Lingerie problem

I have a SIL whom I take care of (she is physically disabled). Her disabilities include severe parkinsonian tremors. Although she has many problems, it is very important to her to have as much independence as possible.

One of the items she wants to be independent on is dressing.. She is unable to work snaps or hooks at all, so she has been wearing shapeless cotton "sports" bras (the ones made like a short athletic T shirt, with elastic at the bottom edge). Unfortunately, these give her absolutely no definiton/shape whatsoever.

I have been trying to figure out a way for her to be able to wear a bra with molded cups, to give her better support and shaping..

So far, the only idea I have come up with is to purchase a proper bra, and cut out the entire back panel between the straps, and replace it with wide elastic of the correct length.

Any other suggestions?

Reply to
jusme
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I don't sew well but I can google - here are some ideas for you that you might be able to recreate:

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wonder if you could put just cups in something like this:
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?pageid=19327&top=12131&productid=77012&trail=22,11860,12093&discontinued=0
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Reply to
Beth In Alaska

If you can duplicate her sports bras in bias-cut linen, they will provide more support -- and be more comfortable as well.

I used to applique waistband elastic -- the kind used in boxer shorts

-- and fold it over twice, to completely cover it with linen, but I find that making a casing that's divided into three parts by three horizontal rows of stitching, and putting three rows of quarter-inch elastic in the triple casing is easier, looks better, and is more comfortable.

Joy Beeson

Reply to
Joy Beeson

Reply to
Pat in Virginia

Great idea! I would suggest cotton flannel for the softness.

Reply to
Pogonip

Uh, this is not necessarily a good idea. I have had velcro rip open before.

Reply to
Melinda Meahan - take out TRAS

Melinda: I guess any martial could fail. There are things to consider. Basically this would be a container of sorts, so the materials would depend on the weight of the cargo as it were. I think it would also depend partially on the type of velcro ... one could employ the heavy duty type. Also, the wearer might be able to hook those really large flat s type hooks, as one sees on back of bathing suit, but put it in front. PAT

Mel>

Reply to
Pat in Virginia

Well, it depends on several factors, doesn't it? How wide is the Velcro? How much strain is it under? If it's to join together the two ends without stretching, then it should be fine. If, however, it's cinching a stretched length, it could fail. But who in her right mind would wear something that tight?

Reply to
Pogonip

Yes, this is a good idea, and may well be the winner..

I bought a front hook, extra soft padded (lovely soft tricot lined cups), molded cup bra tonight to modify.. I will definitiely need to add a small amount of soft material to mount the velcro on.

me

Reply to
jusme

I *think* I have a scrap of pale blue flannel about the same shade as the bra I bought in my scrap box, so it won't look too much like a patch job..

Good Idea!

me

Reply to
jusme

I don't intend the bra to fit that tight.. The whole point is to support, shape, and be comfortable for her, rather than those shapeless, tight fitting, non-supporting tee-shirt sports bras. (Which she has now admitted are not very comfortable for her)

She is *very* excited at the prospect of being able to wear a nice, supportive bra again.. I really hope that we can make something work for her.

I hope that if I increase the "overlap" area to make it wider (so that the velcro runs horizontally, instead of vertically as a regular hook style does) across the front of the bra, we may have a better chance of not having the velcro release in an unwanted fashion. Also, I am going to ensure that the somewhat scratchy "hook" portion of the velcro is attached pointing away from the body. I am also going to have to make sure that I sew on a "release tab" of flannel, so that she will have something to hold onto to release the velcro when she wants to take off the bra.

Such good suggestions on this project tonight.. Many thanks ladies. :)

me

Reply to
jusme

You know that you're going to have to report back on the success....or failure... of this project, don't you? ;-)

Reply to
Pogonip

Have you seen these bras? Can you make out how they work from this picture? Maybe you could adapt what you are doing with the velcro to a system like this.

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Reply to
ChrisW

Yes, I intend to report back, as this is a true experiment... (as well as ask for additional suggestions, should the trial fail).

me

Reply to
jusme

Yes, I have seen that type of bra.. It appears to me that the adjustment is done by straps (drawstrings), which are fitted into a curtain style "pocket" system which runs under the bottom of the bra, and around the cups, so that when you pull the tabs in the front, it snugs the bra into position.

Although this system probably works very well for arthritis sufferers so that they do not have to perform too much movement, I am not sure how helpful it would be for someone with parkinsonian type tremors.

I am not dismissing this "drawstring" style however, unless my first experiment is an unqualified success.

me

Reply to
jusme

Yeah, having something like that for a safety net would be an EXCELLENT idea. Having a center-front-of-bra Velcro fail is not something I would want to take any chances on. Depending on the person, the effect could be like watching an avalanche. LOL

Reply to
Melinda Meahan - take out TRAS

I had a front-hook fail during a meeting, causing my bra to suddenly retract, with the cups winding up in my armpits. It was the eighties, though, and I had on a jacket with gigantic shoulder pads which concealed the problem until I could make repairs in the restroom with a safety pin.

Reply to
Kathleen

This happened to me frequently in high school and college before I realized that my boobs were too large for a front closure.

Reply to
Beth In Alaska

amy

Reply to
amy

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