. When I first wanted to make bras, almost everywhere I asked, it was an unheard of thing. I was told we couldn’t make them. It’s wonderful to not only be able to make them ourselves, but also share what we learn.” -Michelle Noble.
“The best part of a group like this is the huge learning opportunity from like-minded women. When I say I am learning how to sew my own bras, I get a lot of weird looks. It’s such a small niche market right now that being able to ask questions and learn from such talented seamstresses in my own home is fabulous. There are no opportunities like it in my area so I am grateful for a group like this where I can indulge my addiction for sewing, learning and pretty lacy fabrics.” -Megan
“I’ve had experienced sewers look amazed when I say I’m sewing my own bras. Most of the time they say they never realized it was possible. I tell them it’s the only way to get a really perfect fit, plus you can play with soooo many fabric choices, lace types, elastics and trims. And I’m not about to leave out decorative stitches, small embroideries, pattern stamping and of course – BLING!“
“I have sewn bras for myself before, but with little success as far as fitting goes. Hearing everyone else’s issues really helps. And I really love seeing everyone’s photos.” -Kath
“I’m loving this forum I’m new to bra making and loving all the information and help. Also, as I live in the UK there seems to be even less interest in making your own underwear and it is really difficult to source supplies hoping this will change as it gets more popular.” -Wendy
Do you want to join? Ask to be a member now! There might be a slight delay as we have to approve you, but hang tight!