Comments on: Because bra burning is so passé

Because bra burning is so passé

orange swan — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 08:38:47 -0800

Got a stack of bras you don't know what to do with? Charities will accept secondhand bras in good condition, but if you're in the mood to be creative there are bra crafting ideas on the net. You could make a bra wristlet, and then make a sleep mask out of the rest of the bra fabric, earrings out of the hardware, and a toy out of inserts. You could make a lavender sachet out of a bra and use it to perfume your lingerie drawer. One seemingly popular idea is to make a cute and feminine evening bag or, as one woman who wears a 36F quipped in a comment, luggage. If you're an especially sassy member of the Red Hat Society, you could make a purse that matches your hat. Some people even make hats out of the bras, though perhaps not every woman would care to so obviously wear a bra on her head. If you're a breast cancer survivor and want to avoid buying expensive and uncomfortably heavy prosthetics, you could knit yourself a pair of tits and go right on wearing your favourite bras. You could also make an art installation: a 5' bra ball. Here's a list of 28 things to do with old bras. And yes, I realize this post will make many of the men of MeFi want to get a lot of puns/juvenile comments off their chests, but titter away. You're probably just jealous you can't make such cool crafts out of your jock straps.

By: orange swan

orange swan — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 08:39:31 -0800

You all have Jonmc to thank for suggesting the theme for this post.

By: miss lynnster

miss lynnster — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 08:47:13 -0800

Or a hat! Or a plane! Or a pterodactyl...!

By: DU

DU — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 08:55:46 -0800

You're probably just jealous you can't make such cool crafts out of your jock straps. That sounds like a challenge...that nobody should attempt to meet.

By: orange swan

orange swan — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 08:58:28 -0800

Res assured that I will NOT be doing that post. You couldn't even pay me to google that one.

By: rokusan

rokusan — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 09:01:27 -0800

You're probably just jealous you can't make such cool crafts out of your jock straps. If I had boobs I'd spend all day admiring them in a mirror, and I'd get nothing else done. Sigh. A little self-knowledge is a dangerous thing.

By: SheMulp AKA Plus 1

SheMulp AKA Plus 1 — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 09:19:51 -0800

If I had boobs I'd spend all day admiring them in a mirror You know I spend at least 5-10 mins a day doing just that Boobs are awesome :)

By: FunkyHelix

FunkyHelix — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 09:20:41 -0800

Hey, orange swan? Any craft blogs you'd recommend?

By: Inspector.Gadget

Inspector.Gadget — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 09:21:30 -0800

That sounds like a challenge...that nobody should attempt to meet. Worst. Helmet. Ever.

By: and hosted from Uranus

and hosted from Uranus — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 09:36:36 -0800

I'll also accept your secondhand underwear, ladies. Preferably unwashed. Trust me, I need the charity. /does_not_own_a_jockstrap_so_can_only_meet_the_creepy_titter_challenge.

By: SheMulp AKA Plus 1

SheMulp AKA Plus 1 — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 09:39:40 -0800

Some where on the internet is a picture of me wearing the Red Hat Society bra hat my mother made. If I find it I will link.

By: Green Eyed Monster

Green Eyed Monster — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 09:45:58 -0800

I will not be making a bra-purse anytime soon.

By: Stewriffic

Stewriffic — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 09:48:00 -0800

I'll also accept your secondhand underwear, ladies. Preferably unwashed. Trust me, I need the charity. Ew. Some things are better left unsaid, even when joking.

By: orange swan

orange swan — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 09:50:15 -0800

There are SO many good ones, FunkyHelix, I hardly know where to begin in terms of recommendations. I do find myself linking to Craftzine quite often. Here's a list of 25 of one blogger's favourites. I recognize a number of them as sites come across and used often when researching my posts.

By: mandal

mandal — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 09:51:19 -0800

You're probably just jealous you can't make such cool crafts out of your jock straps. Maybe, but we don't have to open a bra-purse to fiddle with our loose change.

By: and hosted from Uranus

and hosted from Uranus — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 09:56:01 -0800

Some things are better left unsaid, even when joking. Does that include passive-aggressive disclaimers tacked on to the end of posts?

By: Alexandra Kitty

Alexandra Kitty — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 09:57:55 -0800

When I was interning at a television station, I had to write copy for a story about a guy who said he grew tomatoes in bras...

By: SheMulp AKA Plus 1

SheMulp AKA Plus 1 — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 10:00:51 -0800

knit yourself a pair of tits or perhaps something to cover them.

By: orange swan

orange swan — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 10:07:16 -0800

None of the bra craft ideas I came across really appeal to me except possibly the bra evening bags (I'd decorate mine until it was completely disguised), but I have enough evening bags. However, I am inspired to try making my own bras. I sew quite well, but it had never occurred to me that I might try to DIY a bra. Bras are very expensive, especially if, as in my case, the boob fairy was especially generous and one needs lots of support. It drives me crazy to spend $40 or more on a bra. And then it's not like a woman can really get by with one or two. I want a fresh one to put on every morning, I need sport bras for physical activity and specialty cut bras for evening wear, and then I like to have some pretty ones for special occasions [cough]. It soon gets to be quite the investment. They don't last all that long, either. Surely once I evolved a well-fitting template I could make them reasonably efficiently and save some money, and also have some fun making some of them especially fancy. And as they wear out I could salvage the trimming and hardware to make new bras.

By: sonascope

sonascope — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 10:11:10 -0800

The bra ball is a fixture of the place where I work, and I've had to move it numerous times now. It doesn't really roll, despite all appearances. You get used to these things, too, over time, and they become a natural part of your surroundings, like fifteen-foot pink poodles and sparkly walls, and then you get caught all off guard finding your workplace on metafilter. I was resident MC (a picture) for our big celebration of the bra ball, back in 2006. I made a saw blade bra getup to enhance my presumed masculinearity, but it didn't seem to help.

By: Stewriffic

Stewriffic — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 10:15:07 -0800

None of the bra craft ideas I came across really appeal to me Me neither, more's the pity. I'm such a pragmatist that I'd love to be able to reuse them. The first thing that came to mind was a reusable substitute for cheesecloth for straining things. But then that icked me out a little. So my next suggestion would be something like cutting the the elastic and fabric into strips to tie up tomato plants, and to use the underwires for row markers?

By: PeterMcDermott

PeterMcDermott — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 10:19:15 -0800

I'm a member of the brownhatter society. Does that count?

By: SheMulp AKA Plus 1

SheMulp AKA Plus 1 — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 10:24:48 -0800

And then it's not like a woman can really get by with one or two. Tell me about it. I may not be blessed by the boob fairy but I do have enough to need some sort of support. I ONLY have two bras. Because of constant washing one is beginning to shrink and the other (I call it the tank) is a padded, metal under wired monstrosity that shifts and pokes me. And as far as buying even with smaller sizes the prices are kind of steep for tings you wear under your clothes.

By: bibliowench

bibliowench — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 10:26:09 -0800

That bra ball looks like it came from an X-rated Katamari Damacy.

By: Mister_A

Mister_A — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 11:06:22 -0800

sonascope that is one hellacious bra. Dudes get to second base but they don't come back.

By: Cranberry

Cranberry — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 11:12:45 -0800

"You all have Jonmc to thank for suggesting the theme for this post. posted by orange swan at 8:39 AM" An area of interest no doubt, but one might expect the subject to be recycling booze bottles.

By: Restless Day

Restless Day — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 11:13:44 -0800

My mom died last year and I gave her clothes away, except for her bras which I didn't think anybody would want. She told me that when she was in the hospital someone on the staff took her bra and showed it to her coworkers, like she'd never seen a bra that big before (boob fairy--though mom said it was more a curse than a blessing). She'd have liked to see her bras recycled in some crafty way, but she didn't much appreciate them being passed around and marveled at. Anyway they're landfill now.

By: It's Raining Florence Henderson

It's Raining Florence Henderson — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 11:23:17 -0800

I turned my old Fortinbras into the king of Denmark.

By: doctorschlock

doctorschlock — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 11:27:44 -0800

I've got moobies. Does that count?

By: QIbHom

QIbHom — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 11:29:47 -0800

I'm sorry, but I just can't support this idea.

By: doctorschlock

doctorschlock — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 11:36:38 -0800

Orange Swan, are you teasing me? Cause you've got my Moe-Joe rising.

By: dog food sugar

dog food sugar — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 11:40:29 -0800

Restless Day I'm so sorry some idiot did that to your mom when she was in hospital. Never ceases to amaze me what clods work in hospitals sometimes.

By: quin

quin — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 11:47:59 -0800

You're probably just jealous you can't make such cool crafts out of your jock straps. My improvised sling shot, let me show it to you...

By: Brandon Blatcher

Brandon Blatcher — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 11:48:37 -0800

You're probably just jealous you can't make such cool crafts out of your jock straps. Great, now you've got my panties in a bunch.

By: sondrialiac

sondrialiac — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 11:51:37 -0800

My partner will like this, he is both cheap and bra-loving. SheMulp, I always hand wash them in cold water and air dry them. I only use soap every few times, and only a little soap. It helps avoid shrinkage. orangeswan, what I would really like is a method for shortening the back strap (which stretches faster than the rest). According to my sewing expert mother-in-law, underwire bras are incredibly difficult to make.

By: sondrialiac

sondrialiac — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 11:52:41 -0800

And by mother-in-law, I mean my friend's mother.

By: It's Raining Florence Henderson

It's Raining Florence Henderson — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 11:55:06 -0800

Actually, Jacques Trap is for sale, so I guess you could turn it into anything you want. A strip mall. A bowling alley. Hell, even a lingerie store.

By: orange swan

orange swan — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 12:20:09 -0800

what I would really like is a method for shortening the back strap (which stretches faster than the rest) I suppose you could cut a piece out of the back strap and stitch the ends together again.

By: loquacious

loquacious — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 12:47:02 -0800

Missing project: Double-barreled water balloon launcher.

By: PontifexPrimus

PontifexPrimus — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 13:07:53 -0800

SheMulp AKA Plus 1: "If I had boobs I'd spend all day admiring them in a mirror You know I spend at least 5-10 mins a day doing just that Boobs are awesome :)" Don't do that, don't write something like that! Now I cannot concentrate on the matter at hand, which is bras, because I have to think of breasts, and mirrors, and admiring and fondling and... and... Sorry, what were we talking about?

By: Smedleyman

Smedleyman — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 13:56:46 -0800

What, just because I'm a guy I can't wear a bra? Women seem to have more accouterments and therefore more stuff to use in a practical way. I saw a goodbad film (Freebie and the Bean, which I actually got a kick out of) probably the best scene in it is with Valerie Harper who is confronted by Bean (her husband) who thinks she's unfaithful because he can't find her douchebag. She shows him she made a plant watering system out of it. Pretty funny scene really.

By: sondrialiac

sondrialiac — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 14:00:40 -0800

I suppose you could cut a piece out of the back strap and stitch the ends together again. The biggest problem with this is that the shoulder straps change positions.

By: Restless Day

Restless Day — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 14:14:58 -0800

What, just because I'm a guy I can't wear a bra? Smedleyman, you bring up Freebie and the Bean in this context without mentioning the scene with the cross-dressing bad guy and the awesome fight scene with him and James Caan? That was a great scene. Also, Thanks dog food sugar.

By: Restless Day

Restless Day — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 14:18:46 -0800

This one. /derail

By: jonmc

jonmc — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 16:50:22 -0800

And yes, I realize this post will make many of the men of MeFi want to get a lot of puns/juvenile comments off their chests, but titter away. I won't. Cross my heart.

By: jonmc

jonmc — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 16:50:28 -0800

And yes, I realize this post will make many of the men of MeFi want to get a lot of puns/juvenile comments off their chests, but titter away. I won't. Cross my heart.

By: jonmc

jonmc — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 16:51:07 -0800

One for each cup, dammit.

By: swell

swell — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 17:59:37 -0800

Jockstrap Beer Cozy.

By: Lesser Shrew

Lesser Shrew — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 19:59:06 -0800

I am not sure about those of you with genuine boobage, but from the more pedestrian point of view, what really helps in bra comfort is the old school style with a WIDE band underneath. If you are going to try to sew one, try that. Like this.

By: ukdanae

ukdanae — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 08:22:54 -0800

Oh wow, freaky - I wrote that 28 things to do with your old bra article! It's a small world after all - thanks orange swan!