Directions for Making the Original Bra Purse
Materials List:
Under wire bra with personality and some "body", size to be determined
by what you want to carry, whether it is a lipstick and a credit card,
or wallet, hairbrush, and mouthwash.
Hot glue gun and glue sticks
Basin of cold water to be used in conjunction with the hot glue gun.
Ouch!
Heavy needle and thread
Scissors
Embellishments: whatever speaks to you, sequins, beads, feathers,
fringe, lace, birds, butterflies, flowers, etc.. Anything you can
carry is appropriate.
The bra purse is extremely simple to make as there are no mistakes,
only opportunities to express yourself and have fun! The first thing I
did was to cut away the back of the bra, leaving perhaps 3/4 of an inch
of Lycra that is then pulled over a thin application of glue and into
the cups of the bra. The backs of the shoulder straps are severed at
this point and left attached to the front to see if they will be of
service later. The hinge at the front of the bra can now be
tucked in and secured to the structure of the wires with a bit of hot
glue. Now is an excellent time to attach any dangling embellishment
from the bottom of the bra with the hot glue gun. By now you will
probably have used the basin of cold water. Glue guns and sticks leave
an immediate and painful impression, you may find toothpicks or other
implements helpful. Fold the bra together, matching the curvature of
the under wires, when you have a good feel for how it should fit, apply
a healthy bead of hot glue and stick that rascal together. You will
want to hold it firmly until the glue does it’s job.
You now have a bra purse, you still need to develop a handle, a closure
and embellish. You will find that you can reattach the straps to the
back of the bra with needle and thread, I took the back closure and
glued both sides from the inside across the top of the purse for a
"hook and eye" closure, if you choose to do this, just experiment with
the length and cut away the excess from the already cut edges. You can
also attach one side, apply a heavy article (perhaps a piece of
jewelry) and let it hang across the top to keep the bra purse closed.
You have all the structural work done and now comes the fun part.
Making it your own, one of a kind of "bra art" accessory. Tassels were
my first addition (suggestion of the husband - now, what is that
about?). Use the glue gun, use needle and thread, or if you are making
an "office" model, paper clips. Your imagination is the only limitation
to what you can accomplish.
Enjoy!!!!!!!!