DIY Harley Quinn Sports Bra by Charlired
Hello my lovely fellow geeks and/or crafters!
Currently I am in the mood to make costume pieces that are also suitable for everyday wear. So I came up with a pattern for a fully functional sports bra, that you can customize to your needs and taste. Mine is inspired by an artwork of Harley Quinn as a roller derby girl. It’s by Babs Tarr and damn, I love her style! ❤
Materials:
- Breathable (at least) 2-way stretch fabric for both layers and the underband. Go for spandex or lycra and avoid any kind of cotton or else sh*t is gonna be hot and sweaty in no time.
- A bunch of wide elastics for the straps and to wrap around the edges to get a snug fit.
- If you want extra padding,get foam bra cups. Just make sure they are the right size for you and that they are also made of breathable material.
And thats it! Let’s get started:
Use your fave sports bra as a template to draft your own pattern.
Mine consists of 4 pieces: The front…
2 side pieces…
…and the back. I wanted it to be a racer back, so the elastic will be sewn on in the middle,
Cut all 4 pieces out twice for the inner and outer layer (make sure they stretch most horizontally).
First, pin the side pieces to the front with the right sides together.
Sew them together with a zigzag stitch that stretches with the fabric.
Now add the back piece only on one side.
Pin and sew the layers (right sides together), but only at the top and turn it inside out.
Now is your last chance to add patches to the outer layer, I suggest gluing them on with fabric glue instead of stitching them on, since that limits the elasticity.
Just do a loose, straight stitch along the bottom to hold both layers together.
For the underband, I’ve sewn strips of similar stretchy fabrics together with a narrow zigzag stitch (that’s optional; you could use a 4-inch wide strip of one fabric instead). Just make sure it’s one or two inches shorter that your main piece, depending how snug you want it to fit.
First sew one edge of the band to the inner side of the bra, and start pinning from the middle since the band is now shorter than the rest. Nevertheless, it has to cover everything (that means you have to pull it more while sewing to give it some tension).
Now do the same thing with the other edge and the front of the main piece. Also fold a white elastic over the upper edge of the bra and sew over it with a zigzag stitch.
Almost done: close the loop with a strong seam. I did mine with an overlocker, but a zigzag stitch also works fine.
For the straps, I used another elastic that I cut 3/4 the way in half. I recommend getting proper adjustable bra straps, but that’s what I had on hand.
Lastly, sew on the straps by hand (I shoved them into the elastic that is folded over the edge to hide them a little better).
And there you have it!
In case you have any questions or suggestions on future tutorial, please don’t hesitate to write a comment!
xoxo
Charli (IG @thecharlired)
[This tutorial originally appeared on Charlired. Courtesy Charli. Edited by Tiffani.]
