How to choose the correct elastic

There are many elastics out there and it can be a bit confusing which one to pick if you don’t know enough about them. These are the ones I use time and time again.

Let’s start with the brief

So generally the brief can have a lighter elastic than the bra , and usually the brief elastic is thinner than the bra elastic and has a decorative edge (some some companies call these elastics kholas). The Khola is usually lighter than the brushed back elastic used on bras and comes is more variety and prettier versions.

One way to tell a khola, is to hold it up to the light and stretch it. You will swill be able to see through it, brushed back elastics you can’t. So if you can see through it you know that it will have less support as a brushed back elastic.

Kholas can come in different widths depending usually 8-10mm depending what you are wanting to use them for.

Bra Elastic

If you are wanting to use a khola elastic I would only recommend using it for the top cup, if used on the underband a brushed back elastic will have to have a brushed back elastic over the top. This prevents the khola from roping - when thin elastic get stretched with a lot of tension they can become thin and ridge.

Brushed back elastic is what is usually used for bras, as it has a great re-bound, (when the elastic is stretched it goes back to it’s original length without stretching out).

The brushed back elastic can be used for briefs but I would recommend 6-8mm (maybe 10mm on the waist max), anything thicker then the legs won’t lie flat and the brief will get distorted as the elastic is too heavy for the delicate light fabric.

I would recommend 8-10mm for the top cup and 10-15mm for the underband and underarms, it all depends on the sizes you are doing, and the underband can be a wider than the underarms they don’t have to match.

Basically the underband is the widest (or same as the underarm). The wider the elastic the more support will be there. And obviously the brushed bit (the softest side) goes next to your skin.

Then there is fold-over elastic, literally does what it says on the tin, the elastic fold in half enclosing the raw edge of the fabric inside. Fold-over is awesome if you’re using foam in your cups as there is no extra bulk. It has either a shiny side or matt side, depending what look you are for . It tends not to be as supportive as brushed back elastic, and the wider ones unless they’ve got less stretch tend to be less supportive than the narrower ones. I tend to use 15mm (please note when buying folding the full width of the elastic is shown not what it is finishing to).

To read more about bra components head below: