How To Make A Bra 1 (free article)

http://www.foundationsrevealed.com/

Written by Mark Garbarczyk

I must, I must, improve my bust

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 can also 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 has no seam 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 we could draft 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
have192 different 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 cradle 30A 32AA 34AAA
Same cups and cradle 30B 32A 34AA
Same cups and cradle 30C 32B 34A

36AA

Same cups and cradle 30D 32C 34B

36A

Same cups and cradle 30E 32D 34C

36B 38A

Same cups and cradle 30F 32E 34D

36C 38B 40A

Same cups and cradle 30G 32F

36D 38C 40B

34E

Same cups and cradle 30H 32G 34F

36E

38D 40C

Same cups and cradle 30J 32H 34G

36F

38E 40D

Same cups and cradle 30K 32J

36G 38F 40E

34H

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 grading
The 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 Grading
To get from 34B to 34C, for example:
1.
2.
3.

The underband length remains the same.

The cradle must increase to provide the larger cup size, but the wing
must get smaller to maintain the underband length.
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 wellfitting 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 worry if the two breast
measurements are different, no-one is perfectly symmetrical.

Now refer to the table to find your cup size, and make a note of it:
Over breast measurement Cup size Over breast measurement Cup size
14.1cm to 14.7cm

45.1cm to 46.8cm

16

15.8cm to 16.4cm

41.3cm to 41.9cm

17

17.5cm to 18.1cm

43cm to 43.6cm

18

19.2cm to 19.8cm

44.7cm to 45.3cm

19

20.9cm to 21.5cm

46.4cm to 47cm

20

22.6cm to 23.2cm

48.1cm to 48.7cm

21

24.3cm to 24.9cm

49.8cm to 50.4cm

22

26.0cm to 26.6cm

51.5cm to 52.1cm

23

27.7cm to 28.3cm

53.2cm to 53.8cm

24

29.4cm to 30.0cm

10

54.9cm to 55.5cm

25

31.1cm to 32.8cm

11

56.6cm to 57.2cm

26

33.9cm to 35.6cm

12

58.3cm to 58.9cm

27

36.7cm to 38.4cm

13

60cm to 60.6cm

28

39.5cm to 41.2cm

14

61.7cm to 62.3cm

29

42.3cm to 44.0cm

15

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...