Cute and cheerful surgical drain pockets

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This is one of the bras that my daughter and I used. It's great compression, though the velcro-front can be uncomfortable if you don't line it up just right. Can you say, "Boring?" Can you say, "Ugly?" Notice this bra already has four fuzzy-side velcro pieces attached to accommodate multiple drains. Isn't it funny that this bra isn't SOLD with drain pockets?	We also bought one of these bras, which DOES come with drain pockets. Her bra has hook-and-eye closures and it was much more comfortable. Not quite as strong in the compression department, but definitely a bit more stylish (the neckline has a demure bit of lacy trim).	Here's another type of post-surgical bra with drain pockets attached. This bra has a zipper front, which feels a bit scary to me!	Our compression bra has four squares of fuzzy-side velcro sewn to the bottom band. That makes it nice and easy: all we have to do is sew a loop-side velcro square to our drain pockets.	In fact, a piece of that fuzzy-side velcro could be attached (temporarily with a safety pin or semi-permanently by sewing) to just about any place: the belt of your pants, the inside seam of your shirt. If you want to go out while you still have drains, this would work. Plus, the drains have a better chance of doing their job when gravity is helping them: attaching them to a lower location when you're up and about will help gravity along and keep your drains out of sight.

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When I told my daughter's friend that I would make her some drain pockets for her mastectomy compression bra, I immediately knew that the answer was SOCKS! The pockets need to be soft and breathable against the skin, stretchy and strong. Yes, I could start from scratch with jersey knit fabric, but who needs that? Cheap and cheerful socks are the near-perfect solution. I bought a half-dozen pairs of fun, quirky socks for 59 cents a pair at my local Walgreen's drug store.

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Look at this darling butterfly design! I knew these would make great drain pockets and the butterfly is a wonderful symbol for transformation.

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The heel of a sock is an unnecessary piece of fabric for our drain pocket. I cut these socks just above the butterfly design and a bit on an angle. Then, I cut a band from the top of the sock, making sure I had at least 5/8" of fabric below the finished edge so I could make a seam.

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Here's what the pieces look like after the heels have been cut off, but before the bands and Velcro are attached. Note: If your socks have a distinctive pattern, try to work with the pattern to make the drain pocket more interesting. The butterflies are perfectly centered, and I'll make sure they are finished that way.

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Next, I pinned the band to the drain pocket, making sure the RIGHT SIDES of the sock pieces are together (you don't want your band to be inside out!) The sock fabric is very stretchy, and it can be tricky, so you need to work with that elasticity while you're sewing around the small circle of the sock top.

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I tried to line up one of the bright-colored dots with the center of the butterfly when I pinned and sewed. I used my left hand to stretch both pieces of sock and keep them flat and unpuckered while sewing. I pinned the center front and center back of the sock/band before I sewed, which gave me a good guide for stretching both pieces of fabric to fit well together.

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Take extra care around the curves to be sure you don't catch the other side of the sock in your stitches!

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Next, I positioned and sewed the Velcro square to the outside back center of the pocket. I kept to the very edge of the Velcro, and sewed all the way around the square. Don't forget to line up the Velcro square with the center back (you can use the crease in the socks as a good guide for front/back alignment) and sew it to the OUTSIDE of the drain pocket...remember, you want it to hang on the outside of the bra, away from your skin.

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Here's how the Velcro should look. You don't need a giant piece...just make it the same size as the fuzzy-side Velcro you're attaching to.

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Here's how they came out. I love the colorful butterflies and polka dots.

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Yes, the mastectomy compression bra is still ugly, but our cheery little drain pockets will hide those hideous drains and make our patient and her caregivers smile.

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And just in case there are more than two drains: Mix-and-match these fun pockets. We only had one set of drain pockets, and frankly, you really want to have a few pairs so you're always wearing a clean set.

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I think these zebra pockets turned out darling. Can't wait to see how cute they look when they're on!

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Of course, if your surgical team believes that white = sterile, then by all means, a sweet little pair of white socks goes just as well with a mastectomy bra as they do with a pair of black patent leather Mary Janes.

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So many drain pockets, so many choices! I wonder which ones my daughter will choose to give to her friend as part of her pre-surgical "Care Package"?

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My next project? Make a pair of these soft and cushy heart-shaped pillows. The wider top of the heart was perfect to sit under my daughter's armpit to shield and protect her mastectomy wound from "unnecessary jostling" during the first week or so after her surgery. The problem: she only had one pillow and two breasts were gone! Two soft pit-pillows are in order for her friend's care package!