10 Things I learned From Sewing a Bra Every Week

“What would you be doing with 52 bras?” My mother asked when I announced I was doing the bra-a-week challenge. It was mid-November 2019, and we had just spent a lovely weekend in London. Me, at a bra-making course learning to make my first bra. She, galivanting around the museums and cafes, soaking up the London scene.

2020 was the year I would make one bra or undergarment a week. I had many other plans too—but you can guess what happened to them!

So what did I learn from making underthings once a week?

Am I a lingerie expert now?

Looking back, I can proudly say I did it! I made a bra, swimsuit, bikini, bodysuit, some oh-so-lacy, and other oh-so-comfy knickers every week for one year. 52 weeks. I dedicated my year to becoming skilled at lingerie making, focusing my energy on one area that I knew nothing about and becoming an expert in it.

So, am I a lingerie expert? No. Can I simply whip up a beautifully fitting bra for my mother simply by measuring her? No. Can I do that for myself? No. Do I have a lingerie drawer stocked full of gorgeous lingerie? Yes!

One year is not enough to learn everything in lingerie. But, it is enough time to peel back the lid and start building sewing knowledge. Over the year, I got better at sewing. I know what you are thinking—isn’t that obvious? And honestly, it really wasn’t. I never expected my focus on lingerie to improve my overall sewing skills, but I now have a better holistic understanding of fit and construction.

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10 tips for sewing a Bra a Week

Nervous about starting? Make it easier by getting a kit.

Take accurate measurements. Sewing cup sizes and ready-to-wear sizes are very different. Here is a guide to taking your measurements.

Lace is forgiving to messy clueless stitching. All you have to do is make sure the thread matches!

Change your needle. It does not matter how little prior use it has had—just do it.

The machine will, at some point, eat the lace. Fact. Deal with it, change the needle, and move on.

Pay attention to the fabric percentage stretch requirements in a pattern. My sister, who is two or three sizes smaller than me, has gained a lot of bras because I ignored the stretch requirements. Here’s a video to help you calculate stretch percentage

Always line swimwear. Take swatches of your fabrics, get them wet, and make sure they are not transparent. Read this article to learn all the swimwear basics.

Know what fabrics, laces, and elastics go together. Do a little research and order a few options while you are learning. Here is an article to help you pick the best lingerie fabric.

Sewing energy ebbs and flows. There were weeks I could not sew enough, and there were weeks I could not look at my sewing machine. Having both a simple and complex project on your list helps to work through energy surpluses and slumps.

Trying a new pattern outside your comfort zone is as good as taking a break. I tried my hand (machine) at making tanks with in-built bras and bodysuits. I had never worn these items before, but they gave my wardrobe a new lease on life and helped shake up my sewing!

What comes after lingerie?

So, now with the bra-a-week challenge under my belt (or should I say strap?), what’s next? Currently, my machine has tulle in it—not bra tulle but bridal tulle! This experience gave me the confidence to make my own wedding dress. That’s just proof that trying some skills outside of your comfort zone can really improve your sewing overall.

Orla McGreal

Contributing Writer

Orla’s sewing journey started when she was 16 and wanted to wear a dress that nobody else had. Since then, she has made many many party dresses! Following a workshop in lingerie making, she fell head over heels with sewing lingerie and went on to found Sew Your Smalls, Ireland’s only dedicated online lingerie supply shop.