1
Apr 03, 2013
I found this sewing site for bra sewing, and everything about bra/bra making and sizing.
http://clothhabit.com/bramaking-sew-along/
Bra-making Sew Along | Cloth Habit
http://clothhabit.com/bramaking-sew-along/
5 comments
I found this very..confusing. When going to the sizing section, a lot of it didn't seem to be for larger breasts. It also did the overbust measurement and stated that it was the closest to my band size..I might as well us VS measuring.
Most of the 'sew-you-own-bra tutorials' I've encountered so far do not use proper bra fitting methods and do not go up to 'really big' sizes, although there are some exceptions. I'm a bit confused how to classify this one though as she starts with saying that:
"To find your band size, measure yourself snugly around your ribcage, right under the breasts. It helps to breathe in and halfway out, then measure. This measurement or closest even band number up is your band measurement."
Now, as we all know, it's perfectly possible that one is more comfortable wearing a slightly larger (or smaller!) band and I suppose that's why she's suggesting the following method in addition to the above, but I don't quite understand what's wrong with just adding (or subtracting!) whatever is needed:
"If this sounds too small to you, try measuring your high bust, just above your breasts and going under your arms. The closest even number to this would be your band. Basically, your band needs to be close to the width of your chest as if your breast tissue weren’t there!" (*)
(*) just for fun I took my overbust measurement and I was quite surprise to find that that one (fully exhaled) is actually quite close to my underbust measurement fully inhaled -- in my odd case I find that measurement a better indication for my bandsize than my 'comfortably snug fully exhaled' one.
Where she's really totally off though is her UK to EU conversion:
"My underbust is 29″/74cm and and my high bust width is 31.5″, and I usually use a 32 band. Sometimes I go down to a 30 in a bra with really stretchy materials. In European sizing, I use a 75."
Ehm, no. UK 32 in EU sizing is 70, UK 30 is EU 65. EU 75 would be UK 34. Also, her "32B" wire obviously would not correspond to a "75B" cup, but rather to a "70C".
As to that latter, I would actually be wary of the way the underwire labeling relates to those size charts as I am really not entirely sure it is such a clear, one-to-one match.
The following also seems puzzling in not quite far out:
"For those who want to leave out underwires, one way to find your starting cup size is by subtracting the width of your high bust from your full bust."
Ehm, no again. At least, it doesn't even come close to working for me as it would put me into a B cup where D or DD is DEFINITELY be a more appropriate fit *rolls eyes*
What she says a little further is again quite good though:
"Some women with very large cup sizes may find that they need a larger cup to go with a smaller wire. Smaller busted women may need a larger wire with a smaller cup. If you have a feeling this might be your case, you can adjust the volume in your fitting."
I can definitely recommend this link that was mentioned in the comments though: http://yourwardrobeunlockd.com/foundationsrevealed.com/bra-making/165-bras-drafting-a-darted-cup -- it's the first in a series of articles on bra drafting that really is quite insightful. Not all articles are freely accessible, but the basic ones are.
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