Coin Wrap to Bedlah Sew Along Task 6: Decorating and adding shoulder straps

 Shoulder straps filled with sequin Sandwiches and edged with Ropes.

Supplies for shoulder straps:

• Grosgrain Ribbon (or layers of felt, interfacing, or equivalent)
• Base Fabric
• All-purpose sewing thread and sewing needle
• Beading thread and beading needle
• Sequins
• Rocaille beads
• Scissors
• Pins*
• Tape Measure*
• Thimble*
• Sewing machine, (everything can be hand sewn) *

Beading Techniques used to decorate the shoulder straps

Sandwiches

Ropes

*optional

Picking up where we left off on Task 5, now that the bra is decorated we can tackle the shoulder straps. This post is pretty short and boring seeing as how making straps is fairly quick and painless. It is the decorating that takes most of the time. I also dropped my cell phone in the toilet and snapped the cord of my mouse in half this week. I didn't want to push my luck with the camera.

I measured the distance from bra cup over my should to the bra back and added 2 inches extra allowance to attach them to the bra. I want to make the straps 2 layers of grosgrain ribbon thick but instead of cutting 4 pieces (2 for each strap) I cut 2 lengths of grosgrain ribbon twice as long as my strap measurement and folded them in half. I machine stitched down the center of each strap to hold them together. I do this because I can never keep all of the layers pinned together when I machine sew the fabric over them.

 Next I cut base frabric strips twice as wide as the ribbon straps to ensure I have enough to wrap around the edges. I machine sew the base fabric along each side of the ribbon to encase it folding the edges down as I sew. (Don't mind the extra stitching on the red base fabric I salvaged. I didn't bother to rip it out.)

Two red shiny straps ready for decoration.

Next I filled each strap with Sandwiches and edged them with Ropes (top photo.) I started to attach them to the bra but decided to line them first. I'll save that for next week's post. Soon we will be ready to make a matching belt!

Next Task 7: Lining, Hooks, and Finishing (updated 12/20/11)

Supplies:

• Lining Fabric
• All-purpose sewing thread and needle
• Upholstery thread
• Scissors 
• Pins
•  Hook and bar fastener
• Sew-on snap
• 20g jewelry wire*
• Jewelry pliers and/or wire cutter*

Want to see ALL of the pictures from my bra build? Check out the Flickr Sew Along group and add your own at http://www.flickr.com/groups/bellydancesewalong/. 

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I'd like to say thank you to everyone for their patience while I took a break from the Sew Along to move and otherwise have Life happen.  I hope some of you are still working on your own projects. I'd love to see your pictures added to the Flickr group link above.

BONUS PIC!

Thanksgiving Cornish Turduckin in Bacon (a hen in a duck in a chicken in a turkey wrapped in bacon filled with stuffing.) Yeah we ate that ;)

~N