In today’s column, Leah provides step-by-step instructions to accomplish the alterations that you saw earlier in the week–by the way, apologies for the missing photos in that post. I’ll be able to repost them when I return from vacation. We’re still thinking about what to name this column, so any ideas are welcome. And remember: the winning tagline idea for this entire blog could put a Two Figs sleepwear item in your lingerie drawer. You have until midnight next Tuesday to enter.

This week, I’m going to start with the most crucial alteration in my repertoire—shrinking a bra band. I’ll be using a 34DD Victoria’s Secret Very Sexy Push-Up. My usual size is 28FF. Unfortunately, with this particular bra, the band is so stretchy that even when I made it as small as possible without moving the straps, it’s actually still a bit big on me. I would say it’s about the equivalent of a 30-½ band. So I’d recommend doing this with a band that’s no more than two sizes too big or is not too stretchy. Or, you can remove the straps with a seam-ripper, shorten the band as needed, then sew the straps back on wherever you please.

Materials: Bra, thread, needle, scissors
Project time: 10 minutes

Click through to read the illustration-heavy instructions.

1. First, start with the side of the band with the hooks. Fold it under at the strap area. Pin in place.

 

2. Next, fold the hooks back out. Pin in place if you like, or just hold it.

 

3. Look at the other side. Be sure the hooks portion of the band is flush with the folded fabric.

 

4. Sew in place along the yellow lines, avoiding the brand tag if possible. Try to keep the fabric as flat as possible while you sew. It may be helpful to iron the band while it’s folded before sewing.

 

5. On the front side, sew a slip stitch along the yellow line, where the hooks meet the folded fabric. This step will help your band to stretch evenly when you’re wearing the bra, instead of pulling on the thread alone. See below for slip stitch instructions.

 

How to Sew a Slip Stitch:

 

6. Now do the same thing to the other end of the band, the eyes. Fold the eyes under at the strap area. Pin in place.

 

7. Fold the eyes back out.

 

8. Check that the eyes are flush with the folded fabric.

 

9. Sew in place along the yellow lines.

 

10. Sew a slip stitch on the front side, along the yellow line, where the eyes meet the folded fabric.

 

You are done! If the band is still a little too loose or stretchy but you don’t want to remove and reattach the straps, you can decrease the stretchiness by sewing a straight, tight line along the top and bottom hems of the band. Don’t sew along the entire band, though, because then you’ll have no stretch at all. Try just a quarter or a third to start. You can always sew more, but removing stitches is a pain! Additionally, I recommend using a sewing machine for this step since it creates more uniform stitches. If you don’t have a machine, sew in one direction, then go back over your stitches in the opposite direction, filling in the space between stitches so that it looks like a straight line—not a series of dashes—when you’re finished.