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From this: A pair of lace, stretchy panties
To This! A quick Lacy Bandeau to wear under tops
If you're like me, a collection of under garments is your BFF. I also like to have several bandeau style tops on-hand for tops that are too low or for when I don't want to wear a bra or the blouse/dress I'm wearing doesn't allow a bra to be worn without it showing.
I have made my own easy, quickly-put-together bandeaus for a long time. You might be surprised to learn that the cost of making one far, far less than those you see for $5+ in stores. Seriously. It costs around $1 to make one. However, if you wanted to add a lining to keep your bandeau from being transparent (see-through), then the cost will be slightly more.
The good news is, if you aren't a perfectionist and you already have some scrap material (stretchy lacy undies, fabric that you can use as a lining, etc.) on-hand, then the chances of your new bandeau costing you no money is high! Mine actually costed me nothing to make, especially since the undies were given to me as a gift.
The lacy underwear I used were stretchy boy-short style, which I found very uncomfortable as underwear, by the way. A pair of these stretchy, lace boy-shorts are available at Wal-Mart and other stores for really cheap, and they come in all sorts of pretty colors. I have one in turquoise that made a gorgeous bandeau!
So, I'm going to show you how I did this. Take note! I am not a perfectionist, and it shows. If you are, you can make the necessary adjustments as you wish.
Again, since these boy-shorts were stretchy lace, I didn't need to do any sewing. The method of turning them into a bandeau actually only requires cutting out the crotch! Unless of course you want to add to it by putting in a lining or something.
How I Do It
I laid them out, and cut the crotch straight across, completely off. I didn't bother trying to make it perfect. I kept the black bow that was on the top front of the undies, and wear the bandeau with the little bow in the front. You can easily cut panty-bows off, if you don't want them.
I'm not sure this would've worked so easily if I were not working with a boy-short style because other panties like briefs do not really have the squared shape. Also, these boyshorts (like most) have the crotch somewhat hanging, if that makes sense. Look at my photo of the undies to better understand what I mean -- the crotch comes down lower than the rest of the panties. This makes it easy to just cut the crotch straight across and be left with pretty much a straight edged square.
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| See how the crotch area "hangs" down further than the edges of the panties? Cut straight across, clipping the crotch right off. Then, you'll be left with this: |
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| Crotch is cut out (the crotch fabric is seen on the left) and basically, it's just a rectangle of lace left. |
You'll notice it isn't totally a straight-edged square as the crotch area leaves a little fold over area where it was cut out. Since this part of the bandeau will be under my shirts and not show (and really isn't noticeable in the first place), I chose not to add any stitching or anything to make it perfect. Like I said, if you are a perfectionist, a few stitches would fix this part right up.
*Forgive my less than perfect quality photos. The lighting was funny and my camera just wasn't cooperating with me well. I added another photo below (with a bit better lighting) in hopes of it showing the panties after cutting them better. The panties are actually a bold orange-like color, but they look red.
Of course I kept the little crotch strip because small lace left-overs always come in handy for patching up holes in jeans and shirts, too!
Lining -- Optional
I did not add any extra lining to my bandeau. Since it was a quick project just to wear underneath several tops and dresses, I really didn't feel the need to go all out and add a lining under the lace. But keep in mind, it is see-through without lining! You can use a matching or contrasting fabric to really spruce it up, if you plan on showing more of the bandeau off than I do.
Another trick I've been using successfully for years is those little swimsuit top cups that you find in most swimsuit tops (the thin "pad" cups) -- I place those inside my bandeaus for a little more nipple coverage, so that those suckers don't show right through my shirts so much.
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| *Look at the bottom -- you can see imperfection I mentioned from the crotch-cutting. It doesn't bother me since it doesn't show under my shirts. You can sew it up there, though.* |
It's really helpul, and in some of my dresses that don't allow a bra, I've sewed the "cups" in! Built-in bra! You can use that method if you want more coverage in a bandeau.
I only took a photo of the back of the bandeau while on. There was just no way to show you guys a photo of the front without risking being too... bare. Sorry! Just can't get that personal with you. ;) I hope this was helpful for someone though. If you are like me and have a pile of boyshorts that are unflattering or uncomfortable, you should have a fun time using them to add another piece of underwear to your wardrobe.
I wear these home-made bandeaus with a lot of different tops, mostly tank tops that are very low cut. Most of us do not wear bras with such showy tops because it just doesn't look that great on some of us (just not flattering when bra pokes out in every direction, and it really takes away from a cute top). The good thing about a thin, lacy bandeau is I don't mind it peeking under the arm-pits of my tank tops, the back and the front area. It adds color, is subtle, looks cute and is still classy.
P.S. if you simply don't want to fork over a $5-$8 and up bandeau bra but you don't have any lace or un-wearable lace boyshorts to make your bandeau, I encourage you to still opt for a DIY version! I've bought a yard of lace for less than $2 at Wal-Mart, so even if you do have to buy your materials to DIY a bandeau, you're going to come out cheaper than if you bought a bandeau. Plus, if you go out and buy a yard of $1-$2 lace, you'll have so much left over that you could make dozens of these bandeaus or even use the remaining lace for another nifty project.
Which brings me to this: you can never have too much lace. Funny, I have always said that about lingerie too! But it's true. You can never have enough of either. Lace will always, always come in handy and it's always in style. You would truly be amazed at what all items in your wardrobe you can finally begin to wear again just by adding a little lace. Shirt too short? Add a lacy bottom layer. Works for short skirts/ dresses too and spices them up! Holes in your jeans? Patch with lace. Shirt too tight? Cut it down the middle in the back, add lace. Bam! It's a life-saver.
I hope you guys enjoyed this DIY post. I'm a cheapie and hate tossing clothes because I almost always manage to find a way to make them look nice again. So I like to share these little things with ya'll in hopes of helping other fellow bargainers like myself to get the most of the wardrobe they have.
It really makes a huge difference just adding a little something to one or two old tops. So, what items do you guys throw together to pull off a look? Do you guys DIY bandeau? Do you know any other nifty uses for old, un-wearable underwear? I would love to hear from you! Leave me your suggestions, tips, thoughts and anything else in the comments section.
