Maya early October Update

 I’ve been working on the Maya Bra as time becomes available. After the wire issue last time, I went up a size to see if the wires fit better. Yes, and no. The wires fit into the band, but the band has issues. I used the cutting grid to figure out the balance point of the Orange 42 wire and lined it up with the mark on the pattern when the seam of the lower cup joins the cradle of the bra band. The front arm was well low of the center front, and the side arm was above the edge of the pattern. Also, there seemed to be no included wire spring in the pattern. 

I tried the 40D in SCL and they looked like a reasonable fit. But, then I made a mockup with an embroidered lace from a different company, and the cups were huge! Why did I have such a difference?

I made the loose cups that fit into the larger band, and did I ever get an (online equivalent of an) earful over that! Wasn’t the 2024 spring Bra Bee all about fitting the band first? I just wanted the girls up out of the way while I fixated on that band. So, does that mean the whole idea of a fitting band is wrong? Because they don’t have any cups… or is it that important to start with the cups in that might not fit in the end anyway?

Anyway, I digress. So, I made the original pattern size that the website spit out, 38B. I cannot post those pics here, I’d get dinged for the explicit content. As usual, a pattern generated for my BCD was too small. I received good info from the group.

I sewed up the next size down. Remember that the calculator said to use band size 85/38, but it was too tight, so I went up to the 90/40 band (I currently wear a 36 band in RTW). The ill fitting fitting-bra was in 90/40D, and now down a cup to the C. This looks like it almost fits…

The first underwires I had tried were the Emerald Erin brand Carmen 40. They pinch in a bit at the top. In the 38D version, I thought the cup may be too small because the wires pinched. It’s possible the lack of wire spring could contribute to this pinchy feeling. But, the Round 42 are about the same length as the Carmen, with straighter ends. So, that loose cups bra trial was with these wires.

Next, I tried the 42 Orange wires. I dropped the front center of the pattern to fit them. This new size (40C) along with the 42 Orange wires seemed like an okay fit. I think I’m supposed to be in size 40 wires, if there’s enough room in the cup, so I did swap out the 40 for 42 for a day. The wire spring may not be enough yet because they cause discomfort by day’s end. I went back to 42 until I can figure this out.

In the fitting forum, Linda Crawford suggested that I raise the side and back band. To do this, I printed a copy of the Eve bra band for Vertical wires. Size 46 seems to be about right for the Orange 42 wires. And the cups fit almost perfectly in the band. This one came with lots of wrinkling on the lower side seam area, so I’ve been raising that to try to combat the issue. It was not that bad on the original band.

Today, I’m trying the 40 Round wires to see if they fit in this Eve band Maya cups mashup. Still needs more spring!