Happy Thanksgiving from Intimate Underpinnings

As I fly to Southern California for Thanksgiving, I begin reflecting on what I am thankful for this year. First and foremost, I am thankful for my amazing clients, who have shared their stories and creative bra ideas with me. And, who have in turn, allowed me free range of creativity in designing unique and special lingerie for them. I am so thankful for my business teachers, mentors, networking groups, and fellow small business owners. The support that you have all given me during this first year of business has been tremendous. My suppliers, and there are many, deserve a big thank you from Intimate Underpinnings because without them, we would have a tough time bringing that special component to your undergarments. And most importantly, I am thankful for all of my incredible friends, family, and co-workers who have been behind Intimate Underpinnings from the start, and who continue to support me and the business with each new step that we take in our journey. 

I hope everyone has a lovely Thanksgiving, and their own special reason for being thankful this year. Thanks for sharing in ours.

XO

Holly

New fabrics for fall

I love searching for new fabrics. When I discover something unique, something beautiful, or just something with a great feel, I get very excited. During my short visit to Toronto, I found some great bra fabrics. Here is just a tease of some of the new laces that flew home with me.

And check out these cool power nets. The polka dots are velvet! Power nets make great back bands in your bras.

 

There are many more fabric choices to view during your consultation and the bra making process. We look forward to creating a bra that fits with your personality.

Shout out to the large breasted ladies

You know who you are. Whether the cups of your bra aren't fitting your breasts correctly, or your straps are doing too much of the heavy lifting and leaving divots in your shoulders. Maybe your back band is digging in around your rib cage and causing "back fat", or perhaps it's not snug enough and causing you back and shoulder discomfort. Have you gone to wearing sports bras because it's the most comfortable thing you can find in your size? Whatever your frustrations with your existing bra may be, I understand your pain. 

As a custom bra maker, it is my goal to help you feel beautiful, comfortable, and confident in your bra, and provide you with the best fitting bra that I can. Unfortunately, the issues I just mentioned don't help you in feeling any of those things, or very few at best. My professional training as a bra maker has equipped me with the knowledge and tools to create a pattern specific to you and your measurements, as well as providing the internal structure that your bra needs to do the job that it is meant to do. And ladies, believe me when I say that I can also make your bra beautiful in addition to functional. Schedule your initial consultation with Intimate Underpinnings to begin the process of creating your custom bra today.

Custom prostheses and breast forms

This week has been spent working on advanced bra making techniques with my teacher in Ontario, specifically those that provide internal structure and support in your bra. Not only did I learn some new tricks for adding pockets to your bra, but we also worked on creating custom breast forms, or prostheses. 

The great thing about custom breast forms is that, well, it is customized to your body. We work with you to get the correct size, shape, and weight, so that your body will feel a sense of balance once again. The breast forms that we create are not silicone based, meaning you can wear them in a hot tub, still look and feel your best, and not have to worry about them leaking or popping. They will never shift and move around in your bra, since they are made specially for you, your body, and your bra. And to take it one step further, we are able to sew them into your custom bra, if that is something you would prefer. 

New pricing and options will be added to the website soon for pocketed bras and breast forms. Check back often to stay up to date.

Breast cancer awareness month

At Intimate Underpinnings, we have been working diligently to be able to "support" breast cancer survivors with custom bras. On October 1st, the start of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Intimate Underpinnings participated in a training to become a Certified Mastectomy Fitter. This event was hosted by Amoena, a leader in prostheses and breast enhancing products. Such good timing that they were in Portland, OR training mastectomy fitters right before I head up to Toronto to study with Beverly on advanced mastectomy and pocketed bra techniques. 

We learned about all of the different surgeries that can take place when cancer is present and how the body is impacted during the removal of cancerous cells and tissue. We also went through various exercises on fitting the Amoena brand prostheses to different individuals. It was a very eye opening experience, and I feel very confident in fitting our clients with prosthetics post surgery. I was very surprised that only a small percentage of prostheses are covered by insurance. It is unfortunate that insurance does not let us take women from an okay fit to a great fit after all that they have just gone through. Hopefully, this will change in the future because we all deserve to feel beautiful.

The most important and impactful part of fitting prostheses post surgery is of course the fit of the bra. If you don't have a great fitting bra, the prosthesis will not support or look as natural as we want. There are some good pocketed bra option out there from various companies, but the unique thing about the pocketed bras made by Intimate Underpinnings is that, like everything else, we customize the bra to you, your needs, and your style choices. We presently make mastectomy, or pocketed bras. Check back next week when I share some of the new bra options for those with prosthetics or breast enhancers. 

Fabric dyes

I try my very best to seek out an array of beautiful laces in various colors, but what happens when you want your custom bra in a color that we cannot provide? Well, we can create that color using fabric dyes. I prefer acid dyes and frequently use the Jacquard brand for several reasons. First and foremost, it has very little smell compared to other fabric dyes. Acid dyes have a shorter boil time to reach the desired color, and this becomes especially important when dying elastics. When dying elastics, we do not want to boil them in the dye water for longer than 30 minutes, as this can impact the integrity of your elastic, a crucial component in your bra. I have also found that acid dyes maintain their vibrant colors after several washes, where others may fade. Finally, you can find or create just about any shade of any color.

Are you interested in dying your own fabrics with acid dyes? Here is how I dye my fabrics, elastics, and bra findings. 

Supplies: 

*These should only be used for the sole purpose of dying. Do not put your food or drink in them later, regardless of how well you clean them*

favorite color of Jacquard acid dye

mug

1/4 teaspoon

8 quart pot 

tongs

tea ball

Mix 1/4 teaspoon of dye in your mug with enough water to make a paste. Let this mixture sit for at least 5 minutes. The crystals of the acid dye need time to dissolve, so the fabrics dye evenly without spots. Fill your pot about half full of water and bring to a low boil. Mix the dye into the boiling water. If dying rings and sliders, make sure they are the nylon coated variety. These are the only ones that will dye. Put your rings and sliders into the tea ball. This will make it easier to check for the desired color. Add your fabric, elastics, underwire casing, and the tea ball containing rings and sliders. Boil until you have reached the desired color (generally no longer than 30 minutes). The rings and sliders will have to boil longer. Continue to check them for the desired color. 

Once you have dyed to the color of your liking, rinse with cold water and distilled white vinegar. This will lock in the color and keep its vibrancy longer. Happy dying!

We're selling body shapers now!

Intimate Underpinnings has been busy drafting and perfecting various forms of body shapers to match your beautiful bras. The great thing about a custom body shaper is that we can focus on the areas where you want the most shaping to give you that sleek silhouette under your favorite dress or outfit. Doesn't that sound amazing? Whether you are interested in a vintage-inspired girdle, an under bust shaper, a shaper with a custom bra built in, or some body shaping shorts, we are all about making you feel and look your best. And if you are like me, and love to have garter clips holding up your thigh highs, we can add them to any shaper.

Here is a little tease of what we've been working on. More shaper options will be up on the website soon.