Call me a prude, but I really can’t stand it when my bra strap starts to wander, letting the world know just what color and condition said bra is in. (Answer: generally not great.) In fact, it drives me nuts. I don’t want to have to constantly be adjusting and digging around. It’s just not… dignified.
Fortunately for me, the solution to the problem is really simple. And fortunately for fellow bra-strap-loathers, I’ve created a tutorial for this fix.
What you need:
- ribbon 1/4″ (7 mm) wide
- two sew in snaps
- thread
- needle
- scissors
- matches (yes, matches!)
How you do it:
Start by cutting a 2.5″ (6 cm) piece of the ribbon. Singe the ends with a lit match, so they don’t fray. (See! Matches.)
Fold the ribbon in half, and give it a good pinch to press a crease in. (If you wanted to get all perfect about it, you could press in a crease with a cool iron. But that’s totally optional, and frankly, a little overkill for this project.)
Sew the snap pieces onto each end of the ribbon like so:
Make sure that they’re facing each other so you can snap them.
In the shoulder of your garment, sew the ribbon into place. Make sure the snaps are facing towards the arm.
Done! Now repeat the process with the other shoulder.
When you’re getting dressed, simply snap that pesky bra strap into the little loop. No more wandering straps! No more migrating necklines! Your life is really coming together now!
(This post originally published on Offbeat Families in August 2011.)
I had a dress one time that came with these built in. It was amazing until I drunkenly tried to take the dress off at the end of an evening, not remembering it was secured to my bra. Not my most graceful moment.
I’ve seen many dresses with these built in nowadays.
I can buy these loops at my local market… They usually come with safety pins attached, so that instead of sewing them in your clothing you can attach the pair of loops with the pins and thus use them on different items of clothing.
I’ve always MEANT to do this, but never have. I think your tutorial is enabling, in the good way. Thanks!
My best friend’s wedding dress had these and I thought it was the coolest idea ever!
I love a good sewing craft. And this looks super simple, like you could make it in 5 minutes! 😀 But why not just wear a strapless bra?
Because they are evil torture devices that would rather be a belt? 🙂
I love this comment too much! If I wanted to spend the day hiking up stuff I would’ve gone to the mountains!
If a dress has straps, I am going to wear a bra with straps. Generally, a strapless bra is only as good as the structure of the dress. A strapless dress generally has boning and seaming to keep things in place, including your bra. A dress with straps is less likely to have the interior structure necessary to really keep a strapless bra from migrating navel-ward. This is a great tip!
My bra straps used to spend more time on my arms restricting movement of said appendages than sitting on my shoulders keeping my bra up. This drove me crazy until one day I got a proper sizing and learned that I had been wearing the wrong size bra all along. Ever since I started wearing the correct size, I no longer have the problem of the migrating bra strap. Of course this tip is cheaper than replacing all of your bras, but keep in mind if you are buying a new bra that you might need to get a different size.
My straps drive me nuts. I’ve always thought that I must have extra slopey shoulders because I am constantly pulling my bra straps back up after they’ve slid down onto my arms. I’m pretty sure I’m wearing the right size, but who knows, maybe it is time to try a fitting!
A bra fitting? there are such things? where can you get this done at?!
I also was completely clueless that sliding straps could be fixed by buying a different size bra and likewise thought that the problem was with my shoulders until I went to a Victoria’s Secret store. The sales woman measured me and told me that I was wearing the wrong size. Most upscale stores will do a fitting for you. Their sales representatives are trained to take your measurements and let you know what the best size for you is. I highly recommend it.
Sorry, but this is not true for everyone. I got mine fitted at Victoria secrets and I still had my straps down my arms
This is great! I love it when I stumble upon dresses in stores with little loops sewn in to them.
or..just really not offbeat, get your bra fitted and buy a new one or three. I just measured myself, got three new bras and the moving bra strap problem has magically disappeared!! (instead of me sewing 10/20 /20 little do-dads into my clothes.)