How to Sew Bra Cups into a Dress

Why would you sew bra cups into a dress? So you don’t have to wear an actual bra! This is the solution for summer dresses with spaghetti straps that are hanging out in your closet instead of getting worn because you hate wearing strapless bras.

It can’t just be me.

Making Clothes Better

One of the great things about knowing how to sew is that, not only can you make your own clothes, you can make the things you already have better.

If you know how to make basic alterations and deal with stains, you’ll go a long way toward making your clothes last longer, which is great for your budget and the environment.

I’ve had this summer dress since my teen was a baby, but I’ve probably only worn it a handful of times.

I generally don’t wear bras, so the fact that I felt like I needed to wear a strapless bra with this one kept me from putting it on as often as I would have liked.

Years ago I bought some bra cups to sew into it, but I finally got around to doing it this year.

How to Sew Bra Cups into a Dress

It’s actually really easy to sew bra cups into a dress (or a top that is backless, strapless or has narrow straps). All you need is the dress, some bra cups (I used these from Dritz because that’s what my craft store had, but there are lots of options) in the size cup you need for your body, a sewing needle and coordinating thread. I used black thread because it matches the dress better and makes it easier for you to see the stitches.

Having a dress form helps because you can place and pin or clip the cups in place without having it on your body.

Proper placement is key both for coverage and so the cups look the way a bra would look on your body. You may need to pin in place on the dress form and also try the dress on while pinned (carefully!) to make sure everything looks right before you start sewing.

As you can see here, the cups were a little big for the space in the dress, but we’ll deal with that later.

I like to double up my thread and use a sturdy knot to make sure everything will stay in place.

Whip stitch the cup to the dress. This is where you take a little stitch into the garment and a little stitch into the edge of the cup. You can see my stitches aren’t super consistent in length or spacing but after this I’m the only one who will see it, and I don’t mind.

Be careful to only stitch through the lining of the garment if it has one, or to take tiny stitches that just pick up a couple of threads of the back of the fabric so they won’t be visible on the outside.

You’ll also want to check to make sure the cup is aligned properly and fills out the fabric cup of the dress as you go.

If there is any part that peeks out or gets too close to the edge of the garment to easily sew, you can just cut it out. (At least with these Dritz cups that was fine; other products may vary.)

After you’ve stitched one bra cup into your dress, try it on and make sure it feels and looks good before stitching the other.

Caring for Your Dress

Once you sew bra cups into a dress or other garment, you may need to take a little more care when washing the garment.

In this case, the Dritz bra cups are machine washable and dryable, as well as dry-cleanable, so I don’t need to worry. If you buy a different product make sure to check the care instructions and follow them when you wash the garment.

You’ll also want to check every few washes and make sure the cups are still sewn in place well and that they haven’t shifted through washing and wearing. It’s easy enough to rip out and re-sew as needed to make the project perfect. (I need to do it here because the edging looks a little pinched on one side.)

Once you know how to sew bra cups into a dress I’m confident you’ll be breaking out those summer dresses a lot more often!