There is nothing more uncomfortable than having bouncing boobs while exercising or running! And that is exactly where sports bras help us a lot. Now, buying them is, of course, the most popular solution people look for. But do you know who the smart people are? The ones who go in the underwear section of the closet with a pair of scissors and come out with a super cute sports bra! Isn’t that amazing? So, let’s talk about how to make a sports bra out of underwear.
Do you think I am just blabbing around? Well, absolutely not. Because there are some easy breezy ways through which you can make DIY sports bras, but first, let’s know a bit more about sports bras.
Sports bras: the ins and outs
Sports bras are insanely useful for any physically active woman. These are bras that provide extra support while running or doing any physical activity so that your breasts do not bounce and create discomfort for you. Different kinds of sports bras are made for different physical activities, starting from yoga to running.
Even if you are not into these physical activities, you can still choose a sports bra in your daily wear list to suit different styles and dresses.
Reasons to wear a sports bra
There are hundreds of reasons why one should wear short bras, especially the ones who are into physical activities. Let us go a little deeper into the reasons why one should wear sports bras.
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- Pain and discomfort:
Working out without a sports bra can be painful sometimes. Often, women with medium to heavy breasts face this issue in the gym while exercising. What happens is, if you don’t wear a sports bra in your gym session, the weight of your breasts creates tension that tugs your head down.
And this is how pain and discomfort are generated through the neckline and the shoulders. Even this sometimes causes headaches also. Trust me, this is the last thing in this globe you will want. Hence, wearing sports bras in a gym session, especially for ladies with heavy breasts, is very necessary.
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Sagging and stretch marks:
This is a serious issue that many women face. If someone is not wearing a sports bra while working out, her breasts will not get any support. As a result, they will bounce and slip badly. The situation worsens when there is an intermediate or pro-level exercise or physical activity going on.
In the long run, this habit causes tension for the breast muscles, and thereby, the individual gets stretch marks. Over time with age, every woman gets saggy boobs. But not wearing a sports bra may act as a catalyst to the natural biological process.
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Damaged ligament and muscles:
The bounce and pressure from high-intensity exercises may cause breakage in your cooper’s ligament. Naturally, the breast muscles and tissues are tender and fragile.
Now, pushing them further into more tension will obviously break the ligaments and muscles. And that will definitely cause lots of issues like back pain, stretch marks, saggy breasts, and so on.
DIY sports bra: make it happen
Now that you have gathered a firm knowledge about sports bras and the problems caused by avoiding them, it is time to focus on some bra hacks that will change your life as well as save your money!
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- Sports bra from underwear
Buying sports bras from some branded stores is ok. But what if you can make one at your own home? Do you think that’s a stupid idea?
Hey, not so fast! When you make a super cute sports bra from your underwear, you will be amazed! And don’t worry if you do not know the procedure to create one. Here are some easy steps to make one out of your undies.
To make this DIY sports bra, you will need:
- Underwear (that you wish to convert)
- A pair of scissors
…and let’s go!
Take your underwear on a clean flat surface. It can be an iron table, a tea table or your bed. Even a clean floor would do the job.
Place the underwear and stretch it evenly on the surface. Make sure you take one with borderlines on edge. The ones without borderline or the broad hem on the edge of the underwear will need extra labor to make a sports bra. Hence, it is better to take one with the borderlines.
Now, take the pair of scissors you have and start cutting the crotch area.
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In case you do not know which area is known as the crotch panel, here is the description in a nutshell. The crotch panel or crotch area of underwear is the section that covers your genital parts or private parts. It is usually made from comfortable, absorbent fabric such as cotton.
There are manufacturers making underwear out of silk-based material. Often these materials cause irritation and itchiness. Therefore, it is better to choose one made of soft fabric.
Now that you have understood what a crotch panel is, let’s come back to the crux of our discussion. Start cutting the crotch section gradually. Make sure you leave the borderline or the hem panels on the edge. Start by a medium-cut in the middle of the crotch and run your scissors along the borderline of your underwear.
Cut out a circular or oval-shaped piece from the crotch panel. The hole you create by cutting the crotch section is where you will put your head through. Make sure you cut out an appropriately sized area from the crotch.
You may or may not cut the back of the crotch of the underwear. This depends on your comfort and choice. Cutting the backside would reveal the back of your neck a little more.
Now that you have successfully cut the section, you can see the underwear taking a crop top or sports bra shape. The side holes on your underwear are for the hand to move out. And the circular section that you cut from the crotch panel is for the head.
Wear it properly and see how cute it looks. If you feel you will need extra support, you can consider sewing bra cups inside the sports bra. And ta-da! There it is!
Other ways to make DIY bras:
Yes, you read it right! There are other useful hacks through which you can make DIY bras from your daily clothing items. You can use some men’s clothing as well to create some beautiful sports bras. You can make one from
- Men’s underwear
- Boxers
- Leggings
- T-shirt
As you can see, these are some clothing materials that you can turn into sports bras or bralettes. And believe me, they are super easy to make or to create. Now you must be wondering how to make this happen. Well, no task is different if you know the proper steps to follow. So here are some cool bra hacks that you can try at your home.
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Bra from men’s underwear
Seems weird, eh? After all, who could turn men’s underwear into a bra? That sounds unearthly, doesn’t it? But you know you can always put your effort and wit together, and the results can amaze you. All you need is a pair of sharp scissors and men’s underwear.
Take a men’s underwear of whatever color you like. Get your scissors ready at your disposal. Make sure you take underwear that has broad hemlines or border lines through the edge.
Ensure you take one piece that has tight elastic because that is what acts like the under band of the bra. Before experimenting with anything, make sure you know your size well.
Now take the scissors and start by making a center cut at the crotch section. Do not go much higher with the cut because it might be revealing and uncomfortable as well.
Cut out small holes through the right and left sides of the primary cut. Make sure you are leaving the hemline because that is going to be your bra strap.
Now you have cut out sections on the left and right of the primary cur, start making an oval or a hole in the middle of the crotch, carefully cut the fabric out through the borderline. That is the section to insert your head through.
And the side holes of the underwear are the ones to move the hands out. You can style it up a little bit by making designer cuts at the back or the front of the bra. Try it on and see how cute you look.
Basically, this is not much different from making a bra out of the women’s underwear section. In fact, the procedure is the same. Do not forget to try this on and thank me later!
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Bra from boxers
Does that also sound weird? But you know what, technically, that is a smart option to choose for. The men’s boxers or women’s shorts come in similar shapes. But the colors and prints on the boxers and shorts are something to be called cute.
Why not convert it into a sports bra and wear that in your gym sessions? This can be possible with some simple steps. All you need to do is to bring a pair of scissors and a boxer or shorts you want to convert.
Often this hack fails for many ladies because of their wrong choice of shorts or boxers. Make sure you are taking one that has a proper elastic for the underband. Ensure you are taking a boxer or a pair of shorts that is tight enough to fit your shoulders and the upper body.
Now that you have chosen your favorite boxer or shorts to convert, let’s get into some action. Place the boxer/shorts on a clean flat surface. It can be any table, bed, or chair. Even the clean floor of your house will be enough.
Place the boxer on top of the surface and spread it properly on the floor. Place it in a way that the front part faces the sky.
Now fold the boxer into a half. Fold it through the left or the right. Meaning the fold that you make should be a vertical fold. Make sure the two sides are equal in measurement.
Now, take the scissors and cut out a half circle-shaped section from the crotch area. That will be the section to insert your head.
Cut out U shapes sections from the groin area to make holes for your hands. And now you can see the boxer taking the shape of a sports bra. In case you find the sleeves to be a little much on width, consider cutting them short.
If you want extra support for your bra, you can take the sponge bra cups and sew that inside the newly created sports bra.
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Bra from leggings
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I am sure you have had your favorite pair of leggings which are damaged now and torn in areas. It is really very hard to give up your favorite pieces of clothing.
But what if you can reuse them? What if you can make something out of them by recycling? Yes, that is exactly what I am talking about. In this section, I will talk about how to make a bra out of your leggings.
You need to have a pair of leggings, an old bra of yours, scissors, a marker or a pencil, thread, and a needle to make a bra from leggings.
Now take the leggings and place them on a flat surface. Make sure it is upside down and inside out.
Now place the guide bra on top of it. Mase sure the waistband of the leggings is placed underneath the underband of the guide bra. Trace and cut out the outline from the leggings with a half-inch seam allowance. Make sure you choose the right side of the leggings to make the front side of your bra.
Larger breasts might get an advantage with the extra fabric at the back of the leggings. If you have a heavier bust, choose the backside of the leggings to make the front part of your bra. Cut out the legs.
Cut out the pattern of your bra. Make sure you pay extra attention while cutting the neckline. It is basically a U-shaped cut along the crotch section. If you are unsure about this area, just follow the inseam that goes more or less down the center.
Sew the piece with needle and thread and secure it with tight knots. Make sure you sew in a backstitch manner. It gives a strong seam. If you have a sewing machine at your disposal, congratulations, you are the master!
If you want extra coverage, you might consider adding and sewing the foam cups inside the bra.
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Bra from T-shirt
I guess by now, you have understood that nothing is really impossible. So here is another hack that you might consider trying. You can make a bra out of a t-shirt as well. What you need to do is to arrange a t-shirt and a pair of scissors.
Ensure you are taking a t-shirt that does not fit you well and is somewhat smaller than your size. Hence, the tightness of the t-shirt will provide support to your breasts.
Now, take the pair of scissors and cut out a section from the bottom line that you feel like. Generally, sports bras are not longer than crop tops.
Ensure you get a length of sports bra. Now start cutting the sleeves if you want to make it sleeveless. You might consider giving it a nice deeper cut along the neckline for a better style statement.
Consider sewing an elastic rubber band along the bottom line of the bra. And if you want extra support and coverage, you can put foam cups inside.
Bra size: how to calculate
Now, when there is a discussion about bras and DIY hacks, one crucial thing to remember is to choose the right bra size according to your body. And you will be surprised because 70% of the women across the globe do not know their correct size. If you are also skeptical about your bra size, here is an easy calculation through which you will detect it correctly.
- Step one
Calculate your band size. Take a measuring tape and measure the area where the bra sticks to your body right under your breasts. If the measured number is a fraction number, turn it into the nearest full number.
For example, if your measuring tape shows 26.6, round it off to 27.
Now, if the ultimate number is an even number, add 4 with it. And if it is off, then add 5 to it. For example, 27 is an odd number. So you should add 5 to it.
And the sum of the two will be your band size ( here, the band size is 32).
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Step two
Take the measuring tape and measure the size of your bust, taking the fullest. Ensure you do not wrap the tape too tightly or too loosely.
Convert the number to the nearest full number if you get a fraction initially. Subtract the band size from the bust size. Your cup size will be A if the difference is 1, and will be B if the difference is 2.
For example, if the bust size is 34 and the band size is 32, then the cup size will be B ( 34-32=2, 2 means B).
Hence the bra size will be 32B.
See how easy that is!
Final thoughts
When there are lots of physical activity going on, you can not just cope up without any strong support like a sports bra.
When it comes to buying them, each one costs really high. Now spending hundred of dollars on these branded sports bras is ok. But making one out of your own old clothes is what smartness stands for.
It not only saves your money but also allows you to add a little bit of personal fashion touch to it. I hope with these hacks mentioned, you will utilize some of your clothes and turn them into super cute sports bras.
We hope that you now know how to make a sports bra out of underware and other cloths in your wordrobe. Share the knowladge with your friends!
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