How To Make A Bra 1 (free article)
How To Make A Bra 1 (free article)
http://www.foundationsrevealed.com/ Written by Mark Garbarczyk
This is my first article on bra pattern drafting (drawing) and
construction. But for this article you do not need to get out the
sewing kit and fabric just yet, as we need to sort out one main
problem: what size bra do you want?
Almost every day, bra companies and fashion magazines declare
that 70% of women are wearing the wrong sized bra. I believe that
this is a nonsensical statement, as we have no standard breast
measurement and size labelling system that is recognised around the
world, and many women are happy and comfortable to wear their wrong
sized bras. In writing articles about bra pattern drafting and
construction for a website that has followers from around the
world, we must first overcome a worldwide problem:
What is my bra size?
When a designer produces a new bra for the British market, the
prototype is made to a core size. In Britain this would be a UK 34B
(even though the average bra size in Britain is now about 36C/D).
This prototype is then graded (enlarged or reduced) to produce the
other sizes.
But a British 34B size bra canalso be labelled as
34A in the USA
75B in Europe and Japan
90B in Spain, France and Belgium
2B in Italy and the Czech Republic
12B in Australia and New Zealand.
B75 in Japan
And to make matters worse, the identification of cup size by
letter is not consistent across the globe:
UK: AA-A-B-C-D-DD-E-F-FF
UK specialist: G-GG-H-HH-J-K-L
American: AA-A-B-C-D-DD-DDD
European: AA-A-B-C-D-E-F
The EN 13402 industry standard - AA, A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I,
J and K - will eventually help resolve the current confusion
surrounding cup-size codes, but only in Europe.
As well as no standard bra size classification systems, the
antiquated way in which women are measured for a bra is far from
satisfactory, as it does not take into account the volume of the
individual breasts and the variations in back size.
You know the drill: for UK sizing, measure in inches around the
chest just under the breasts, then add 5 if the measurement is an
odd number or add 4 if the measurement is an even number. This is
your Band size - 30, 32, 34, 36 and so on.Now measure around the
bust at its fullest part and take the band measurement (+5 or +4)
away from this measurement. The difference - 1, 2, 3, 4 - indicates
your cup size.
Example:
29 + 5 = 34 band size
34 back size and 35 full bust is a +1 difference = B cup
Think about this measurement method applied to two body shape
extremes.
A woman who measures 29.5 inches around her ribcage and 35.5
inches around her overbust, but has a narrow back and full
breasts.
A woman who measures 29.5 inches around her ribcage and 35.5
inches around her overbust, but she has a muscular, wide back and
small breasts.
Using the traditional measuring method, both of these women
would be offered the same size bra, but they have significantly
different body shapes.
So for the bra pattern drafting and making articles I will use a
simpler and more accurate bra cup size identification and
measurement system. More on that later.
Parts of a typical Bra.
So that we are all singing from the same hymn sheet and you know
what I am referring to when I am writing about bra pattern
drafting/construction, here are the parts of a typical bra.
By the way, in the industry a garment pattern that you are
working on to change the style or size hasnoseam allowance and is
called a Block. When you have made all the changes, you then add
the right seam/hem allowances.
The big headache about bra pattern (block) grading.
When we want to change the size of a bra pattern/block
wecoulddraft a new block for the new size, but in the industry a
single core size block is graded (adjusted) to produce the other
sizes in the range.
Take, as an example, the British bra size system. There are 16
cup sizes, AA - A - B - C - D - DD - E - F - FF - G - GG - H - HH -
J - K -L, and 6 band sizes from 30 - 40. That makes 96 size
options. Multiply that by 2 colourways (ie making white and black
bras), and you and your company potentially have192different bras
to make!
BUT what if you could use parts of one size bra in a different
size bra? You can! Welcome to the world of bra CROSS GRADING.
If you take the cups and the cradle/underwires of a 34B bra and
shorten the wings by the right amount, you have a 32C bra!
Likewise, if you lengthen the wings on the cups and the
cradle/underwires of a 34B bra by the right amount you will have a
36A bra! The same goes for other Cup/cradle sizes: - the
cups/cradle of a 38D bra are the same size cups/cradle as a 40C
bra, and 36DD bra and a 34E bra, and so on and so on.
The tabel below shows cross grading using EN 13402 standard cup
lettering.
Same cups and cradle30A32AA34AAA
Same cups and cradle30B32A34AA
Same cups and cradle30C32B34A36AA
Same cups and cradle30D32C34B36A
Same cups and cradle30E32D34C36B38A
Same cups and cradle30F32E34D36C38B40A
Same cups and cradle30G32F34E36D38C40B
Same cups and cradle30H32G34F36E38D40C
Same cups and cradle30J32H34G36F38E40D
Same cups and cradle30K32J34H36G38F40E
This cross grading system is also used for bra underwires: the
underwires that are used in a 34B bra can also be used in a 36A
bra, and so on.
Size/band gradingThe standard step increase in band size is 50mm
(2"), which takes a 34B to a 36A, for example. (Some European
brands use a 40mm underband increase instead, which can result in a
much smaller and tighter fit in large band sizes.) The underband
will increase by 50mm; a quarter of that increase must be placed in
each half cradle and wing, as shown in the diagram below.
Cup GradingTo get from 34B to 34C, for example:
1. The underband length remains the same.
2. The cradle must increase to provide the larger cup size, but
the wing must get smaller to maintain the underband length.
3. The cup section is graded one size larger.
Darted Bra 50mm Grading Rules.So here are the three grading
principles for bras.
Cup Grading: - to increase the cup volume, the cradle of the bra
must also increase to accommodate the increase in cup size and the
wing must be reduced to maintain the band size.
Band Grading: - to increase the size of the band, but maintain
the cup/cradle size, (eg 34B to 36A, or 34B to 36B) combined with
cup grading.
Cross Grading: - to use the cups and cradle of one size as the
cups and cradle of another size bra (eg 34B cups and cradle used
for a 36A bra).
When we draft (draw) the bra pattern, we will do some grading to
make the cups and underband to your size. The manual method of
grading bra patterns that we will be using is called shift
grading.
It uses vertical and horizontal axis lines, which must be at
right angles to each other on each pattern, or star lines radiating
from a Cardinal point. You can do the pattern and grading on a
computer if you have a good Vector Line drawing CAD (Computer Aided
Design) program such as AutoCAD, Corel Draw or Adobe Illustrator. I
personally use Corel Draw.
Thats enough of the world's sizing problems; we need to get on
with the stuff that you need to know to make a bra.
So what is your size?
I mentioned that I would employ a different measurement and
sizing method for these articles. So get out your tape measure and
take all measurements in CENTIMETRES (sorry America and Britain,
it's metric all the way from here). Write all the measurements
down. If you're not making your own, and you don't have a
particular client, family member or friend in mind, then use the
measurements for a Size 4 cup and a 50cm back (equivalent to a UK
34B core size).When taking all measurements, try to be as accurate
as possible (to the millimetre).The first two measurements you need
to take are your Over Breast measurements, from the breast root at
the side to the breast root at centre front. Your breast root is
the line where your beast joins the chest wall and where the wires
of a correctly fitting underwired bra should sit. When taking the
measurements you should wear a good fitting underwired bra that
lifts the breasts up into the fashionable full shape; the
underwires in the bra should help you to identify your breast
roots.
I know its a Chicken or Egg situation - to take measurements to
get a well-fitting bra you first have to be wearing a well-fitting
bra! But I am still working on a simple way to get the
dimensions/volume of clients' breasts without going to a local
hospital and using their MRI body scanner.
Take the measurements horizontally over the fullest part of the
breast from the breast root at the side to the breast root at
centre front. Measure both breasts, then use the larger
measurement.Do not worryif the two breast measurements are
different,no-oneis perfectly symmetrical.
Now refer to the table to find your cup size, and make a note of
it:
Over breast measurementCup sizeOver breast measurementCup
size
14.1cm to 14.7cm145.1cm to 46.8cm16
15.8cm to 16.4cm241.3cm to 41.9cm17
17.5cm to 18.1cm343cm to 43.6cm18
19.2cm to 19.8cm444.7cm to 45.3cm19
20.9cm to 21.5cm546.4cm to 47cm20
22.6cm to 23.2cm648.1cm to 48.7cm21
24.3cm to 24.9cm749.8cm to 50.4cm22
26.0cm to 26.6cm851.5cm to 52.1cm23
27.7cm to 28.3cm953.2cm to 53.8cm24
29.4cm to 30.0cm1054.9cm to 55.5cm25
31.1cm to 32.8cm1156.6cm to 57.2cm26
33.9cm to 35.6cm1258.3cm to 58.9cm27
36.7cm to 38.4cm1360cm to 60.6cm28
39.5cm to 41.2cm1461.7cm to 62.3cm29
42.3cm to 44.0cm15
So if you measure 19.6cm over the fullest part of the breast
from the breast root at the side to the breast root at centre
front, then you will draft/grade/make a size 4 cup. If your over
breast measurement is betweentwo cup sizes, go for the higher cup
size.
The Back/Band Measurement
Again, locate your breast root at the side of your breast, take
the tape measure around your back horizontally to your breast root
at the side of your breast on the other side.Make a note of your
Back/Band measurement.Now we're ready to begin drafting in the next
article.
An extra note to all the mathematicians out there: have a think
about how you would determine breast volume and the dimensions to
put that breast volume in a fashionable shape...
