Sheer Cup Lining is useful stuff. It is light and see-through and stable as well. I am sure you use it for lining cups (after all – that’s its name…) But there are many uses for Sheer Cup Lining that you might not know about. Here are 12 uses for Sheer Cup Lining.
1. Use Sheer Cup Lining behind lace on an upper cup. You can sew it to the top of the lace just under the LoPoL (Low Point of Lace) and turn it over. This will stabilize the top edge as well as provide a stable lining for the lace cup. We doubled the Sheer cup lining so the top edge was finished.
2. Use it behind fabrics or lace to make a more stable cup. We’ve used Sheer Cup Lining behind Bamboo, Scuba Knits and other fabrics as well as stretch laces to make a supportive cup, when the fabric alone is too stretchy.
3. Cut it into Stabilizer Strips. When a pattern calls for strips of stabilizer, you can save some serious money by cutting Sheer Cup Lining into strips instead of using Stay Tape. Here we were able to cut it to the shape of the neckline and underarm.
4. Create a lace frame. Get the sheerness of lace on a frame by lining it with Sheer Cup Lining. It is strong enough to hold larger cup sizes, but sheer enough to look sexy.
5. Lining Straps. If you want elastic straps, but they are a little too stretchy, back them with a strip of SCL. You can turn the edges under to make a neat finish. Just sew along the outer edges to hold the strip in place.
6. Line bralette cups. Bralettes are often known for their inability to support any cup size larger than C. But lining them with SCL will turn a flimsy bralette cup into a supportive one!
7. Super Sexy Bra Cups. Why not use the Sheer Cup Lining on its own and make a bra from it. It would be super cool, super sheer and super sexy. Or, cover part of the sheer with lace like in this bra made by Kerri K.
8. Make your own lace. If you have an embroidery machine, or a machine with interesting built-in stitches, sew them out onto Sheer Cup Lining backed with a piece of water-soluble stabilizer, such as Sulky’s Ultra Solvy. When the work is complete, just wash away the backing. I wrote a blog post on that here.
9. Inside the bridge of a front closing bra. Making a bra with a tiny front clip but worried about the bulk? You won’t be if you use Sheer Cup Lining to line the face fabric. It turns and presses really well! Strength without bulk!
10. Sew in to a bridge for a partial band lace bra. As you can see, we doubled it up so the bottom edge was finished with no need for a turn-up hem.
11. Use sheer cup lining to back a short strap extension. Using SCL to support a strap is practical. It adds no bulk and is virtually invisible.
12. Make feathers for a fascinator. Yes, here’s sheer cup lining in both beige and black layered , then cut finely to resemble a feather for hat trimming. Sew through boning holds everything together.
Can you think of more uses for Sheer Cup Lining? If so, be sure to comment. We love to hear from you!
To use this as an interfacing on a lace top, would you use Misty Fuse Fusible Web to hold it in place?
You could or we use a glue stick around the edges and then stitch it
Yes, you could, but you could also use a glue stick to hold it in place too
Is sheer cup lining different than 15 denier tricot or is it the same thing?
It is totally different. While both fabrics are 100% nylon, Sheer Cup lining is non-stretch while 15 denier has mechanical give in one direction. That means it will stretch on the crosswise grain, so it is not supportive enough for the whole cup. However it is great as a backing for laces!
I’ve always wondered if they were different! Thanks for your reply! I’ve also heard of ‘bra tulle’ as a lining. Is this also different than sheer cup lining?
Yes, bra tulle is different from sheer cup lining. Tulle has mechanical give (no spandex) but it’s the fabric that is used under all those fabulous European embroidered laces. It is as sheer as sheer cup lining but not as supportive. We had a decision to make long ago and went with SCL – it’s a decision we’ve never regretted!
I saw all the beautiful colors when I stopped in to pick up my order last week. My head is spinning with ideas for sewing, as well as bra making. Thanks!
Wonderful ideas. Thanks so much!
Is this stretch lining or non-stretch?
Non-stretch. That’s why it is so good for lining cups! Support without weight!
Who knew there’d be so many uses for sheer cup lining? Great post! Thank you.
Really helpful blog. Thanks, Beverly.
Hope this doesn’t show up twice but it didn’t seem to post the first time. I’ve used sheer cup lining in place in interfacing on a sheerish blouse and it worked great. It probably wouldn’t be stiff enough to support a collar but it worked great for the facing and the front button panel.
I’ve used it for the interfacing in a really light blouse and it works quite well. I don’t think it would work to support a collar but for a sheerish blouse button front or collar facing it works great.
Wow, fascinating. Thanks for all the ideas.
I used it for support under buttonholes on a sheer blouse! Couldn’t think what else to use that wouldn’t overwhelm the fabric.