Hello! I had a non-cosplay sewing question~ A friend of mine bought a swimsuit that has no support for the boobs so we were thinking she could probably sew in an underwire herself. The swimsuit does have boobie pads and has an awkward seam down the middle of the front so we're not quite sure what to do with that. What would you suggest we do? Is sewing an underwire in the best solution or are there other ways of giving support to the swimsuit top? And what do we do about the seam in the middle?
Hello there!
With underwire bras, it really has to be shaped to fit the shape of the wire – keep in mind that bras are quite seriously a feat of modern engineering – and this is something that is very difficult, if not impossible, add to an existing garment, unfortunately. I suppose you can try, but if the positioning or sizing is even a little off, it loses a lot of the supportive properties and can cause discomfort. The padding in there can help with cleavage, but the top itself needs to be structured enough to hold that padding in place – it doesn’t add structure or support on its own.
Here’s a few ideas of other things you can try:- Add structure to the band so that it can better hold the breasts in place. If the band is loose and floppy, it won’t have the strength needed to hold the cups in place. Adding some powernet and/or thick elastic (make sure it’s swim safe) can help with this.- Add structure to the cups. You need a solid foundation of the band in order to support anything, but using a non-stretch fabric or a foam in a three-piece cup sewn underneath the original cups may help. - Add thicker straps. While straps shouldn’t be the main support of such a garment, on a swim top, I certainly wouldn’t want weak straps, for practical reasons. ;] This can help hold the cup to the breast, as well.- Take in the band some. If it has its own structure but is too large, taking it in can help add support.
And here are some things to keep in mind that may prevent you from adding structure to the top: - The cups are too small. If they are too shallow, cut too small on the sides so that they don’t fully encompass the breast tissue, or cut too low down on the breast, there isn’t much you can do. If they are cut too low, you may be able to add a contrast band to the top in a similar fabric so that they hold more breast tissue.- The cup shape is not conducive to supporting heavy breasts. Deep plunges, things without separate cups, or a shape that doesn’t work with the wearer’s breast shape/positioning (such as a very low-cut demi style, or some very low-cut balconette styles, if the breast is very full and round near the top) are not going to give much support, period.
You can try the underwire, but it would be some pretty heavy reconstruction, and it would have to be where the stars align and allows you to have the perfect shape and seaming in order for the underwire to do its job. I’d personally be worried about it, but if it’s unwearable as-is, you can always give it a try.
I’m not sure what the issue with the awkward seam placement is, and would need to see a photo to see what the issue is. She might just have to live with that, though.
Good luck! I hope that helps :D
