TUTORIAL - Liora Longline Bra Hack

Midnight Peony Bra and Knicker Kit

Did our longline Liora hack tempt you into reconsidering longline bras? Good news… you can make your own.

This layered lace version started as a simple “what if…” and slowly evolved into one of our favorite Liora variations yet. Extending the band into a longline not only adds extra drama and flair, but also increases support by spreading everything over a larger area instead of asking a narrow band to do all the heavy lifting on its own. Think of it as “run down the stairs approved” support… or possibly “chasing after toddlers while holding coffee” worthy.

Today we’re breaking down how we transformed the standard Liora band into this longline version, along with a few things we learned during the process (including why lace placement deserves a little respect). And if you fell in love with this exact black and pink layered lace combination… yes, the matching bra and knicker kit is available on the website too.

MATERIALS

  • Liora Bra Pattern (band pieces only)

  • Back Wing Pattern Piece from the Lusamine, Lazulite or draft your own

 

STEPS

  1. Tape all the band pieces (Center Gore, Side Cradle and Back Wing) together and remove the seam allowance. We suggest swapping out the straight back wing from the Liora with a contoured wing from the Lusamine, Lazulite or even the Labellum for more support and coverage.

Liora band pieces and Liora cradle pieces + Lusamine back wing

2. Assess the underbust to waist ratio and determine with the band needs to be lengthened to accommodate a straight or round belly torso shape (blue vertical lines). Remember to measure from the Center Front Fold (hint - fold the pattern piece in half) to the Center Back.

Determine band need to be changed to accomodate the waist length longline

3. Start with the Center Front Fold and extend the bottom of the band 1-2” so it is inline with your natural waist. This prevents the bra from sliding down!

4. Adjust the wing drop to match your body.

  • Hourglass (retail standard) - longline tapers up toward the hook and eye

  • Apple (protruding belly) - longline extends straight across with zero wing drop.

Hourglass or Straight - Band extends upwards

Apple - Band extends straight out

5. Add the band shaping back in.

6. Add the seamlines back in. Angled seams in the band are visually beautiful but also quite functional where the bone (plastic OR metal) move with the body even when sitting down.

Hourglass or Straight - with shaping added back in

Apple - with shaping added back in

7. For those who have additional torso adjustments (round torso, protruding belly, etc), add those to the pattern now.

8. Trace the rest of the pattern pieces (wireline) and add seam allowance back on!

And while projects like this longline hack are keeping us happily surrounded by lace scraps and sketch pages… we’ve also been working behind the scenes on something big. Our very first clothing patterns are now live on Kickstarter, designed with the same fit-first philosophy we use in lingerie patterns… including multiple cup options built in from the very beginning.

If you’d like to take a peek, you can find the Kickstarter here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/lilypadesigns/sewing-patterns-designed-for-curves

Liora, TutorialLilypaDesignslongline bra