 s I mentioned on the main coin bra "how to" page, these instructions are to make a coin bra that has stretchy sides and a stretchy halter strap that ties at the back of the neck. And you might possibly want to change some of that! so, I have listed a few of the variations that I can think of.
 have also included a basic description of some of the stitches that I used for the sewing, in case you need to know, and a few other bits and pieces as well. More will be added as I think of them!
 ou've finally found a bra that you like. It is comfortable and fits you well. But will it work as a dance bra??
 ift your arms straight up above your head. Look down. Do the cups gape?
 eep your arms up. Is there any, umm... "slippage" from under your bra?
 f you are going to be doing deep laybacks while performing, lie down (or try a layback in the fitting room!) Is it still holding you properly?
 hange the straps to a halter neck if not already that way. Repeat your checks.
f your chosen bra has regular straps instead of a halter, lengthen the straps as long as they will go. Then try to pull them together behind your neck to simulate the effect of a halter neck. Tie them with a ribbon (or get a friend or the sales assistant to hold them together). Does the cup shape still work? Repeat the checks again.
f it still passes all tests... then go ahead and buy it!
 hese stitches are both suitable for sewing on the cotton twill tape and the straps.
 he top row is just normal straight stitch. First sew forwards and backwards many times in one direction, then turn it at right angles and sew over that same area again. The crazier you go with backwards and forwards-ing, the stronger the join will be.
bottom row is the stitch that I prefer to use on my machine. It's a triple stitch zig-zag, and I do the exact same back and forth stitching as mentioned above.
f your machine does not have the triple stitch zig zag stitch, then just use plain straight stitch.
 o problem! There's hardly any machine sewing anyways. But if you can beg, borrow or steal one, then it will make it quicker!
f that is not an option, then you need to try to reproduce the same type of stitching that you would do on a machine. Don't use normal sewing thread tho, use a stronger thread like a button thread, and do small close, tacking type stitches.
 ake close rows of stitches, crossing backwards and forwards over each other. The more you do, the stronger the join will be. On the second 'stitch' part of my 'stitch, flip & stitch' method for attaching straps and ties, I'd stitch until I could not force the needle thru any more!
 n extra step that I would do if you are handsewing, is to very closely overcast the edge of the tape over the edge of the elastic. Just to make sure!
 vercast is a very quick and simple stitch, sometimes also known as "oversew". It is very important that you secure your thread very well at the beginning and at the end of your stitching, as it can unravel.
 ere's how to do overcast stitch. In the illustration, imagine the yellow is your tape, and the red is the bra. (They should be overlapping each other exactly. I just showed the red bit poking out so you could see what I mean) .
 se DMC Celbelia or DMC Coton Perle 8 for the stitching.
- Secure your thread to the edges very securely.
- Come up thru all layers at point 1.
- Take the thread OVER the edges and back underneath.
- Come up again at point 2.
- Then over, under and up at point 3.
- Continue to the end. Fasten off securely.
 or a more secure edge, work another row, this time going backwards over the first row of stitches.
 y the way, I am left-handed. This illustration might be backwards for you, but you get the general drift of what I mean!
he beauty of herringbone stitch is that, when used on a stretchy fabric, it is elastic! The degree of stretch that you can get depends on how closely you make the stitches.
he top example has medium stretch. The middle example would be very stretchy! The closer the stitches, the more stretch created in the herringbone. Having that stretch means that it will stretch with you, and the threads will not break!
 ere's how to do herringbone stitch. In the illustration, imagine the yellow line is where the lycra overlaps itself on the inside seam. We want to make this seams nice and stretchy.
 nce again, I am left-handed. This illustration might be backwards for you, but you get the general drift of what I mean!
se DMC Celbelia or DMC Coton Perle 8 for the stitching.
- Make a knot in your thread, and hide it inside. Come up at point 1.
- Take the thread diagonally across the join in the fabric to point 2.
- Go in at point 2, and take a small stitch backwards, coming up at point 3.
- Take the thread diagonally forwards, across the join to point 4.
- Go in at point 4, and take a small stitch backwards, coming up at point 5.
- Take the thread diagonally forwards, across the join to point 6.
- Go in at point 6, and take a small stitch backwards, coming up at point 7.
- Continue to the end. Fasten off securely.
f course you can keep the original straps! In fact, this is easier than changing them to wider ones.
 ost of the bras that I have bought to convert have had 1/2" wide straps. I have kept those straps and worn them very comfortably. (I am a D/DD cup) BUT... I do not sew a gazillion coins onto my bra and make them super heavy!
f you really want to densely overlap your coins and add lots of heavy jewellery pieces, then I suggest you seriously re-consider your straps. If your straps are wider, they will not dig into your shoulders, they will not "give" as much, and they will be more comfortable.
he choice is yours. If you change your mind later, then you can easily go back and make wider straps!
f you are happy with the width and want to use the existing straps, then ignore steps 1 and 2 of making the halter neck strap, and simply continue on from step 3.
his is much quicker and easier than making my adjustable stretch strap!
- Take 2 yards of 1" wide sturdy cotton twill tape. (Or make long fabric bands, by sewing tubes and turning them rightside out)
- Cut into two, 1 yard pieces.
- Using the same 'stitch, flip & stitch' method as we used for the back ties, pin one end of the tape onto the cup where you want your strap to be, matching edges. Let the long tail of the tape hang downwards.
- Stitch backwards and forwards over the tape to make a really secure join. Your stitching should extend down the tape to about 1" deep.
- Now flip the tape back up again, so that it is in the usual 'strap' position, then stitch backwards and forwards over it again.
- Repeat on the other side of your bra, using the other piece of tape.
- Try on your bra, and tie the neck ties in a bow.
- Cut the tape ends to the length that you want. (I usually make a diagonal cut).
- Finish the cut edge. To do this, either sew a narrow hem, overcast stitch it, or dip the very ends in Fraycheck.
he knot in the ties at the back of the neck can cause neck pain for some people. So, this is an option to make an adjustable elastic strap that has no ties at all.
f you are happy to keep the straps that came with your bra, and do NOT want to make them wider, then read on! If you DO want the adjustable halter strap but with wider straps, then click here.
ou will need two, 3" - 4" pieces of 1/2" wide sturdy cotton twill tape.
1. Re-attach the halter strap to the bra, and try it on. Adjust the strap length, then remove the strap.
2. Make a lycra tube to cover the strap. It must be able to slide easily up and down over the strap, but not be baggy!
3. Cut a piece of lycra 2" longer than the strap, and wide enough to wrap around, overlapping underneath.
4. If your sewing machine can sew a good strong stretch stitch, then use the machine to sew the long length of the tube, (leaving the first and last 1" unsewn). Turn it right side out, and slip over the strap.
5. If your machine stretch stitch is not strong, then handsew it. Enclose the strap in the lycra using herringbone stitch to sew the long edge. Leave the first and last 1" of lycra unsewn. Do not make it too tight. Do not catch the strap itself as you sew. The tube needs to be able to slide up and down the strap.
6. Push the lycra tube up the strap from both ends, towards the center to get them out of the way for a while.
7. Your convertable bra will have strap attachments which can't be relied on for dance wear. They might unclip! We need to change the bra from convertable to a permanently fixed strap, while still keeping the ability to easily adjust the length of the halter strap.
8. One end of your strap has a length adjustor slide on it. Ignore that end, and go to the other end of the strap.
9. Take a piece of 1/2" wide tape. Overlap the bottom of the tape over the outside of the bra cup by 1". Stitch backwards and forwards several times to make a really secure join.
10. Hook the strap back to the cup. Take the 1/2" wide tape that you have just sewn onto your bra, and thread it over the hook and down thru the loop that is attached to the end of the strap (above the hook part). See the pic. Now take the tape down back into the inside of your bra, pulling it till it fits smoothly. Stitch backwards and forwards to make a really secure join. Cut off the excess tape. This end of the strap is now permanently attached to the cup.
11. Slide the end of the lycra tube back down the strap. You should have 1" at the end of the tube that is not stitched. Slip that part down over your stitching. Turn under 1/4" and securely stitch the lycra over the join on the front and also on the back.
12. Now we need to work on the adjustable end of the strap. We need to keep that adjustment working and reachable, so that you can always adjust the length of the strap when you need to.
13. As before, take a piece of 1/2" wide tape. Overlap the bottom of the tape over the outside of the other bra cup by 1". Stitch backwards and forwards several times to make a really secure join.
14. Hook the strap back to the cup. Take the 1/2" wide tape that you have just sewn onto your bra, and thread it over the hook and down thru the loop that is attached to the end of the strap (above the hook part). See the pic. Now take the tape down back into the inside of your bra, pulling it till it fits smoothly. Stitch backwards and forwards to make a really secure join. Cut off the excess tape.
15. Now slide the end of the lycra tube back down over that end of the strap. You should have 1" at the end that is not stitched. Slip that part down over the stitching. Turn under 1/4" and on the inside of the bra, use one or two small safety pins to keep the end of the tube in place. We don't want to stitch this end of the tube down. You need to be able to quickly and easily undo the pins, slide it up, re-adjust the strap length if you need to, slide it back down and safety pin it again.
rying to make the strap wider, but still be adjustable is the tricky part! I cannot find any spare wide bra straps in my local stores. If you have an old bra that has wide straps and wide fittings, then you could always steal the fittings from that!
f not, then you will need to buy a wider length adjustor slide and loop, so that you can thread wider elastic for the strap through them. It all depends on what size of fittings you can get.
have not found any bra fittings wider than 1/2". But I have managed to find these. They are actually fittings to make your own bow tie! The slots are 3/4" wide, and comfortably fit 7/8" wide elastic. You need both the slider and the hook.
ou will notice that one part has a hook on it which gets in the way. Either open it up, cut it off, or hammer it flat. Using your existing bra strap as a guide, attach the 7/8" elastic to these fittings.
ere's a pic showing the comparison between my original strap, and the wide one made using elastic and bow tie fittings!!!
 ow that you have your new WIDE adjustable halter strap, continue making your bra in the exact same way, but use your new wide srtap instead of the original strap. See step 1 above.
here are two options to make the bra sides non-stretch.
- Do everything exactly the same, but use a solid non-stretch fabric, like cotton, to cover the sides instead of lycra.
- When attaching the cotton twill tape, overlap all the way to the underwire seam.
1. Run the tape along the side at the bottom edge, overlapping the underwire seam by 1".
2. Sew back and forth all along the overlap, making sure the tape is firmly attached.
 o you want the security of a hook and eye closure with the "look" of a back tie? 
f the hook closure back of your bra is wider than 1", consider replacing the back with a narrower hook and eye closure.
ou can buy narrower hook and eye sets from any good craft store. I suggest ones that are about 1" wide, with two rows of hooks.
- Cut off your wide hooks and eyes (or unpick the stitching holding them on).
- Fold a pleat in the bra side to make it the same width as your narrower hooks and eyes. Pin.
- Attach the new narrower hooks and eyes, making sure the the new pieces are firmly sewn to the top and bottom elastic edges of the bra.
- Buy 2 yards of strong cotton twill tape the same width as your new hook section. Cut it into two, 1 yard pieces.
- Place the tape over the join, with the long tail of the tape going towards the bra, away from the hooks.
- Using a sewing machine, sew backwards and forwards several times close to the end of the tape.
- Now flip the tape back again, so that it runs away from the bra, going over the hooks.
- Again, machine stitch 2 or 3 rows of stitching close to the end of the tape. This should hold the tape nicely, cover up the join, and point the tape in the right direction for tying.
- Cut the tape ends to the length that you want. (I usually make a diagonal cut).
- Finish the cut edge. To do this, either sew a narrow hem, overcast stitch it, or dip the very ends in Fraycheck.
- When you wear your bra, do up the hooks and eyes, then tie the tape into a bow so that it covers up the hook section.
Important note!
 lease feel free to print a copy of these instructions for your own use. I have provided them to you free of charge, so I request that you do NOT sell them, and do NOT put a copy of them on your own webpages.
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Thank you!
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