Another quick tutorial! Creating adjustable straps was, I will fully admit, so confusing when I first started making lingerie. I had to read the instructions every single time. I had to re-read them. I had to look up video tutorials. I had to stop and scratch my head and think and undo the teeny little seams I just made on the end of this little piece of elastic and try and try again.
BUT! Eventually, it became second nature! So here’s a tutorial for you to refer to over and over again until it finally sticks in your brain!
(I also have a video version up on Youtube if you prefer that medium!)
How much elastic should I use? If you’re using a sewing pattern, it should suggest the lengths for the straps. With the folding and stitching, I would say that you lose about 2.5-3″ (6-8cm) of your original length, and the remaining length can adjust to about half as much as that. So if you need a strap that covers a distance of (for example) 20″, then you’ll need to cut a piece that is, at the very minimum, 23″ (but then your slider is smushed all the way against the ring, so you may want a few extra inches of wiggle room!).
So we’ve got a piece of strap elastic, a slider that is equal (maaaybe ±1mm) in width to the elastic, and a ring (this doesn’t need to be as exact, but equal to the strap width is convenient). Most strap elastic has two sides; a discernible right side and wrong side. In my case, the right side is shiny, and the wrong side is plush (that’s the soft side that you want against your skin). We’re starting with the wrong side facing up.
Take the top of the elastic and loop it through the slider.
And then loop the elastic down through the other side of the slider. That little tab will have the shiny/right side facing up now.
Stitch across the tab. You can use a straight stitch or bar tack (a very tight, narrow zigzag).
Thread the ring through the bottom part of the elastic, and bring the bottom tail up to the slider.
Stuff the bottom part of the strap up through the bottom of the slider.
And then stuff the tail through the other end of the slider.
Pull the tail through. That part of the elastic is now free to be attached either directly to your garment, or looped through another ring. Something (part of a garment, a tab of strap elastic) can be looped through the first ring to attach the other end.
Ta da! You’ve made an adjustable bra strap!
This tutorial will come in handy for the next project/vlog that I have coming up, so stay tuned 😉