First Completed-ish Gemini

 

This bra is so pretty! It’s not a perfect fit, but with a couple alterations I’ll wear it anyway.

The Midnight Bloom Lace Bra Kit from Bra Builders is gorgeous! And sold out at the time of this blog post. I had ordered it with the scalloped straps to try them out. They are cute, but I preferred using the 3/8-inch (10 mm?) findings because they are thinner -less plush- than the regular 1/2-inch (12 mm?) straps.

Measurements this week? 1. Upper Bust: 35”?, 2. Full Bust: 39”, 3. Breast Spacing: where exactly? One finger? The bra cradle fit well. 4. Under Bust: 32-1/2”, 

I had made a mock-up of the band for this bra without the overlay in the suggested size for my wires (34D), which is a cup size or two smaller than I measured into (34F, which I rarely fit). No problem with this pattern, the cups are in the overlay which only attaches to the side seams and straps, and can be chosen separately from the band.

For this one, I sister-sized up to the 36C, same wire, larger band. It turned out that I should have used a different overlay as I missed the info in the booklet that shared the BCD of the model this was based on. My BCD is 3.75-inches on a good day. The model was in a sister size of the one that I made (32E), and has a 4.5-inch BCD. That’s an half inch larger than PUG uses for that bra size! Oops. I don’t mind a trial bra being a little loose, but the dart went high enough to pucker in weird places. 

Also, the width of the overlay grows with each band size. I’m thinking that sizing up the band, but sizing down the overlay would have suited me better. The 36C band seemed okay, I’ll have to make minor alterations, then wear it all day to be sure. The 36C Overlay was too wide and the darts too high. I can maybe try the 34C Overlay, maybe even the 32D or C? I have to measure the darts and determine the BCDs of the different sizes. 

When I had the frame and overlay together, I basted on the straps to measure how long to make them, which is when I realized the size discrepancy. I got to play with the cup and strap placement to determine a good placement for the best fit. 

I might just open the side seams and narrow the overlay, or move the lower cup elastic for a slightly better fit. I like the bra, definitely looking forward to getting the fit down pat.

The band nearly fits out of the package. I’ll take that win!