In response to a reader who asked “What do you do with the rest of it?” about my Vintage Bra Wristlet post, I came up with an idea for an eye mask. This was totally experimental, so I’m sure that the design could be improved, but I had fun making it, so thanks for the challenge Dulcet. It was kinda difficult to work out, but in the end I did what every good crafter does: resorted to using fabric glue and ribbon trim!
I tried to use as much of the bra as possible, so I used the remaining bust lace and one of the shoulder straps to create the eye mask strap. The good thing is that it is adjustable, but you could definitely use some ribbon or something else (it would probably look better).
Okay, so here is a bra that I’d cut the ends of off for a bra wristlet.
First, I snipped the ends to remove the wires (one was broken which was why I had to stop wearing it) and then I cut in a slight curve up the middle of each cup. It’s a good idea to measure how wide you want the eye mask to be by holding the bra up to your face. (It’s okay to laugh at this point). It’s also a good idea to fold the bra in half and cut through both cups together so that your cuts are even (mine are not, but it’s all good.)
Next, cut the bra to the shape you want your mask to be. I liked the squarish type. But you can cut them more rounded if you like.
I also cut off the remaining bust lace and one of the shoulder straps.
This is how the eye mask will be put together.
This bra had many layers of delicate, stretchy fabric and a thin layer of foam. The then, stretchy fabric is difficult to manage, so I found the best thing to do was to sew a zig-zag stitch around the cut edges to secure all the layers. Then, trim the edges close to the seam.
Next, pin the bust lace to the side of the eye mask and stitch in place. Put wrong sides together, and position the strap in toward the eye mask, it will wrap around the trim . Do the same to the other side.
Next, measure a piece of ribbon so that it will wrap around the sewn edges of the bra, plus extra so that you can fold in the ends.
Glue and fold the ribbon ends in about 1/2 inch.
Next, cover the edge stitching on the mask by folding the ribbon in half over the edges like bias tape. Apply fabric glue to edges of the front and back of the mask and pinch the ribbon to secure it. Work small sections at a time. Once the edges are glued, go back and glue the corners with small dot of glue.
Trim out the other side. Once the glue has set, fold your straps out . Here’s what the mask looks like at this point.
Finish, by hand sewing one of the adjustable shoulder straps to bust strap pieces. Fold over the finished edge and then wrap it around the shoulder strap and hand stitch in place.
