You may be asking yourself, "Why would anyone want to make a hat out of a bra?" That's okay. Believe it or not, it's more common than you might think. These bra hats are used to increase awareness of breast cancer by wearing them to parades, or in large gatherings. They are a favorite project of the Red Hat Society, which is an organization of women over the age of 50 who meet to share decorative ideas and to support the awareness of issues like breast cancer and women's health.
Things You'll Need:
Things You Will Need
Choose the bra to use for your bra hat project, and note the size of the bra. Visit the local lingerie shop or the women's department of a clothing store, and ask if they have foam or cardboard support inserts that fill the display bras in their store. Ask for the inserts that match the size bra you chose for the project. For this hat project, the main features of the bra are not hidden; they are enhanced.
Wrap the bra around the foam model head with the cups facing outward. The "V" portion of the cups should be in the middle of the forehead area. Secure the bra in that position with a safety pin, using it also to fasten the straps that go around your back. These are the only straps you will not be removing.
Remove the excess straps, including the shoulder straps, and set aside pieces for use later.
Glue one pipe cleaner to the center "V" section between the cups of the bra. Bend it high over the head. Twist a second pipe cleaner on the back end to complete the skeleton. Glue a pipe cleaner to each of the cup supports where the bra material meets the supporting cups. Arch the pipe cleaners up over the top of the head and connect them in back to form the head "cage."
Glue a pipe cleaner to the underside of the left-side cup where the strap was that you removed. Insert the pipe cleaner into the area in which the strap was sewn, and hot glue it in place. Wrap it around the back of the model head. Glue another pipe cleaner to the underside of the right-side cup on the bra. You may need to twist another length of pipe cleaner on the left and right sides so that it is long enough to reach up and over the head. Twist the ends of the pipe together at the top, and cut the end of the second pipe off so that it isn't too long. It should just reach around to the back of the model head.
Insert one end of a pipe cleaner into the seam that previously contained the shoulder strap. Hot glue the pipe cleaner into the void and make an arch over the model head, inserting the other end of the pipe cleaner into the seam of the shoulder strap on the other side.
Weave the feathered boa through the head "cage" that you constructed with the pipe cleaners, making sure not to obscure the center piece bra. Decorate the underside of the front portion of the bra with sparkles, hanging beads, tassels or baubles.