The Boulder Holder Predicament — DIY Bra Fix

Let me set the scene. We are at a local farm and play attraction, Long Acre Farms. I bend over to get something out of my bag and I hear a weird tear/crack. I think “Oh dang, I must have ripped my tank top. No biggie.” Yeah, well I started feeling a poke under my boob and sure enough the wire broke inside of my bra and was poking through the fabric working a hole into my skin. Ouch.

Every woman knows that salvaging a bra with a broken wire is completely and totally pointless. So now I am forced to go bra shopping. And for those of you who don’t already know, I am 15 weeks pregnant (YAY!) and I really don’t feel like spending money on bras because everything is changing on my body. I have no choice though.

Well, I used to work at a large lingerie retailer, so I have been trained in how fit a bra. I grabbed my trusty old tape measure (the seamstress kind) and found that I was not even close to wearing the right size. Whoops! Well, I did my own little life-hack and am going to get by as long as I can without having to drop the equivalent of a box of diapers on a bra that I will only wear for a little bit.

Here’s what I did:

  1. Cut off the hooks and the loops on the broken bra.
  2. Sewed the ends together and made my own bra extender!
  3. The end.

bra3

Worked like a charm and now my smaller bras are cutting the mustard… for now.

But, I want to give you all a few more tips on how to find the perfect fitting bra.

  • Straps: Do NOT tighten them so that the back of the bra is riding up your back. You want the band to go straight all around your torso.
  • Cups: If they are gaping, go down a cup size. If you are gushing out of the cup like a boob-style muffin top, go up a cup size.
  • Band: If adjusting the cup size is not working, go for the band. A smaller band size will also help with a gaping cup, while a larger band size will help with an overflowing cup. You ultimately want to have the front/center part of the bra flat against your chest. If you have a very large chest, this may not be easily accomplished, so just make sure you are not gushing out of the cup.
  • Note: If you go larger up in band size, the cup will get a little bit bigger with it. Go to a store and compare a 34D with a 38D, you will see what I mean.
  • Sister sizes: These are sizes that are a close equivalent to your regular size. If you are a 36B, your sister sizes are 34C and 38A. So you go up one (cup or band size) and down the other.
  • A proper measurement: 
    1. Measure evenly around your torso just under your arm pit. This is your approximate band size. If there is a significant difference between this measurement and the second torso measurement in the next step, go middle of the road. A woman’s body can fluctuate up to 5 lbs every 3-6 months, so you will want to give yourself a little wiggle room to adjust your band size for comfort.
    2. Measure evenly across your chest and then evenly around your torso just under your chest. Each inch in difference is a cup size letter. So, if there are three inches in difference, then you are a C cup.

I hope that this post helps you to find the right-fitting bra for you. If you cannot measure yourself, go to a bra retailer and ask if they measure. Don’t feel embarrassed—it’s what they are paid to do and they know what they are doing! Keep your girls happy. 😉

About Abbie Schmitt

Abbie is a stay-at-home mom to 2 year old Sophia and an Independent Consultant with a direct sales company. She and her husband Patrick also have a Bishon Frise, Jax, and an American Eskimo, Petey. Abbie describes herself as ”crafty, sarcastic, a little OCD, sometimes too critical, but an easy-going mom who isn’t afraid to say it how it is.” Abbie is looking forward to sharing both her opinions and her adventures of being a mom and woman surviving the modern world.