Bullet Bra

by - 11:00

bullet bra via lovebirds vintage

With some money I had at Christmas time, I bought a bullet bra from What Katie Did. I love the shape it gives under vintage dresses; it's amazing how much difference it makes to how the dress fits. Since I find What Katie Did lingerie to be a little pricey on my budget, I decided that I'd also like a cheaper everyday bullet bra to wear so that I could keep my What Katie Did bra for best.

When I had an afternoon to spare, I grabbed some scrap fabric and worked my way through Brittany at Va-Voom Vintage's bullet bra tutorial. I found it pretty easy to make even with my own minimal sewing skills, and a great way to practice some basic techniques. The hardest part I found was getting the spiral stitching on the cups even - you can see if you look closely that it's a little wonky in places.

bullet bra via lovebirds vintage

I sewed the smaller size available which is the C-cup pattern. I also happened to have some straps which came from an old bra where the straps were interchangeable. I'm pretty happy with the fit of the bra overall (especially considering I sewed it myself) although I could have done with making a smaller cup size. I am on the lookout for a pattern to make some pads to improve the fit, although the site I found which looks like it had a good pattern redirects to an adult site, so I don't know if it might have been hacked or something.

As it is, the bra won't be totally wearable until I've sorted out some sort of padding for it, but I'm really looking forward to wearing it at some point. (I did consider the What Katie Did bullet bra pads but having read the reviews I am not certain they will be the right shape to help in this case).

Did anyone else have a go at this during the original sew-along?

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12 comments

  1. Randi9 February 2015 at 14:05

    When I first saw Brittany's bullet bra tutorial, I dismissed it because I though it was beyond my novice skills; you've encouraged me to think otherwise. I love the color you've chosen for your bra and, had you not explained, I would have assumed it was genuine vintage!

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  2. Jessica9 February 2015 at 19:02

    That's a really cool project, and it looks like you did a great job! I have a Rago bra that creates a very similar shape to a bullet bra, and it's such a great thing to have in my wardrobe. You're right that it helps to create the proper silhouette and helps vintage dresses sit properly, since that's the style of undergarment they're made to go with.
    Hope you get the padding issues sorted it, because the bra you made looks very cute and charming.

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  3. Emileigh 9 February 2015 at 20:28

    I'm working on a bra right now, too, and my topstitching is also wonky. It's difficult to get it perfectly even! I wouldn't have noticed any of it on yours though if you hadn't said anything; it looks great!

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  4. Taygan9 February 2015 at 20:30

    I've been wanting to try Brittany's tutorial for ages!
    Yours looks gorgeous, well done :)
    I'm definitely inspired to give this a go now, but I too will definitely need some kind of padding situation - do report back if you find anything!

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    1. Helen Mae9 February 2015 at 21:38

      I will do! I really hope I can get something sorted out.

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  5. Carla9 February 2015 at 22:38

    That fabric and color you chose is gorgeous!! And I'm also looking for some sort of padding to help things sit nicely. I found a tutorial, but I keep getting virus warnings on it... So I guess I can figure something out in the meantime.

    Oh! And how I figured to get my spirals even was to line it up with my pressing foot and just go from there.

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    1. Helen Mae10 February 2015 at 08:10

      That sounds like the same site I was trying to use. I'll update if I find anything else.

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  6. Miss Beta10 February 2015 at 08:14

    Your Bra is simply gorgeous, I thought was vintage too :-)
    I don't think I have skills enough for making a bra... all that lines that need to be even. But I should try, because these kind of Bras are expensive. I would also have to make some pads! ;-)

    Beta x

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  7. Witchcrafted Life10 February 2015 at 11:14

    Very, very pretty bra - peach lingerie and underpinning will always epitomize the 20s - 50s in this era of fashion for me. Way to go on sewing your own bra. That is seriously impressive!

    ♥ Jessica

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  8. Mimi Zorz15 February 2015 at 16:54

    Have you tried Doreen made by Triumph, I love it.
    http://uk.triumph.com/DOREEN/10004822,en_GB,pd.html?q=doreen%20triumph#!i%3D2%26color%3D0003_White%26size%3D075_B

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    1. Helen Mae15 February 2015 at 18:41

      I actually haven't but I'll definitely remember it for when I need a new one.

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