Learn how to add a pocket to a bra you already own, request free knitted knockers or knit your own, and which affordable ready-made bras and forms to start with if you would rather buy.
Your favorite bras are still in the drawer. With a needle, some thread and an old T-shirt, a few of them can come back.
A mastectomy changes what a bra has to do. If you choose to wear a breast form, your bra needs to hold it comfortably in place and still fit and feel good. Pocketed mastectomy bras are made for that, and we carry them at every price. If you have a drawer of soft, wire-free bras you already love, though, you can give some of them a pocket yourself for the price of a scrap of fabric.
Then comes the question of what goes in the pocket. A silicone form is one answer. A knitted knocker is another: a soft, hand-knit breast form that volunteers make and give away free to anyone who needs one. You will learn how to request a free pair, and how to knit or crochet your own. A pocket you sewed and a knocker someone knitted are made for each other.
sew a pocketTurn a soft, wire-free bra you already own into a pocketed bra with a piece of cotton and four steps.
get a knockerRequest free knitted knockers from Knitted Knockers, a volunteer nonprofit, or knit or crochet your own from their free patterns.
while you waitKnockers can take four weeks to arrive. If you need something now, an inexpensive ABC 910 or 909 fills the gap. Order your free knockers too; they make a good second pair for bed and hot days. And if someone close to you knits or crochets, ask them to make you one.
or buy oneThe Joy comfort bra is the simplest pocketed bra we carry, and it works with a knocker too.
Check with your surgeon before wearing anything snug over an incision that is still healing.
why your old bras stopped working
After surgery, underwires can be far too painful, molded cups stop fitting, and fabric gapes where it used to be filled. Your old size may be too small, and the next size up may not fit either. Reconstructed breasts tend to sit higher and look rounder and flatter, and the two sides are rarely an exact match, which turns off-the-rack lingerie into a puzzle. Even a lumpectomy can leave breast tissue so tender that a seam you never noticed becomes the only thing you can feel all day.
Losing the bras you loved can hurt more than anyone warned you. They were part of getting dressed as yourself, and now they sit in a drawer as one more thing treatment changed. Wanting them back means wanting your own clothes to work for you again, and that is a perfectly good reason to pick up a needle.
how to sew a pocket into a bra you already have
an evening, a needle, and a scrap of cotton
If you are handy with a needle and thread, a simple fabric pocket turns a wire-free bra into a pocketed one for very little cost. If you can hem a pair of pants, you can do this.
choosing the bra
Start comfortable and high cut, with cups large enough to cover the form you plan to wear.
Look for a snug fit that doesn't gape at the sides or the neckline.
Skip molded or formed cups. They gap more easily.
Look for a higher center panel between the cups. The higher it sits, the less skin shows between them.
Underwires are optional. Once your surgeon says you are healed, a wire can help hold a form in place. While you are healing, stay wire-free.
what you need
A needle and thread, or a sewing machine.
The bra.
Soft, stretchy cotton jersey for the pocket. An old T-shirt is ideal: the knit stretches with the cup, and its edges will not fray when you trim close to the stitching.
three tips before you sew
Try the fit before you finish. With the bra off, pin the fabric in place, then hold it with a few loose basting stitches and take out every pin. Slide in your form and try the bra on. It is much easier to move a few loose stitches than to unpick a finished seam.
Keep your stitches loose. Stitching the pocket in tightly can pull the cup out of shape, so leave a little give.1
Make the opening big enough for your form. Before you close up the sides, check that the form slides in and out easily.
Cut.
Cut a piece of cotton at least 1 inch larger than the cup on every side.
Position.
Center the fabric on the inside of the cup. It should hang about an inch past the edge all around; you'll trim the extra in step 4.
Sew.
Stitch all the way around the edge of the cup, leaving an opening along the side seam where the cup meets the band. The form slides in through that opening.
Trim.
Trim the extra fabric to about 1/8 inch from your stitching, everywhere except the opening. Leave the fabric there long, so it folds behind the form like a flap once the form is in.
Sewing machine and underwire don't mix. If your bra has wires, keep the needle clear of the wire channel or sew that stretch by hand. Hitting a wire breaks the needle.
That's the whole project. One evening, one old T-shirt, and a bra you love is back in the rotation.
what goes in the pocket
a breast form, or nothing at all
why wear a breast form at all?
After a mastectomy, some women choose reconstruction, some choose to go flat, and many wear a breast form, for good or while they decide. Reconstruction can mean more surgery and a long recovery, and some women would rather not, or not yet. After a single mastectomy, a form also balances the other side, in shape and in weight. You do not have to wear one at all.
Most forms are silicone, for the most natural look and feel. A form can also be knit or crocheted, and that is where knitted knockers come in.
knocker, fiberfill, foam or silicone?
Four kinds of form, from the lightest to the most like a natural breast. You don't have to pick just one; a light form for home and a silicone form for going out work well together.
Knitted knockers, fiberfill, foam and silicone breast forms compared
knitted knocker
ready-made fiberfill form
foam form
silicone form
weight
Almost none
Very light
Light, non-weighted
Weighted, closest to a natural breast
cost
Free, or a few dollars in yarn to knit
Lowest cost of the forms we carry
Low cost
The highest; insurance often covers it, so check your plan
adjust the fullness
Yes, add or take out stuffing
Yes, add or take out fill
Some styles
No; choose the size and shape that match
when to start
Often early on; ask your surgeon
Often early on; ask your surgeon
Often early on; ask your surgeon
Once your incisions have healed and your surgeon says yes
balances the other side's weight
No, unless you tuck in a small weight
No
No
Yes
best for
The early days, hot weather, bed, a free option
Waiting for knockers, home, a spare for wash days
Light everyday wear
Everyday wear and a natural shape under fitted clothes
A knitted knocker is a breast form knit or crocheted from soft yarn and filled with fiberfill. Placed in a regular bra, it takes the shape of a breast. A silicone form carries real weight; a knocker weighs next to nothing.
Light, comfortable and breathable. Air moves through the knit, so a knocker stays cooler than silicone. That makes it easy to wear to bed, around the house, or out on a hot summer day. It is made from soft, washable, non-wool yarn, mostly cotton and cotton blends, because it sits against scarred and sensitive skin.2
Free, or close to it. Knitted Knockers gives them away to anyone who needs one. They are always given, never sold.2 If you knit your own, the yarn for an average knocker costs about $1.20 to $3.00.3
Light enough for early days. Silicone forms usually wait until your incisions have healed. A knocker is light enough that many women wear one sooner. Ask your surgeon when you can start.
Adjustable. The back closes like a drawstring. Open it to add or take out stuffing, so one knocker can even out a breast changed by lumpectomy or radiation, or keep pace with tissue expanders during reconstruction.2 The stuffing video shows how full is full.
Fits almost any bra. A regular bra, a sports bra, a mastectomy bra or a post-op camisole all work. A pocket keeps it from moving, and some women stitch it lightly into the bra instead.2
Washable and pool-friendly. Gentle cycle, stuffed or unstuffed, then hang it or lay it on a towel to dry. Knockers made from approved yarns can go swimming too; keep a separate pair just for the pool. Knitted Knockers also has free swim knocker instructions for stuffing a pool pair with nylon scrubbies instead of fiberfill. In a pinch, some women cut an ordinary sponge to fit the pocket as a stopgap for a swim. If you would rather swim in a form made for the water, our most popular is the Trulife ActiveFlow 630. Our guide to swimming during cancer treatment covers the rest.2
how a knocker differs from silicone
It won't last as long as silicone. Knit fabric wears with washing, so plan on replacing a knocker sooner than a silicone form.
It won't match the weight of your other breast. After a single mastectomy, that difference can pull the bra toward the heavier side. A small stone, a few coins or a drapery weight tucked in through the back adds weight.2
It won't look or feel quite like silicone. If a natural look under fitted clothes matters most, a silicone breast form is the closer match.
Knocker riding up? A snug, full-coverage bra holds one best. Some women add a small Velcro tab or a safety pin, and a little weight tucked in through the back helps it settle.2
how to get knitted knockers for free
Knitted Knockers Support Foundation is a volunteer-run nonprofit in Bellingham, Washington, with more than 7,600 registered groups in all 50 states and 76 countries. Requests go to a volunteer group in your own state when there is one, so your pair may come from a knitter near you.2 Ordering is a free checkout on their site. When you request a knocker, they ask for:
Your name and mailing address, so they know where to send it.
Your bra size, for example 34C.
A single or a pair. A single works on either side.
Timing. It can take up to four weeks for your knockers to arrive. If you need something sooner, an inexpensive lightweight form fills the gap. Check in with Knitted Knockers if nothing has come after four weeks.
Watch for the confirmation email. It usually comes within minutes, so check your spam folder if you don't see it. AOL and Yahoo addresses sometimes don't receive it, so if you are unsure your order went through, contact Knitted Knockers.
One set per order. Supply is limited, so they ask you to wait six months before ordering again.
Pick a color. They can usually send a neutral or a bright color, and if you are willing to wait, they may be able to have a specific color made for you.
Want a pair for swimming? Ask for it in the same order, under "Additional Information" at checkout, since a second order means another six-month wait.
Wash them before you wear them. They have passed through many caring hands on their way to you.
Outside the United States? Their order form is for U.S. addresses; their list of international groups covers other countries.
Ask your care team as well: some clinics keep knockers on hand so patients can choose a pair and take them home the same day.2
Four weeks is a long time to go without something in the cup, and most women need something now. An inexpensive fiberfill form is the closest thing to a knocker you can buy: soft, light, and adjustable the same way. When your free knockers arrive, the form becomes your spare for wash days.
Our most popular breast form, by a wide margin. A triangle form with a soft foam front and fiberfill inside that you can add to or take out. Light enough for at-home and post-surgical wear. Shop the 910
The same idea with a smooth, seamless outside, for a smoother look under fitted tops. The fill adjusts here too. Shop the 909
Both slip into any pocketed bra, and once your knockers arrive, a fiberfill form makes a good spare for wash days.
when a sewn pocket isn't enough
mastectomy bras from the simplest to the most supportive
"Sadly, a normal bra will never support a prosthesis. I tried creating the pocket but is good only for fabric filling."
Alexandra, a reader
Alexandra found what many women do: a sewn pocket holds a light filling well, but a silicone form is heavier, and the pocket alone cannot make up for a bra that does not support it. Some well-fitting, full-cup everyday bras do carry a silicone form; the bra itself has to fit well and support the weight.1 If yours pulls down, shifts or leaves a gap at the cup, a bra made for a form, or a fitting, is the better answer.
the simplest
The Joy 9061 comfort bra is soft, wire-free and pocketed, with removable inserts. It is the least expensive mastectomy bra we carry and our second most popular. A knitted knocker slides straight into its pocket. A Joy bra and a free knocker is a mastectomy wardrobe at its very simplest.
where most women start
If you don't know what to buy, start with the Amoena Mara, our most popular mastectomy bra. It is a padded, wire-free T-shirt bra with a pocket on each side that holds a knocker, a light form or a silicone breast form. A first silicone form is often the Amoena Essential Light 2S, our most popular. When you want more support, Amoena, Trulife and ABC make firmer styles with wider straps and pockets shaped for a weighted form. See every mastectomy bra
Wherever you land on that range, these are the features that make the difference:
Soft cotton sports or leisure bras, front-closing if you can find them. Our post-surgery bras are made for the first weeks; if your surgical team wants you in a compression bra, they will tell you. Our guide to getting dressed after a mastectomy covers the rest of what to wear while you heal.
Stretchy tank tops with soft pockets, like the Valletta pocketed tank by Amoena, which does the job of a bra and a camisole together.
Smooth, stretchy fabric that glides over your chest, the way a sports bra does.
A shape that follows your body with no extra fabric to fold, gather or bunch.
Soft, seamless pocketed bras with removable inserts, so a form slides straight into the pocket.
If you knit, or someone who loves you does, the patterns are free. The idea goes back to a pattern by Beryl Tsang, which a yarn shop owner in Maine adapted after her own mastectomy. Knitted Knockers Support Foundation grew from there after its founder, Barb Demorest, had a mastectomy in 2011.2, 5 Reconstruction was not possible for her right away, and the prostheses she was offered did not work for her, so her doctor suggested she try a knitted one.6
before you begin
Two things decide how a knocker turns out: the yarn and the size. Knitted Knockers publishes both as free downloads on its make a knocker page.
Yarn from the approved yarn list. Mostly cotton and cotton blends, chosen because they are soft against scarred skin. Knockers that go out through Knitted Knockers must use a yarn from this list.2
The sizing chart. Knitting for one woman? Ask her to measure across the cup of her bra, subtract half an inch, and make the knocker to that size once stuffed.5
How much to stuff it matters as much as the size you knit. Their stuffing and sizing video shows how full a finished knocker should be.
Video: Knitted Knockers Support Foundation.
to knit one
Knit a knocker in the round, on double-point needles or with the magic loop method. Both patterns are free: the Bottoms Up Knocker for double-point needles, the organization's favorite and an easier start than their original pattern, and the magic loop pattern.5 Their video tutorial walks through it from the first stitch to the finished knocker, and every tutorial is on their videos page.5, 7
If double-point needles feel daunting, there is also a version knit flat on two needles and seamed up. Knitted Knockers no longer accepts it for the knockers they give away, but it is still there for anyone making a knocker for herself.7
Use the free Knitted Knockers crochet pattern with a sport or baby weight yarn that is very soft. Crochet makes a stiffer fabric and takes about a third more yarn, so the finer yarn matters. The approved yarn list marks which yarns work for crochet, and the crochet tutorial is on their videos page.5, 7
You don't need a knocker yourself to make one. Neutral colors in matching pairs, size C and larger, are the most requested. Finished knockers can be mailed unstuffed to Knitted Knockers to fill orders, or given through a local group.2 Putting together something for a friend after surgery? Our chemo care package guide has more ideas.
questions from readers
open only the one you need
how long do knitted knockers take to arrive?
It can take up to four weeks for knitted knockers to arrive. Check in with Knitted Knockers if nothing has come by then. If you need something now, an inexpensive lightweight fiberfill form such as the ABC 910 or the ABC 909 fills the gap, and it makes a good spare once your knockers come. If someone close to you knits or crochets, they can also make you one from the free patterns.
my mastectomy bra rides up. what can I do?
When a bra climbs at the back and sits high in front, the band is usually too loose to anchor it. Try the tightest hook first, then a band size down with a cup size up, and shorten the straps only once the band fits. If the neckline itself sits too high on a short torso, a scoop or V neck helps. Our mastectomy bra guide walks through fit in more detail.
do I have to wear a form at all?
No. Some women choose not to wear a form, on one side or both. Any soft bra or bralette you find comfortable works. After a single mastectomy you can wear a mastectomy bra and simply leave the pocket on that side empty, so the option is there if you change your mind later.
can a knitted knocker work after a lumpectomy?
Yes. Knitted knockers are very adjustable, so they work for a breast that is smaller or uneven after a lumpectomy or radiation. Request a full-size knocker, then take out stuffing or shift it to the area that needs fullness.2
can I use a sports bra I already own?
Often, yes. Many sports bras already have an opening for removable pads, so they can hold a knocker or a light form with no sewing at all. Take the pad out, slide the form in, and check that it sits where you want it.
do I need an underwire?
No. Wire-free is the comfortable choice while you heal, and many women stay wire-free for good. Once your surgeon says you are healed, an underwire can help hold a form in place. Some mastectomy bras have one for that reason.
can I swim in a knitted knocker?
Yes. Knockers made from approved yarns can go in the pool, and Knitted Knockers suggests keeping a separate pair for swimming. Squeeze gently afterward to help the fiberfill dry. Some women swap the stuffing for a mesh shower scrubby, which dries faster.
how do I wash a knitted knocker?
On the gentle cycle, stuffed or unstuffed. Hang it or lay it flat on a towel to dry. If yours is stitched into a bra, it can go through the wash with the bra and air-dry together.
Made your own?
We would love to hear how it went, and what you would tell the next woman sitting down with a needle and an old bra. Write to us here.
why we care about this
specialists in hair loss and breast cancer since 1995
Headcovers began with breast cancer. In 1990 our founder, Carol Galland, went through treatment and could not find anything comfortable or pretty to wear. In 1995 she and her daughter Danielle started Headcovers so the women who came after her would have choices.
Mastectomy bras and forms came later, for the same reason. A free knocker in a bra you sewed yourself, a Joy bra, or a fitted silicone form in an Amoena bra: every one of those is a good answer, and we would rather you find the one that fits your body and your budget than buy more than you need.
Rather buy one ready-made?Soft, wire-free pocketed bras, and forms to fill them.
written byEmily BrameMarketing Director of Headcovers and certified wig specialist. Granddaughter of our founder, she helps design our headwear and wigs and knows every product we sell.page last updated October 2026
This guide is for informational purposes only. It does not replace advice from your physician. If you have questions about your specific situation, please consult your care team.
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