Things that annoy me in the summer include (but are not limited to): flies, tourists, whipped ice cream that tastes so synthetic it might as well be made of plastic, and wandering bra straps (my own.) I have a couple of sleeveless dresses that seem to actively repel bra straps, giving an unfortunate peek-a-boo effect, and while I suppose I could pin the offenders into place that would necessitate (a) remembering about it before it actually happens and (b) having a pair of sufficiently small safety pins on hand to sort the problem out every time.
Sadly, these are both very unlikely scenarios.
This summer, however, I'm putting a stop to wandering bra straps once and for all by getting a bit crafty and sewing strap holders into the shoulders of offending garments.
Materials used:
- small recloseable snaps/poppers (mine were stolen from Mam's Drawer Of Random Yokes, but I believe haberdasher type shops online and In Real Life sell them too)
- needle and thread
- light, slim ribbon (I upcycled a redundant hanging strap that I'd just cut off another top)
- scissors
- match or lighter
First I cut two pieces of ribbon, ensuring that they were long enough to encircle a bra strap, and sealed the cut ends in a flame to keep them from fraying.
Then I securely stitched a male and a female snap onto each piece of ribbon, one at either end.
Advertised
Finally, I sewed one half of each my new strap holders into the shoulders of my dress, leaving the other half free to be snapped into place around any would-be wayward bra straps.
This took all of ten minutes, cost me exactly zero pee, and I was able to do it while watching the telly and drinking a glass of wine.
If I could find such an easy solution to the annual bluebottle annoyance, I'd be laughing.
image via Design & Style
