how to make a locking bra

simple sewing to ensure he can't escape its embrace

Although there are many benefits from having your husband wear a bra, you can only reap such rewards if he remains fastened in its feminine embrace. As any woman who has had to suffer uncomfortable underwires can understand, there are times when the wearer of such a garment wants nothing more than to take it off! Whereas those of us with breasts simply can't go braless while out and about, a man who wears a bra under his shirt at work may be more tempted to cheat, perhaps succumbing to the ever-present anxiety of being caught wearing women's underwear or seeking relief from what can be thoroughly awkward attire.

Regardless of whether you're punishing your husband by making him wear an uncomfortably tight bra or simply looking to encourage his submission with a day of lingerie discipline, you'll want to make sure that he stays in his straps even when you're not there to watch him. If he can't be trusted not to unhook his bra the moment your back is turned, or you merely wish to make sure he does as he should without there being any doubt, then a lockable bra is the answer - not only preventing temptation but proving that he's stayed true.

While a man can always cut his way out of a bra that he is determined not to wear, it is impossible for him to successfully deny doing so later. Although the garments we'll be making in this guide are trivial to escape if the wearer is prepared to resort to using scissors, a man who has, however reluctantly, surrendered his body to a bra is unlikely to want to disappoint his wife in this way. Despite not offering foolproof physical security, the padlocked clasp nevertheless sends a very strong psychological message, both raising the bar to removing your husband's bra and underscoring the resulting consequences.

What you'll need

In this guide, you'll learn how to make a bra lockable by sewing two loops of ribbon into its clasp, allowing the latter to be secured with a simple luggage lock. For additional security, you'll also see how a locking collar and tether can be constructed from two spare bra straps, creating a garment that is not only impossible for your husband to take off without you knowing, but also serves to emphasise its embrace and is aesthetically pleasing too.

To make a locking bra, you'll need the following items, shown in Figure 1:

Finally, to make things easier, you may wish to consider availing yourself of:

Figure 1: Everything you need to make a lockable bra: a nice tight bra, luggage locks, roll of ribbon, bra straps, tweezers, scissors and needle and thread... and, if you wish to save yourself some work, a suitably dressed husband to do the sewing!

How to make a lockable bra

Before setting to work, it's worth taking a moment to understand how bra clasps are constructed. Regardless of the size or style of the garment they fasten, the hooks and eyes are invariably sewn in a very similar way, no matter whether there are two or ten of them. Indeed, a cursory inspection of most bras shows that their fasteners were probably once separate parts that have simply been sewn onto the ends of the bands, with the same mass-produced components available to be bought ready-made from companies who sell bra-making supplies.

It is therefore very likely that the bra you have chosen has a clasp that is fundamentally the same as that shown in Figure 2, even though the number of fastenings may be different. Making it lockable is simply a case of unpicking part of the highlighted stitching on each side, inserting loops of ribbon into the resulting openings, then sewing them back up again. Because the individual hooks and eyes are attached by means of separate stitching, doing so runs no danger of affecting how the bra fastens - rather, it makes it even more secure!

Figure 2: Examining a bra clasp closely reveals where the stitching is.

Begin by opening up a gap between the two hooks. If the bra you have chosen has more, you should consider where you want the lock to sit - for a bra with three hooks, it makes sense for the loop to be sewn between the top two, allowing the body of the padlock to rest against the clasp rather than the wearer's back. For a locking longline bra, you may wish to add a second loop towards the bottom of the garment, if not another one in the middle as well, with the extra locks serving to strengthening security both physically and psychologically.

Carefully unpick the stitching between the two hooks, using a blade of the scissors as shown in Figure 3 to stretch and then break the thread without cutting the surrounding fabric. After repeating this process a few times, it is possible to open the scissors inside the clasp, using the back of their blades to widen the gap as demonstrated in Figure 4. It shouldn't take long before the opening is as large as it can be without affecting how the hooks are attached, with the latter's stitching now all that stops further enlargement.

Figure 3: Use the blade of the scissors to pull out a stitch prior to breaking it.
Figure 4: When the gap is wider, the scissors can be opened to enlarge it further.

Considering where the lock should sit again, take the ribbon and determine how long the loop needs to be, allowing extra length for its ends to be folded back upon themselves (Figure 5). The part of the loop that will be contained within the clasp should consist of four thicknesses of ribbon, not only to keep its ends from fraying, but also to prevent it being pulled out. Once you have these folded, grasp the loop with the tweezers and proceed to push it into the bra as shown in Figure 6, taking care to ensure that it sits flat inside the clasp.

Figure 5: Determine the length of the loop by positioning the lock.
Figure 6: Using the tweezers, push the folded ribbon inside the opening.

It's now straightforward to sew the loop in place, putting back the stitching that was unpicked earlier (Figure 7a). If your husband is a novice with needle and thread, he may find doing so more difficult than he might have thought - it's amazing how swiftly a man can be cut down to size simply by asking him to thread a needle, let alone if he's expected to sew his own bra wearing nothing but sexy lingerie. As Figure 7b shows, doing so can serve as a punishment in its own right - quite apart from the purpose such womanly work will be put to!

Figure 7: With the ribbon in place, sew up the clasp.

Having added a loop between the hooks, it's now time to do the same on the other side. The procedure here is very similar to before, involving unpicking part of the stitching - this time, between two of the eyes. Most bras have a number of sets, but we'll be using the innermost one, using the scissors to extract the thread hidden in the folded material before going on to open up another gap (Figure 8).

Figure 8: Unpick the stitching on the other side.

From here, the next stage is to consider where the lock should sit a second time, once again creating a loop of ribbon long enough for its folded ends to be contained within the clasp (Figure 9). After inserting it into the end of the bra with the tweezers (Figure 10), it's worth double checking the position of the padlock as shown in Figure 11, making sure that the two loops of ribbon are short enough to hold it snugly in place while still allowing the bra to be firmly fastened. Ideally, unhooking the clasp should make the band no looser, sending an unmistakable message to a man who might try and escape its embrace.

Figure 9: Determine the length of the loop by positioning the lock again.
Figure 10: Push the second loop in with the tweezers.
Figure 11: Double check where the lock will sit before stitching.

When you are sure the second loop is in the right position, stitch up the opening in the clasp (Figure 12a). If you are having your husband do this for you, as I do in Figure 12b, be sure to check his work - not only pulling on the loops yourself to make sure that their stitching is secure, but threading the padlock through them and then presenting the locked bra to your budding seamstress so that he can do the same. A man who has failed to defeat such a fastening when he has it in front of him will be far less likely to try and beat his bra when its clasp is locked behind his back, no matter how embarrassing having to wear it may be!

Figure 12: Stitch the second loop closed.

If the bra you are wanting your husband to wear is sufficiently tight, you can simply slip its straps up his arms at this stage, fastening its clasp in the usual fashion before threading the padlock through the loops. Whether you choose to click the lock closed yourself, or instead have your husband condemn himself to the cups with his own hand, the end result is the same - a bra that can't be unhooked, but must be pulled down over the hips if he's to have any hope of getting out of its grasp without you finding out. That's easier said than done, as you'll discover if you try yourself sometime, but to prevent any possibility of your husband slipping out, all it takes is a collar and tether.

If you've followed the earlier suggestion of using a pair of detachable bra straps, you'll have two lengths of lingerie elastic, each of which has two hooks in the shape of a nine and a buckle in the shape of an eight - the former to allow the straps to be attached to the cups and back of a bra, the latter to allow their length to be adjusted. Figure 13 shows how the elastic is looped through the buckle twice to achieve this, as well as illustrating how one of the hooks is sewn onto the end of the strap whereas the other is free to slide.

Figure 13: A detachable bra strap is a length of lingerie elastic, on which are two nine shaped hooks and an eight shaped buckle. Observe how it forms two loops.

Cut off the end hook and work the elastic back through the buckle until you are able to remove the second one as well (Figure 14). Having done so, rethread the strap, taking care to ensure that its shiny side is facing outwards - you may wish to refer back to Figure 13 for this, or use the other strap as a guide.

Figure 14: After cutting off one hook, the second can also be removed.

Next, fold the free end of the elastic over far enough that it can comfortably surround the body of the lock (Figure 15) before sewing it into a loop (Figure 16). The finished result in shown in Figure 17, which demonstrates how the loop can be used to lock the strap in place. Again, be sure to test the strength of the stitching, having your husband stretch the elastic as though struggling against his bra. No matter how much he pulls, his efforts should prove futile.

Figure 15: After rethreading the strap, fold its free end over the lock.
Figure 16: Sew the resulting loop of elastic closed.
Figure 17: The loop can now be used to lock the strap in place.

Having made the same modifications to the second detachable strap, we're finally in a position to put everything together. Figure 18 shows how the lock that will secure the band of the bra can also be attached to the bottom of the tether, which in turn can then be wrapped around the body of the other padlock. The shackle of the latter can then be used to fasten the two ends of the strap that will serve as the wearer's collar, with the extra elastic wrapping around his neck to ensure that he stays in his bra like a submissive husband should.

Figure 18: The final result - a lockable bra ready for my husband to wear.

Of course, there's no better way to demonstrate how this all works than to have my husband model it for you. In Figure 19, you can see him trapped in the straps of the tight black bra that he spent the evening sewing, with the floral cups that press against his chest now impossible for him to slip out of thanks to the fruits of his labours. The only additional modification that is necessary at this point is to adjust the extra straps, sewing their buckles closed so that he won't be tempted to slacken them. Instead, my brassièred husband will have to suffer a slight tension around his throat, along with the ambiguous breasts that the curving moulded cups give him, both acting as a constant reminder of his submission to me - and the bra that I make him wear!

Figure 19: There's no escaping these straps!

Beneath a thin white blouse, the shameful shadow of the three straps are all too apparent, as Figure 20 shows. If your husband will be wearing such a bra in public, he'll need to take care not to allow it to show, but a layer or two of loose, dark clothing is sufficient to keep everything safely camouflaged. A traditional collar and tie is quite enough to hide the bra strap collar, providing the perfect encouragement for your husband to look smart. Of course, there's no reason why he should cover up around the house if you want to confront him with what he's having to wear. After all, a locking bra is the perfect lingerie for a spot of sewing, with a man who has sewn one having no excuse for not making another - as you can see my husband doing in Figure 21.

Figure 20: The shadow of the third strap is painfully obvious beneath my husband's blouse - along with the two on his shoulders!. A layer or two of loose, dark clothing, however, would allow him to go out in public still locked in this bra...
Figure 21: ...but why have him wear anything more, when a locking bra is the perfect lingerie for a man to wear while sewing himself another such garment?

In due course, a man can be trained to wear a bra just like a woman would, eventually not even thinking of taking it off until it's time to undress. Even so, a lockable bra works a treat for punishment purposes, quite apart from proving a useful tool to help your husband develop such discipline. Whether you surprise him with one that you've sewn yourself, or have him follow these instructions as part of his punishment, you can be sure that he'll keep his bra on until you choose to unlock it, deepening his submission to you in the process.