Non-Consumer Photo Essay – A Genius Bra Hack

by Katy on July 7, 2017 · 61 comments

It’s time for another Non-Consumer Advocate photo essay, because apparently it’s been awhile since the last one.

First photo is of my hacked bra, which I worked one while watching the newest episode of Grantchester. (Hello, yummy vicar. Oh no . . .  are you shirtless in bed? So sad.)

Both of my go-to bras had become too loose in circumference and I was thinking that I needed to replace them. But then I got the genius idea that I could just reposition a row of the hooks to create a tighter option. Of course, I needed to cover the freshly sewn-in hooks which brought me to my name tape that my mother had made for my 1977 trip to Camp Namanu. Hey, it’s works!

This will come in handy if I begin a new chapter in my life where my 49-year-old married self starts to leave my bra in random places.

See? You just use a seam ripper (or tiny scissors) to release the widest row of hooks.

I spent an enjoyable half hour or so cleaning out and reorganizing my kitchen junk drawer. Those containers in the front? They’re my adult childrens’ school lunch boxes, which I bought on a 2005 trip to NYC. Of course my spacey kids almost immediately lost the lids. Use what you have, people!

My not so secret dream job is to be a set decorator for period movies. In this movie, these 1970’s avocado green measuring scoops are being used while a mother and daughter have a heated debate in their perfectly outfitted 1970’s kitchen. Of course, all the appliances will also be the same hue.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”

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{ 61 comments… read them below or add one }

Jennifer July 7, 2017 at 11:40 am

You crack me up. A bra fix! Nice job. Love the avocado gadgets. They are so old they are now cool and vintage, as you well know. Love your blog-thx for doing it.

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WilliamB July 9, 2017 at 5:13 am

At work I use the little boxes that small things, such as paper clips, come in.

At home I have a pile of Rubbermaid plastic drawer organizer bins, in a variety of shapes and sizes. Whenever I organize a drawer, I pull out the pile and see what works. They’re washable, cheap, and as I bought them 20+ years ago, the amortized cost is very low.

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Rebecca in MD July 7, 2017 at 11:44 am

I use the plastic containers from buying mushrooms or other packaged produce to organize my kitchen junk drawer as well as my office desk drawers. They are perfect for holding pencils, paper clips, etc.

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Katy July 7, 2017 at 11:47 am

Great reuse of those containers!

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Jennifer July 7, 2017 at 6:58 pm

The boxes that Apple/iPhone items come in are perfect for using to organize drawers, if you ever have any of those laying around.

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Liz B. July 8, 2017 at 4:36 pm

I just reused some plastic containers that the salad mix I love comes in today – I bought a 3-drawer organizing thing for a large kitchen cupboard, but the drawers are wire, with wide gaps between the wire. The plastic containers make it useful for smallish packages, like chocolate chips. Feeling very thrifty and proud of myself!:-)

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Katie July 7, 2017 at 11:48 am

First of all that bra hack is awesome! I have a bra I’m going to try this on.

Second.. I find it very interesting that you choose to spell your name Katy when there is no y in your spelling if Katherine. I am a Katie whose given name is Kathryn.

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Katy July 7, 2017 at 12:06 pm

I didn’t choose the spelling, so you’d have to ask my parents on this one.

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Katy July 7, 2017 at 3:14 pm

The world of Katys/Katies is divided. The first question I always exchange when I meet another K.

Not Katy Wolk-Stanley

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Nancy Smith July 9, 2017 at 6:17 am

I have a friend who spells it Kayty!

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Mary W July 9, 2017 at 8:31 am

My older daughter is a Kaitlyn, and we spelled the short version Kaitie. My niece is Catherine, or Caty. Infinite variety! My name is pretty standard, but I’ve seen Maree and Mari, too.

CarolineRSA July 9, 2017 at 8:06 am

I have a friend named Kaitlyn; I write Kaity, and her mom writes Katie. Fortunately, she responds to both…

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Allison July 7, 2017 at 12:09 pm

Those measuring cups would have been perfect in my grandmother’s kitchen. They built the house in 1970-71 and everything was avocado. The appliances, the linoleum, the wallpaper above the chair rail (below, pine paneling) and many of her accessories. It stayed that way until it’s makeover in 1993 where it turned into cream, navy and burgundy.

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kathleen July 7, 2017 at 9:12 pm

We once bought a house that was built in 1965. The kitchen appliances were brown and the counter tops were the color of tomato soup, kind of a reddish orange. Yikes.

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Lilypad July 8, 2017 at 7:27 am

I was born in 1967 and grew up in a 1969 house. It had dark brown cabinets, orange counter tops (just like the Brady Bunch kitchen!), dark blue carpet, an avocado bath tub, sink and toilet. It was so groovy! My parents sold it in 1987. I’ve often wondered what the people who bought it did—did they remodel it in the 80’s (which would look worse, in my opinion), later on—-or is it still in prime far-out 60’s condition??

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WilliamB July 9, 2017 at 5:19 am

The 1957 house I bought had the original kitchen: battered steel counters; pink tile; causasian flesh colored lower cabinets; and dented, squeeky, off-kilter yellow metal cabinets. The walls used to be bright white but became greasy dingy gray, with noxious yellow trim – including the vents! It was utterly hideous and hard to work in.

I have a different kitchen now.

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Mrs. Picky Pincher July 7, 2017 at 12:21 pm

I love this! And holy cow, what brand is your bra? I’ve never had one last me decades! I hate throwing them away once they get too bent out of shape.

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Katy July 7, 2017 at 2:47 pm

My name tape is from 1977, not the actual bra!!!

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Kathy July 7, 2017 at 6:29 pm

Too funny!

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Jennifer July 9, 2017 at 4:29 pm

I don’t throw mine away because sometimes I need spare parts. If I gain weight, which I tend to in the winter, I can add a row or two of hooks by cutting them off an old bra. Also, for anyone pumping breast milk, simply cut two holes in an old bra to slide the phalanges through and you have an awesome pumping bra that fits you perfectly and it’s no biggie to throw it away when done.

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Louise July 7, 2017 at 12:53 pm

Laughed my head of at this. Have a just hanging on there bra-ancient which have been procrastinating for ever until the virtual reality of collapse happens. Needle and hook happening the “morra’.

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Louise July 7, 2017 at 12:53 pm

Off!

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Teresa July 7, 2017 at 1:09 pm

You would have loved my mom’s kitchen with her avacodo green cabinets.

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Teresa July 7, 2017 at 1:10 pm

*avocado

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A. Marie July 7, 2017 at 1:40 pm

I too take a tuck in old bras with worn-out elastic, but my method is a bit different (and more appropriate to my more limited sewing skills). I fold over about 3/8″ in the worn elastic next to the panel of hooks and then stitch down the fold-over, using a running stitch with button and carpet thread. I don’t do anything with the hooks themselves. Katy’s method may be better–but I figure that doing anything to get more life out of an old bra is worth it, especially if you hate shopping for bras as much as I do.

Incidentally, I have been going braless around the house for the past few days, due to a wicked case of heat rash under my rather large ladies. So far, DH isn’t complaining. 🙂

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Marilyn July 7, 2017 at 2:51 pm

This made me laugh. From the yummy vicar to the idea of leaving bras in random places to the avocado measuring spoons — it all made me chuckle. Our first house had avocado appliances. It was not easy living with all that avocado!

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Kathy Hairston July 7, 2017 at 3:22 pm

Our first apartment in 1974 had avocado shag carpet and avocado linoleum. What a blast from the past.

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Cynthia Huntington July 7, 2017 at 3:52 pm

I wrote a poem about the color avocado in the 70’s. Maybe I’ll find and post it…

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Cynthia Huntington July 7, 2017 at 3:53 pm

The Green Corning Ware

Cynthia Huntington

The ubiquity of avocado has traumatized a generation.
Cool, neither bright nor dark, somehow lacking in candor,
it speaks to us of helplessness, and casseroles
served seething, choked with industrial secrets. Who hid

the cream in the mushroom, expelled the onion’s salt?
The horrible economy of suppertime, without the courage
that informs true deprivation. What if I say I am a survivor
of canned asparagus and three bean salads,

of lime Jell-O threaded with lethal shards of raw carrot?
Don’t you think they took out their hatred of housekeeping
with these forced feedings at six o’clock, before witnesses?
Stuffed peppers, lima beans for punishment,

boiled peas studding the uniform grey of a tuna casserole.
I can’t even look at a covered dish
borne between mitts like radioactive waste
without bitterness, disgust, and an urge to fall weeping

on to the carpet, as it lies there off-gassing ammonia
and formaldehyde into the atmosphere. All those years
I never tasted a real avocado, that sweet creamy flesh,
but what that woman could do to spinach, she did to us all.

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Kim in MD July 7, 2017 at 5:05 pm

Cynthia, as a child of the 70’s I love it!

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Pattilou July 7, 2017 at 7:03 pm

Love the poem Cynthia.
We had an avacado green fridge when I was a kid.

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Lilypad July 8, 2017 at 7:30 am

Yes, a fellow 70’s child sufferer here—this is phenomenal!! You are the poet laureate of our generation. 😉

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Cynthia Huntington July 8, 2017 at 8:27 am

Thanks to all poetry fans!

Jenny July 8, 2017 at 8:03 pm

OH, yes, definitely feeling this! Amazing. And I usually dislike poetry.

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Cynthia Huntington July 9, 2017 at 3:59 am

Ah Jenny, let me convert you, one odd poem at a time! Thanks!

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cathy July 9, 2017 at 10:38 am

Ah, green jello w/ stuff suspended inside. Did you grow up in Utah??

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Cynthia Huntington July 9, 2017 at 3:17 pm

Cathy: Western Pennsylvania.

Connie July 7, 2017 at 6:03 pm

And hacks to take in the cup size?!

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Connie July 7, 2017 at 6:04 pm

Any hacks for taking in the cup size? Thanks!

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Katy July 7, 2017 at 6:05 pm

Implants? 😉

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Kathy July 7, 2017 at 6:26 pm

That should work, but probably not very frugal.

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Julie C 2 July 8, 2017 at 7:59 am

If it is possible I will gladly donate 3cup sizes !

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Mary in Maryland July 9, 2017 at 4:29 pm

I lost a lot of weight, but like to say the cups are half full rather than half empty. With all the extra room, I’ve started storing my cell phone and my handkerchief there.

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Jennifer July 10, 2017 at 5:48 am

Connie, I have reduced the cup size in a bra. I don’t have a great description and it won’t be as pretty as it is now because you have to desconstruct the cup. Basically, you cut the bottom half of the cups. Imagine if you lay an anchor on top of a cup. You will up the middle to the center from the bottom and all the way around the bottom so you will have two flaps. If you have ever watched a video of how an actual breast reduction is performed this is how I reduce my cup size. So you just cut away a slit out of each flap then sew it all back together. There is an actual anchor pattern left on each cup of the bra. It works well but requires a little work. Some bras are worth the trouble, some are not.

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Jennifer July 10, 2017 at 5:51 am

Connie, I have reduced the cup size in a bra. I don’t have a great description and it won’t be as pretty as it is now because you have to desconstruct the cup. Basically, you cut the bottom half of the cups. Imagine if you lay an anchor on top of a cup. You will cut up the middle to the center from the bottom and all the way around the bottom so you will have two flaps. If you have ever watched a video of how an actual breast reduction is performed this is how I reduce my cup size. So you just cut away a slit out of each flap then sew it all back together. There is an actual anchor pattern left on each cup of the bra. It works well but requires a little work. Some bras are worth the trouble, some are not.

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Beth L July 7, 2017 at 6:07 pm

That poem is hilarious.

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Cynthia Huntington July 8, 2017 at 8:26 am

Ha! Thank you!

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Kathy July 7, 2017 at 6:25 pm

Tears are running down my face. Too funny. We had the Harvest Gold kitchen and the neighbor had the Avocado Green. Each with complete sets of Tupperware, nonstick cookware, measuring cups, napkin holders, dishes, salt and pepper and the color coordinated large Betty Crocker recipe card box. Mom even purchased the Harvest Gold Kitchen Aid stand mixer. To top it off, the kitchen was painted a bold orange color. We were the envy of the neighborhood. UGH.

Love the name tape. I worked at Camp Namanu in the early 1980’s.

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Katy July 7, 2017 at 8:23 pm

Very cool. I was at Camp Namanu on 7/7/77.

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janine July 8, 2017 at 9:50 am

I was a young married during the 70’s. Hated avocado, orange, harvest gold and lime green everything. Remembering the joy I found when I found furniture, rugs and appliances that did not reflect these colors! Our lake cottage came with avocado shag carpeting – noting to do about it except ignore. Couldn’t afford to replace it.

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Marcia July 7, 2017 at 7:33 pm

Your junk drawer contains almost exactly the same stuff as mine does, only yours is more neatly arranged!!

You can also cut the hooks off bras you ARE throwing away in order to reuse them for mending supplies. My scenario is usually I gain a few pounds and mine get too tight—but I have a supply of “extenders” which you can buy from those pesky catalogs that keep coming to your house, or from a sewing supply store. They come in handy, as I regularly gain weight over winter and lose it in the spring and summer, eating lighter meals and more fruit. Saves having to buy two sets of bras!!

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Adriana @MoneyJourney July 7, 2017 at 10:38 pm

It’s awesome that you’re handy and resourceful! The only DIY project I managed to start & finish was organizing the kitchen drawers a while back. And I was so uninspired, I just used the cardboard tube left over from paper towel rolls to separate the ‘stuff’ from the other ‘stuff’ 😀

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Bee July 8, 2017 at 3:07 am

Paper towel and toilet paper tubes are also perfect to tame ribbon, rope, string and extension cords. Neatly wind them and slide the roll over the top, and they never become entangled. Love your make-due hacks, Katy.

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Ruby July 8, 2017 at 8:24 am

I love the versatility of cardboard tubes. A few years ago, I used a bunch of them saved from gift wrap and toilet paper to construct a cover for a new gas line that ran down our bedroom wall, then painted it to match the wall. It went from bright yellow-modern-ugly to old-fashioned blend-in with no money spent.

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Ann Y. July 8, 2017 at 4:15 am

Loved this post – first you made me laugh about Gratchester because I also have a crush on Sydney! And the name dags reminded me I am still using a towel that has my sister’s name tag on it…from when she went to nurses training in 1960! Love your frugal ideas!

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Joanie July 8, 2017 at 8:38 am

That’s amazing, Ann! I think you should win a prize for frugality. Can anyone top it?

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Ann Y. July 9, 2017 at 9:16 am

It’s a little ragged, and very thin….but I use it in my bathroom for clean up and for pedicures! LOL…I think it is the same font on the label as the one in this post.

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Ann Y. July 9, 2017 at 9:20 am

Not trying to top it….but it made me think. I am downsizing, purging, and packing for a move. Garage sales, gifts to friends, family coming to take what they need/want, etc. I gave most of my collection of Yorktowne Pfaltzgraff to my great-niece, along with some lovely blue and white check napkins. She asked where I got them….my mom ( the original “use it up, wear it out, make it do, and do without” girl who grew up in the Depression) got them as a table cloth for her wedding in 1939. The tablecloth was ragged and all filled with holes by the 1970’s…when she cut it up and hemmed it into 4 small, but beautiful cloth napkins. So…it’s in the genes…and now onto the next generation!

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MW July 10, 2017 at 6:22 am

Huh. . . Maybe I’ll have a use for my 1980’s era name tape from Camp Namanu. . . It does help that my last name hasn’t changed.

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ouvickie July 10, 2017 at 11:49 am

Great fix on the bra!
I loved the poem. As a child of the 60s, our kitchen appliances were some type of brown color that was popular then. I had plenty of avocado green stuff, when I married in the mid 70s. So now that the “vintage” colors of the 70s are coming back – NO thanks. I do not care to decorate in gold, green nor burnt orange – been there done that. LOL!!
My Mom was the queen of processed food as it started getting popular. If you’ve heard of Shake’N”Bake, you get the picture. I became the queen of casseroles and my daughter loathes them now. Thankfully she’s on the band wagon of gardening and feeding her kids more nutritional meals.

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Cynthia Huntington July 10, 2017 at 1:57 pm

Casseroles! You could hide anything in them: it’s scary to think of.

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