Most of you have probably heard by now that I have some problems with the much loved Ewa Michalak bras.
My main problem is that they are too shallow at the bottom, and thus collapse - My inability to fit in the bottom of the cup can't really be helped much, but I've experimented with preventing the bra from collapsing, by making the lightly padded cup a bit more stiff.
My first attemps have been pretty half-arsed, by using the plastic from Q-tips, to sew a small bit of boning in. This was obviously not a good solution, and I was thus on the look-out for something better.
I then stumbled across the plastic-sheets that you can roll up and stick in your long boots:
It was thin and sturdy, so it seemed bendable and supportive enough to do the job.
My first go was to try and make an entire plastic pad - I used a pad from a PL bra as a template, and cut out a piece, and then made holes to stitch through. The cutting was easy enough, but making the holes were a tough job. I made these with nails that I hammered through, but it was tedious work to get them all done, and even then they were quite small:
I quickly stitched it on a pad, and stuck it in a PL bra to see how it worked - well, not well!
As you can see, the profile is awful - the pad is completely stiff, and stick out.
Furthermore, it doesn't follow the bottom of the cup, and thus actually makes the fold more extreme. Not what I wanted.
So, my next attemp was cutting a little "wave" - I figured this would follow the curve much better, direct the breast towards the middle, and make a smoother transition from boned area to soft area. I cut the wave shape first, and then adjusted the bottom to fit the curve of the wire.
(sorry, forgot to take pictures of the process!) This time, I cut the holes with a scissor, which was much easier, and the holes were about the same size as with the nails anyway - Experience told me that the smaller the holes was, the more difficult it was to make small neat stitches!
I has just recieved an S and a PL bra, so I would test this out on both types:
On the S bra, I sew them on the inside - This was tricky work! I tested where my dreaded fold was likely to form, and then safty-pinned it in place. I made sure to try get it under the seam of the wire, to prevent potential pinching.
Here's how it ended up looking:
So here it is on!
I would saya it's definitely a succes - more uplifted than anything! And no signs of anything going on in the cup. And it's surprisingly comfy too - I can't feel it at all! And added bonus, I usually also feel like the gore doesn't really tack on me, but this seems to tip the whole bra upwards a bit, forcing the gore a bit closer to my chest. All around good points for this!
Next up, I tried it on a Pl - The difference here being that they have pockets on the inside for pads. I therefor had to sew on the outside.
This was much much easier, because it wasn't the nitty-gritty work in the cup, but the results aren't as good either. The edges would not completely follow the cup, and this could stick out a bit, which does show through clothing:
So, I'd deem this one succes (that I will definitely repeat!) and one not so much (though not unbearable for me). I don't know if this will inspire others to make alterations like that, but there you have it, this is how I intend to make EM's work a bit better for me!
