You see this stuff discussed all the time on the quilting forums. Between this kind of product and that Avery micro-tach tool, it looks like the drudgery of pin-basting quilts is on the wane. I like that it has no CFCs but I sure wish I knew what was in it. In particular, I wondered whether there was any wheat/gluten starch like some of the spray starches.... Or any dangerous chemicals.
Phae
This is something I've been mulling over, as well. If you are making a custom garment, what is the point of having so much of an adjustment? My plans for some upcoming bra experimentation is to try to do without the elastic straps, at least. I can see a point for using it for horizontal adjustments, since weight can fluctuate, and many people lose or gain in that portion of the anatomy so easily, with hormonal changes, especially. If the bra fits YOU, why does it need to have so many strap possibilities? It doesn't make sense to me, and I am seriously thinking of using something a bit sturdier. Elastic does wear out faster, especially when laundered.
Karen Maslowski in Cincinnati
NightMist wrote:
Well I wondered.... it was just a thought. Nasty fumes, eh? I feared that. LOL..... glue buzz...... very funny! When I was drafting for a living, we used spray fixatif (Krylon usually) all the time to set our inks, and the like on various media. And man were there warnings on those cans. Is the stuff used on quilts similar??
Phae, having a nice cuppa
For those who are at the outermost reaches of the amply endowed scale, the monthly calamity (j/k) can easily take you up another cup size or 2. Adjustable straps are most welcome at those times. That is also a good time for a corset. Straps are an abomination. ;)
Phae
I happen to have a can of the June Tailor brand to hand. Reading the lable and having used it I can tell you it is what we used to call tac one in art classes, a standard repositionable high tack adhesive that will mostly wash out. I don't know if they have added starch to it for sewing, but I don't see why they would.
Other than that check out what else is listed in ingredients (in order from the can):
Hexane Acetone Propane Isobutane
Not something you want within a mile of delicate synthetics!
NightMist
I've purchased some Sulky Solvy. It's a rinse-away stabilizer. It's not fusible, but it has directions for dissolving in water for brush-on application. I'm intending to try stabilizing just enough of the edges of the stretch fabric to cover SAs and topstitching allowances. Since it's intended for garment sewing I hope it's not too toxic. And less fumes either way.
Pora
... or your lungs!
I'm pretty sure Solvy is a film of PVA, polyvinyl acetate. Major ingredient of white glues. You may find that something like Elmer's School Glue works as well and is cheaper.
Kay
It's the same stuff that hospital laundry bags are made of. They throw the whole thing, bag and all, into the wash. If you can get a bag or two, they will last you a while. Or you can buy them from the Bag Lady, Sharon, at
As for "fashion fabrics" I've used poly stretch satin and a light weight stretch denim (cotton).
The problem with the polyester is that as a fiber it is oil-philic (is that the right word?) it attracts oil. Which being that it is an undergarment near your underarms this can be a problem. Since body oil has a scent..you may not see it, but eventually you may smell it. Regular detergents may not always do the job to get rid of it. I've heard of specialty products out there, but haven't tried any of them.
Now if you wear the bra everyday for months this will be more of an issue that if you wear it once a month for years....
Cotton doesn't have the same, problem but I've noticed it does wrinkle up. Ok, so it's not bad enough that I have to iron it, but it does make the trip out of the wash look pretty mangled up. I've had more issues getting the seam along the cup to lay flat. Like it streched more while being sewn, I'm hoping that will get better. I also found to to be too restricive because it didn't stretch enough in the band for comfort, but that might be more of a "me" issue than the fabric issue", (it was about a 15-20% stretch). I fixed it by making the back band out something else (powernet works). I added a side seam so that from the front it all matches and from the back view it matches. The side seam is unnoticeable. Many RTW plus size bras have a support stay in the place anyway, the seam acts like a suport stay, without the plactic poking out.
I've lined the lower part of the cup with regular tricot and that seems to take care of the "itch,and comfort issue against the skin". I've also seen swimsuit fabric used, but for the lif of me I can't remember what the fabric content was.
For straps I've used a self fabric tube to match the cups. If I leave it adjustable, I don't use elastic, if they are fixed lenght I add about 4 inches of strap elastic attached to the back for comfort. I also used fold over elastic once in a pinch I doubled it and it worked out pretty good. That one is adjustable, but I usually don't have to. What determines adjustability is whether I can find rings and sliders to match. And time. Non-adjustable takes a few fittings to get it right, so it's faster at the sewing table to make it adjustable.
Hope this helps Raelynn
Well, it sure does smell like white glue. But if I were to water down the Elmer's, brush it on and let it dry, will it rinse out again?
Here's a big question for you experienced bra sewists:
If I'm using organza as both lining and fashion fabric in the cups, is there a reason not to cut one layer on the bias? My intention is to sandwich the SA's between the layers to give the least seam show-through. If possible I won't even topstich, just stitch in the ditch. Does anyone forsee difficulties? I've heard many of you say that you do this for bottom cups, but fusing them together.
Pora
Elmer's *school* glue will; regular Elmer's will not. I use the school glue a lot for "basting" underlining into washable items, and it's always come out in the first wash.
Kay
I would think Sobo might be a reasonable choice since it's made specifically for that kind of thing.
Apparently, it's also good as a safe alternative to hot wax if you want to play at batik dyeing.
You can't immerse it in a dyebath because it would soak off, but you can brush dye over it.
Sally Holmes Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England
You can also dye it with food dye (the Indian powdered ones or the gel type cake decorators use are better than the supermarket liquid ones, especially for small color quantities) and screen print with it on paper. Food dyes work better than powder paint, which is the traditional colouring agent, as they mix in better and the colours are stronger.
Kids get covered in it, and the most food dyes just wash out along with the glue... :) Along with a huge pile of other stuff, I ended up with a gallon of wash-out PVA after teaching a course... :)
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