Bras and preparedness?

This is not a joke. I actually woke up with this on my mind. I have no idea why, but now it's got me thinking. I don't even know how to word it! I don't even know what to title the post.

Ok, here goes. I guess this is a crash course for the men. Women reading this will know what I'm talking about. I cannot go without wearing a bra. I am large breasted and really need a lot of support. It is not just vanity, it is actually painful for me if I don't have good support. If TSHTF, I want to have support. Bras don't last the way other clothing does, bodies change through time, a woman's breasts especially so. I've been many different sizes through my adult life and it is really hard to find good ones. I need to replace them regularly, because once they get a bit worn out, they don't support like they did when they were new, almost to the point of uselessness. Pricey or cheap, it doesn't seem to matter. So, really, I don't see how I could stock up on them. I won't always be the same size. Also, it's not just a matter of size exactly either, the way they fit changes too. I dont' know if I am making this clear without sounding ridiculous.

Another thing would be for a BOB. It is recommended to have a change of clothes. If I put a bra in that won't fit when I need it, it's pointless. Same with other clothes, I know, but like I said, bras present a little bit different problem.

I guess my basic question would be this: Is there a way to make bras without having sewing skills galore (or a sewing machine for that matter, I do my sewing by hand), or ways to get around the situation? I don't know, wrapping something around my chest doesn't seem like it would stay in place very well or give support.

I expect some silliness with a topic like this, but I would greatly appreciate any ideas and thoughts. Thanks.

Hmm the type of thing people wouldn't realy think about but could cause problems i guess.

Being a male myself can't say im an expert on the subjet but would it have to be like the 'traditional' type bra or mabey think about sports type bara or bikini top something thats ajustable/streechy?

idk thats all i can rly think of.

Another male opinion here: Go freeborn!

I'd be more worried about the special time of the month but I see your point.
Thank god I am a man.

You said you sew by hand. You answered your own ? Take a strong peice of thread and weave it horisontally throught the bra 1-2 inches apart depending on your nipple size centering the 1-2 inches on the nipple makeing sure you leave some extra thread on top and tie a slip knot in it so you can adjust it whenever uncomfortable

You could even do this now so your bra will last longer

The funny thing is Im a male and I came up with that in 2 seconds

reply to post by Nventual

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Didn't want to say it so since you said it first,I second that opinion.

I am sorry to say I don't have that problem and can just go braless with no problems but like the previous poster said, maybe a sports bra would do well. I don't know about sewing bras the look rather complicated.

[edit on 9/16/2009 by concerned190]

I just have to.....
A quick way to make a "bra" without sewing skills:

Items needed:

A woman

A long piece of comfortable rope or string

Instructions:

Tie a loop in one end of rope/string and wrap around 1 breast.

Bring rope/string around back of neck and tie loop around second breast adjusting for size/weight/support/etc.

dress yourself accordingly.

S&F for you for bringing this up. I am determined to come up with a solution. i know that I major bra issues myself. I would rather be bit to death my mosquitoes than go bra less or wear a bra that doesn't fit right.I saw a homeless family in wal-mart not to long ago when I was looking at survival gear and the poor woman whop was obviously breastfeeding didn't have a bra on, I'm guessing could afford one. She looked so miserable.

reply to post by Lexxica

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Lexxica,

I sympathise as I have exactly the same probelm (advantage?) as you and profound deafness to the "go without" suggestions that have already started to crop up...I didn't think it would take too long! The thought of it makes me wince...if only they could understand the pain.

Anyway, I found this little site that shows you how to make a bra using an old one as a pattern, which would be a small enough garment to sew by hand for anyone with reasonable skills, I think. Maybe not perfect, but a start!

www.instructables.com...

I would suggest doing some research on binding. I know when i had my first child they were still binding women's breasts that were not nursing. As I recall it was just a wide piece of cloth that was tightly wrapped around the breasts. I am sadly very well endowed up there, and remember this really did work. With a bit of fiddling you could do a halter top sort of thing. Not perfect but in an emergency situation, it would work.

What did one menopausal breast say to the other?

Sometimes you feel like a nut.

reply to post by rtcctr

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Ok, that's a no can do. The thread across the nipple? That sounds very irritating and painful to have rubbing on the nipple. Plus the way the fabric is, I don't know if it would work. but thanks for the idea.

Thanks for the replies. I think I should look into the sports bra thing. Maybe they make them better than when I was a teenager. That was the last time I tried them.... ended up with one huge centered breast.

oh yeah and the rope idea... um ... lol... I hope you weren't serious. But if you were, sorry no disrespect intended.



[edit on 16-9-2009 by Lexxica]

My bras always stretch out after a year or so

I think a good, easy solution could be a strapless type deal. Most strapless bras are strips of elastic fabric with some sticky stuff for support on the inside. That wouldn't be hard to do, and then make it into a halter?

reply to post by caitlinfae

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I checked out that site. Looks pretty cool. It could save money too I think and it wouldn't be much to store the pieces that would be used.

reply to post by DrumsRfun

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Actually it's easy to stock up on feminine hygiene supplies. Just figure how much of the product you would use per month and stock that much for however long you want. It's not hard to stock a year or two in a very small space.

When you go freeborn,they eventually end up on your dinner plate!
Blame it on gravity and age.

Would it help to look at bathing suit designs of the past and see what could be accomplished with a single wrap of material over each breast and being tied or connected at the back?
The 40's and 50's era may be good time period to look at.

Seems that a little thought in this area may give you something that supports well.

Looking from here - on the other side of the gender gap - if sports bra's were the answer, quite a few of them could be stored away in a small space.
Perhaps in a couple of other sizes since you're probably going to lose weight in a survival situation.


From Sweetie -
Look up patterns on the Internet.
When stretch and sew material came along in the early 60's many women made their own underwear, bra's and bathing suits.

Save the underwire etc. from your old bra's to use in the new ones.

Hi! The sales lady in the underwear department said don't put bras in the dryer. It makes the spandex age and break down, so air dry the bras. Don't you think all the dead people will not be needing their bras? Eventually you could get some left behind. Buy a bunch of different sizes at a thift store, or goodwill. Wal-mart has inexpensive bras. They are always sold out of my size. You could bury some bras in plastic bags in side tuppperware, for the future. This could be a problem for the women, I say go to the Kolh's sales and stock up! Ebay is a good place to buy new inexpensive stuff. I like the Karen Neuberger pjs and TJ Maxx stopped selling them this year, so I bought some off ebay. You could start a bra exchange on line for people to clean out their drawers, When I got pregnant I went up a few sizes, and never went back to the orginal size. So alot of people have extra stuff in their drawers. This is a good barter item, light weight and important to women.

Champion makes excellent ones. They are reasonably priced IMO and they are excellent quality and will last a long time.

Champion Bras

[edit on September 16th 2009 by greeneyedleo]