Vous pourrez transformer votre soutien-gorge préféré en soutien-gorge d'allaitement. L'explication ets en anglais mais je pense qu'avec les photos on peut s'en sortir, au besoin demandez-moi la traduction ...
The URL for this page is: http://crafts.sleepingbaby.net/braconvert.html
If you're anything like me sizewise, you have probably found that it is blessed* near impossible to find comfortable, inexpensive, non-old-lady nursing bras. I looked all over the place, in real and virtual stores, and while I did buy a few Bravado Double-plus bras, I was less than thrilled with their construction and fit. However, looking at them made me realize that they'd be reasonably easy to copy onto my existing bras.
ETA Nov. 9 2009: I haven't bothered converting any more bras to nursing bras for my third child. I use a soft-cup bra from Lane Bryant (the store, not the catalog -- it's a Cacique bra) that has elastic all along the edges. With a bra like that, it's easier just to pull the whole thing down to nurse; the elastic has stayed fine for nearly two years so far. I would still recommend doing a conversion if you are prone to plugged ducts or mastitis, since the pressure of the elastic on the underside of the breast (while nursing) can cause a plugged duct, but if your nursing is relatively problem-free, just pulling it down can be fine.
* word has been changed so as not to offend the easily offended
- One comfy, well-fitting bra in whatever style pleases you;
- Two swimming suit bra hooks (see picture below) or similar large hook -- or, if your breasts are not too heavy, snaps w/setter; or large hook-and-eye combination. In this project, I used hooks.
- Melissa H sent me a link to a site that carries nursing bra clasps -- check them out!
- Annalea found another bra-supply shop: www.bramakerssupply.com. This Canadian site is a trainwreck of animations and ugly backgrounds, but it has online ordering. Click here to go straight to their fasteners page.
- If you're in the UK, you can get nursing bra clasps at MotherwearUK.com -- they have similar directions posted on their site, too.
- About one foot of narrow elastic -- can be lingerie elastic, regular 1/4" elastic, or even a shoelace;
- Needle and thread; or, if you have a good one, a sewing machine (mine had a hard time with elastic, so I hand-sewed this project).
Note: if you use a bra that adjusts in the front ra ther than in back, you may need to adjust the straps to fit, and then sew as below. Mine all adjust in back, so I can't provide any specifics, I'm afraid. Jenn S. also notes that you may be able to use a bra that hooks in front, and sew elastic to the two sides on the bottom, keeping it from sliding off.
| Take the bra you wish to convert and cut both straps at about armpit level: |  |  |
| Thread one hook onto the cup side of the cut: I recommend having the hook point towards the middle of the bra; it is less likely to come undone that way. (I have tried both ways.) |  |  |
| Sew the edge over the hook: |  |  |
| Make a loop out of the other cut edge, large enough for the hook to pass through, and sew it firmly: |  | |
| Step back and admire your work thus far... and make sure that both the hook and the loop are securely sewn: |  | |
| Now cut the elastic (or shoestring) into two 6" pieces. These pieces will be sewn to the strap and the cup edge, so that when you unhook the bra, the strap stays in a convenient place to be re-hooked. | ||
| Sew one end of the elastic to the strap, just a little above the loop: |  | |
| Sew the other end to the cup below, without stretching the elastic (it will stretch when you unhook the bra): |  | |
| Repeat process with the other side. To nurse, just unhook the side you want, fold the cup down, and when you're done, rehook. Now you have a nursing bra that is your style (whatever that happens to be) and that didn't cost you a fortune! |  |  |
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