Make a Bra Purse

Instead of tossing out your old bras, save them to make cute, handy purses. Bra purses make great, funky gag gifts and white elephant gifts. They can also be used to raise awareness for Breast Cancer. All you need is a bra you don't mind cutting up, some hot glue or fabric glue, fabric scissors, and trim.

Steps

Preparing the Base

  1. Choose a padded, underwire bra. Most people find that a B or C cup works best. A strapless bra, or a bra with removable straps, will give you less work and a nicer finish in the end.[1]
    • The bra doesn't have to be new, but it should be clean and in good condition.
    • Avoid push-up bras. They have too much padding, and you won't have enough room inside.
  2. Cut the straps off. Use a pair of fabric scissors to cut the back straps off. Follow the curve of the wire so that no straight edges remain. If your bra has removable shoulder straps, unhook them now. If your bra has regular shoulder straps, cut them off at the seam.[1]
  3. Cut the bra cups apart at the center. Most bras will have a little tab in the middle connecting the two cups. You will need to cut this off for a smoother finish. Once again, follow the curve of the underwire so that the connecting material does not show. Discard the little tab you just cut off.

Decorating and Assembling the Purse

  1. Choose a fringe for the bottom trim. While not completely necessary, this can take your bra purse to the next level by making it look more like a purse and less like a bra. Choose some ribbon, beaded fringe, or tassel fringe, and measure it along the underwire. Cut the trim to fit.
    • You can use the same color as your bra or a nice coordinating color.
  2. Glue the trim to the underwire. Flip one of your bra cups over so that the inside is facing you. Draw a line of hot glue or fabric glue along the underwire. Quickly press the hem of the fringe into the glue. Make sure that the tassel part of the fringe is sticking out from under the bra cup.
  3. Glue the other bra cup on top. Draw another line of glue along the other cup's underwire. Place the two cups together. Make sure that they align, then pinch your fingers along the bottom of both cups, sealing them together.
  4. Decorate your bra further. You can attach extras, such as lace, appliqués, or bows to your bra purse using hot glue or fabric glue. You can also stitch them on by hand using a needle and thread.
    • For a fancier touch, glue a ruffled trim along the top each of each bra cup.
    • Layer your trim. Glue down some ruffled lace trim first, then glue down some skinny ribbon along the top hem.
    • Cut embroidered or bridal lace trim into shapes, and use those as appliqués.
    • Don't get too carried away. Less is often times more!
  5. Choose a final trim for the bottom. Choose a thin, decorative trim, such as rickrack, braided cording, or sequins. Measure it across the bottom/underwire of your purse. Double the length, then cut the trim accordingly.
  6. Glue the final trim to the purse. Draw a line of glue along the bottom edge of the purse, right along the underwire. Press the final trim into the glue. Flip the bra purse over, and finish gluing the trim on the other side.[1]

Adding a Closure

  1. Decide what sort of closure you want. A ribbon closure works great with a bra purse because of how dainty and feminine it is. Velcro closures are more practical, but less pretty. Choose one of the closure methods from below for your purse.
  2. Add a ribbon closure for something dainty and feminine. Cut two pieces of skinny ribbon. Heat seal both ends by holding them near a flame until the raw edges melt. Glue the end of one ribbon to the top-center of one bra cup. Repeat with the other ribbon for the other bra cup. Tie the ribbons together into a bow to close the purse.
    • For extra security, tie a small knot into the end of each ribbon first. Glue the knot to the inside of the purse.[1]
  3. Use Velcro for something more practical. Buy some self-adhesive Velcro dots. Get white if you have a light colored bra or black if you have a dark colored bra. Peel off two matching dots, then stick them to the inside of each bra cup along the top-center edge.[2]
    • Sometimes, self-adhesive Velcro dots don't stick very well. If they keep falling off, use hot glue or fabric glue to attach them instead.
  4. Try a magnetic closure. Get two flat, silver-colored magnets. These magnets are much stronger than the typical black ones. Glue each magnet to the top-center inside edge of each bra cup. Measure across the top edge of your bra purse, and cut two pieces of ribbon according to that length. Coat the back of each ribbon with glue, then stick it to the inside top-edge of each cup. This will cover the magnet, help it stick better, and give you a nice trim on the inside.
    • The ribbon needs to be wide enough to cover the magnet.
  5. Consider skipping the closure altogether. A closer it not mandatory for a bra purse. If you don't want a closure, you can leave it off entirely. This is a great option if you are using your purse to store potpourri.

Adding a Strap

  1. Choose a strap. You can reuse the bra straps, or you can use ribbon, lace, cord, or even a chain. The options are limitless! Choose one of the options below.
  2. Use grommets and jump rings to attach chain straps. Punch a hole into the top-center of each bra cup. Set a grommet into each hole using a grommet setter. Open up two large jump rings, and hook them onto each end of your desired chain. Slip the jump rings through the grommets, then close them.
    • Open and close jump rings using needle nose pliers. Pull the two halves past each other, like a door. Don't pull them away from each other, like a drawer.
    • If your chain is big enough, weave a skinny ribbon through the links.
  3. Re-use your shoulder straps if you don't want to throw them out. Trim the shoulder straps down to the same length; omit the plastic or metal sliders. Overlap the ends by ½ inch (1.27 centimeters) and secure with glue. Glue the other ends to the inside of each cup. Glue some extra trim around the seam at the strap, where the two shoulder straps connect.[2]
  4. Consider using some extra trim, such as ribbon or braided cord.[3] Cut it down to the length you want, then glue the bottom ½-inch (1.27-centimeter) to the top inside edge of each cup.
  5. Add a final touch. This is not completely necessary, but it can really take your bra to the next level. Find two small bows or ribbon roses. Put a dab or hot glue or fabric glue below each strap, right where it connects with the purse. Press your bow or flower into the glue.
    • Use miniature bows or flowers, like the type used to decorate lingerie. Anything bigger will look tacky.

Tips

  • Hot glue tends to leave behind little threads. Be sure to pull these off for a neater, cleaner finish.
  • If you are uncomfortable with carrying it as a bag, take the straps off and use it as a sachet for your lingerie drawer!
  • If you need you can stitch laces to give it a more beautiful look
  • A padded bra is easier to use because it keeps a better hold.
  • These bags have been made famous by their use to promote awareness of Breast Cancer.
  • Patterned bikini tops make bright and funky bags and often look less like bras when finished.
  • You don't have to use this as a purse. Fill it with potpourri and hang it in your room.[1]
  • Use the bra purse as a giftcard holder.[1] Bonus points if the giftcard is for a bra or lingerie shop!
  • Sell the purses online to raise awareness for Breast Cancer. Donate your proceeds to Breast Cancer research.
  • Bra purses make great gag gifts and White Elephant gifts.

Things You'll Need

  • Padded, underwire bra
  • Fabric scissors
  • Hot glue or fabric glue
  • Fringe trim (optional)
  • Embellishments

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 http://www.sewing.org/html/bra_purse.html
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 http://www.thriftyfun.com/Making-a-Purse-from-a-Bra.html
  3. ↑ http://www.craftbits.com/project/bra-purse
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