Starting a weekly posting for June, 2018.
I’ve finally gone off the deep end! I became so frustrated trying to find a bra that fits that I quit buying ready to wear (RTW) bras. The last ones I bought were in desperation while out of town. I purchased the closest to my size they carried and immediately bent the wires nearly flat on bottom and as often as needed to keep the ends from poking me.
Did you know that the “bra industry” (for lack of a better description) has turned nearly exclusively to the simplest format of “sister sizes” for bras? If you try to go up a size in hopes of having a wider wire, you’ll be stuck with the bigger cup and/or band. Very few brands have wires for wider breasts, unless they’re also larger volume.
I remember being able to wear RTW bras back before I breastfed babies. With each baby, the breast makes more mammary tissue. After my first or second baby, I went with my mother-in-law (MIL) to a shop advertised as having every bra size. I asked for my usual size, hooked it on the tightest setting, and was offered a smaller band size. When I put it on, I immediately asked if it came in a size with wider wires. The lady gave me a strange look, then only offered wire-free bras.
All that to say that I finally started looking into bra making. A few kits have been purchased. A few bras have been assembled. So far, I think I’ve determined that there probably isn’t a bra pattern available geared to my fitting issues.
Let’s start with the basics: Measurements!
The first step to making most articles of clothing is to measure. For a bra, there are only two or three measurements called for. Before I run them off, I want to mention the part I learned the hard way and the patterns seem to ignore: wire size. The wire is the first thing a bra pattern maker should check on a client. From what I've read, the bra pattern is made based off this, then cup volume, then band and straps.
The wire size for most of the companies I’ve seen is named for the band measurement at the B cup. Note: if the bra size is 32E = 34DD = 36D = 38C = 40B, then all these “sister sizes” have the same wire and cup.
To measure your wire size, you need to measure the shape and length of the “root” of your breast. That’s the curve on the bottom where the breast attaches to the chest wall. If you have something you can shape against this area, then you may be able to just print off some charts and compare. I did purchase a couple groups of wires to try on and determine a good size. I may have to learn to trim wires, though, as my wire size is much larger than my typical bra size!
The band is basically the rib cage measurement, maybe adding an inch or two. I find the one that says to exhale and get the tightest measure to be too tight for comfort. I measure my band as the measurement of my ribcage when I’m inhaling comfortably. Not expanding as big as my lungs can get, just regular breaths. Using a soft measuring tape held just under the join of the breast to rib cage and about parallel to the floor, measure with the tape snug, exhale then inhale and note the difference. The snug number is what many patterns suggest to use for the band size, but it may be too tight in some fabrics. My ribcage measurement is 32” to 33”, I like to wear a 34” band most of the time.
The other place to measure for an approximate band size is over the bust. The overbust can be measured high on the ribcage, trying to avoid adding too much width added from the shoulder blades or breasts, hold the tape snuggly under the armpits and over the breasts (as straight as possible, but not necessarily parallel to the floor). Some women like a looser band, but I don’t get the support needed from this. My overbust measurement is 36”.
To find the bust measurement seems simple enough! All the directions seem to call for a well fitting bra. The idea is to have the breasts at the proper level to measure around them at the widest point. There are some suggestions to try measuring when lying down or leaning forward, but starting in what bra you have should get you in the ballpark. My bust measurement varies through the month from about 38” to 40”.
Figuring out the cup volume is generally done by subtraction. It’s not a perfect system, but it gives you a starting point. Take the bust measurement and subtract the ribcage. For example, my recent measurement of 38” bust minus the 32” ribcage gives me 6”, so I could try a (each inch is a letter: A, B, C, D, DD, E) 32E. Or, I could use my bust of 38” minus my overbust of 36” and try 36B. Note: these are not sister sizes, just a trial starting point. Also note: the cup size of the letter holds more as the band size increases! B does not contain the same size breast in different band sizes!
34B = 32C = 36A
My last purchased bra was a 34D that was too loose in the band and too small in the cups. My starting point for sewing my own will be 32E or 34DD.
Labels: Bra, sew, Sewing
