Bra-making Class 2, Part 3, By Pauline from Australia

For Those Who Are Well Endowed

For more support, choose really heavy duty power net. It does come in different strengths. With lighter power net, use two layers, stitching together and treating as one piece. Make sure the stretch is going around the body in both pieces.

Use very wide 2'' (5cm) scalloped elastic on the band. When you turn it to the inside, it will be too wide under the cups. No problem - stitch under the cups, forming a curve, then trim off the excess elastic. The underwire casing will sit over the top of it and hide the cut edge.

Also adding seams into the lower cup helps. Slash lower cup pattern through in 2-3 places. Make sure you mark pattern pieces before doing this and notch to identify what piece goes with what (ask me how I know this). Add a seam allowance and stitch them up, topstitching the seams.

Lower Support Seams (lower half of bra cup, shown upside-down)

Bonding a firm layer of interfacing into the lower cup also helps to give support. You will need to line your lower cups in most cases, but the pattern remains the same.

Extra uplift can also be added, on it's own or in conjunction with the above by cutting an extra piece of interfacing and bonding along the side/base of the cup. You can change this shape to suit where you want push and uplift. The shaded area in the picture shows the shape of the extra interfacing to be bonded in.

Shape of Extra Interfacing to be Bonded in (curved tracing) for extra support (shown upside-down)

You can buy a felt like piece that can be stitched in to give support as well, but not sure where you can purchase in the US. If we have them in Oz, you have to have them there.

Do you want a wider strap? Try Class 2, Part 4!