The Bra'd of Frankenstien

[parasitegirl]

The Bra of Frankenstien awaits my return.

Very few seamstresses will try to make their own bra, it is just too damned hard. I usually pay around 30$ per bra (well, Gulfie, Gus and Besh paid for my last shipment of bras from America…but they also paid around 30$ per bra)which isn’t that cheap. Sewing would be more inexpensive, but it just isn’t time effective.

Right now I am embarking on a sewing challenge, to make my own belly dance bra (and then, hopefull, a matching “cabaret style” dance belt.) There is no way in hell I am starting from scratch. I don’t have the skills, nor would I trust my own creation enough to shimmy around in front of strangers without fear of a nude explosion so traumatic that I cringe to think of it. Belly dance costumes are elaborate and expensive, but they ain’t big. Costume malfunctions are rarely minor; they are costly, humiliating, or both. Being the geek that I am, I ordered a few books on do-it-yourself belly dance costuming and am renovating a pre-existing bra ( purchased from Peach Johns…a store I will plug shamelessly as they are the only place I’ve found in Japan where I can buy affordable bras in my size that don’t make me look like some sort of side-show freak.)

And it’s still not time effective…I’ll probably lose some skin in the hand beading process and perhaps curse sequins and coins for a few weeks to come…but a cheap bra and belt set can cost around 100$, a nice one? 200$ and up.  Yeah, gonna see if I can do this. 

Thus far I have chopped off the straps, installed halter-styled straps instead, reinforced the top of the bra with grosgrain ribbon and then reinforced the outsides of the cups with fabric stabilized with interfacing. Right now it is a flesh colored monster with flesh colored stitches…very sexy bride of Frankenstien looking if I do say so myself. There are no exposed bolts. Industrial music- bellydancing crossovers have never caught on the way that Goth-bellydancing has.

Next I must figure out the pattern for the covering cloth, make the pattern, and then, once the pattern is established, cover the bra in a new fabric. Then the decorating begin…

If I pull this off I’ll be teaching a few other bellydance students how to do it. And I’ll be able to buy a few more bras of the same model and use the pattern to pump out a few more….And I’ll be worshiped in a minor way. Not bad.

I haven’t decided on a color scheme yet. Any suggestions?