June 24, 2022

How do you sew a bra? Bra making resources for beginners and beyond


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Welcome to your one-stop shop for all things bra sewing! We’ve rounded up the best bra-making guides, workshops, and tutorials from around the web, plus a special offer for Cashmerette fans: $10 off this year’s International Bra Sewing Bee!

Jump to another post in this series:

  1. Bra fitting guide overview
  2. How to choose your bra size
  3. How to make a test bra
  4. How to adjust the back band
  5. How to adjust the gore/bridge
  6. How to adjust the cups
  7. How to adjust the side seam angle
  8. How to adjust the straps
  9. How to adjust the underwires
  10. How to make an asymmetrical bra
  11. Additional bra making resources

Whether you’re sewing your first bra or have a whole me-made lingerie drawer, there’s always more to learn about the wondrous world of bra making.

Start with the best bra for you

Set yourself up for success by making the ideal bra for a large bust! The Cashmerette Willowdale Bra is a full frame underwire bra sewing pattern in sizes 28C-54J with a 4-piece cup design for vital support and lift in a beautifully rounded shape. With 126 sizes to choose from, a detailed illustrated instruction booklet, and lots of sourcing and fitting support on our blog, the Willowdale is your best starting point for bra making.

The Cashmerette Bra Fitting Guide

Bra fitting can be challenging, but we’ve made it so much more approachable with the Cashmerette Bra Fitting Guide. This guide covers how to choose your size, make a muslin, and how to make adjustments to create a bra that fits like a dream.

International Bra Sewing Bee

The International Bra Sewing Bee brings together bra sewists from around the world to enhance their skills, connect with businesses, and celebrate this beautiful art form. The 2022 Bra Sewing Bee takes place on August 4-7th (with a Beginner Bee pre-event July 30-31st) and includes live and pre-recorded classes, sewalongs, community forum, and more.

SPECIAL OFFER

Save $10 off the Bee’s Full Access Bundle with code WILLOWDALE!

This ticket level gets you access to the main conference and Beginner Bee weekend, plus an additional year of access to all of the videos from the entire Bee and so much more.

Online workshops

Books

Free tutorials

Community

We hope these resources help you on your bra-making journey! If you have other resources you love, be sure to drop them in the comments below and we’ll add them to the list.

One thought on “How do you sew a bra? Bra making resources for beginners and beyond

  1. Michelle C says:

    This is such a great list of resources! I highly recommend the Sew Busty posts, especially the three-part Guide to Underwire Bra Sewing. Doing the work to figure out my personal fitting challenges before sewing and making a fitting band were so so helpful! RTW bra underwires always rested way below the bottom of my breasts, and it’s because I need a different shape underwire and also need to adjust my bridge a bit so the underwires sit in the correct place.

    Another good resource for Facebook users is the Bra Makers Beginners to Intermediate group. It’s private, and the rules for the group say it is for “women only” but I’m not sure who defines what a woman is for this group. Sew Busty also has a supportive FB group that is inclusive.

    https://www.facebook.com/groups/bramaking101

Let me know what you think!