Don McCunn's Blog

Book Review: Expecting Style

This year my model Alex has become pregnant with her first child. It has been a wonderful opportunity for me to observe how her body changes during this time and to help her with a few garments to wear.

One of the first things I did was to research the available literature for books on how to make maternity clothes. There is not a lot written and most of them offer pretty dreadful styles. When I checked them out of the library and showed them to Alex she said “I’d never wear any of those.”

There was however one book that I consider to be absolutely brilliant expecting style by Lauren Sara. Lauren has designed her own line of maternity wear and dresses celebrities during their pregnancy. She has also had children of her own.

I was so impressed by how stylish this book is that I purchased a copy as a reference for when we have discussions of styling clothes for plus sizes in my group “How to Make Sewing Patterns.”

Lauren offers a wealth of helpful information for pregnant women about how to style a wardrobe. She talks about how to go through your wardrobe and select garments that can be worn during pregnancy and garments that can’t. She doesn’t give rules so much as helpful advice because as she points out, every woman will experience unique changes to her body. And what might happen during one pregnancy can be different from the next.

The book is richly illustrated with examples of a variety of women during different stages in their pregnancies. One set of illustrations I was particularly intrigued by showed which shoes would be appropriate for the first, second, and third trimester. She even indicates how long you can wear each style. That is just one indication of the kind of detail this book provides.

In another section she shows how to modify a pair of jeans so they can be worn during pregnancy. This is the only section of the book that includes actual sewing instruction. The technique she uses follows very closely to what I discovered needs to be done to create pregnancy pants for Alex which I will be describing later.

Perhaps the icing on the cake for this book is that she talks about the emotions a woman experiences going through pregnancy. She talks not only about her own experience but she has stories from other women as well. The book is strongly geared toward professional women who are adding motherhood to their career lives.

A Photo Exhibit

I am pleased to announce that some of my photos will be appearing in a group photo exhibit at the Harvey Milk Photo Center in San Francisco. The Harvey Milk Photo Center is a program of the San Francisco Parks and Recreation Department. The photo center has been a cornerstone of arts programming in San Francisco since the 1940s.

The Opening Night for the exhibit is scheduled for December 1st, 2011 from 6:00 to 8:30 p.m. The center is located at 50 Scott Street in the Harvey Milk Arts Center in Duboce Park. The length the exhibit will be on display is undetermined at this point but I am sure it will be at least a couple of weeks if not longer. The normal hours for the center are Tuesday through Thursday, 4 to 9 p.m., Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The center is closed Friday, Sunday and Monday.

For those of you not able to come to San Francisco, I am including my photographs that have been selected for this exhibit I have tentatively titled “Escape from the Legacy.” To see a single photo, click on an image. To see a larger version, click on the single photo.

These photos came about because my model Alexandra Matthew had the opportunity to do a corporate event in the Silicon Valley for an organization that wanted an event based on the Walt Disney film Tron: Legacy earlier this year. But she needed a costume for the character Quorra. I was pleased when the producers of the event allowed me to create the costume for Alexandra. I described the design and construction of the costume in my blog Creating a Quorra Costume.

As it turns out I ended up making a Flynn costume for one of the other participants, Michael Ray Wisely, a friend of Alexandra. The event went so well Alexandra and Michael offered to come by to do a special photo shoot so I could have a record of these costumes I had made. As they are both Equity Actors the photo shoot became a very special event for me. It gave me the opportunity to explore my passion for photography in both my indoor studio as well as in the hills around my home in San Francisco. I have more photos from this event including some “backstage shots” on Flickr, Tron Lookalike Costumes.

It gives me great pleasure to share these images with a wider audience through this exhibit at the Harvey Milk Center. I would like to thank Grant Rusk and my classmates in his “Photographic Themes and Direction” class for helping me figure out how I could bring my eclectic interest in imagery into a meaningful form for this exhibit.

As a side note I’d like to congratulate Alexandra on the forthcoming birth of her first child and for starting her business as an English, German, and French speaking voiceover artist.

Creating a Pixie Halloween Costume

A Pixie Costume

My background is costuming. So when I worked with my model Fallon Niedzwiecki on Wed, Oct. 19th and she mentioned she tried to find a pixie costume for Halloween but none fit her–how could I resist? On top of that I had just received an email from Mood Fabrics saying they were running a Halloween Costume Contest. Mood is the fabric store in NY and LA that the designers from the TV show Project Runway go to for their fabric. How could I resist participating in that contest.

The following is a description of the creation of this costume.

The Design Concept
When I work with a model I really like it to be a collaborative process. So the first thing I did was to do some Google image searches for pixies and forest nymphs. I recorded the links I thought looked interesting and asked her to tell me the ones she liked. The image below from Fancie Dress was the one she liked best–except for the color. Fallon wanted forest colors and a shorter hem.

Fortunately, unlike the designers on the TV series Project Runway, I have time to mull on a design before I commit to fabric selection, notions, etc.

One of the key issues was what to do about the wings. When we were talking initially Fallon said she did not want wings because when she went to a party it was too easy to whack someone. On the other hand I was intrigued by the idea of making wings and there were wings in the image we settled on. Making wings is a project I had never undertaken and I was really looked forward to it. So I decided to make her a costume that had interchangeable wings, one for parties and one for photo shoots.

I mulled on several ideas about how to attach removable wings to the costume. Most of the ideas weren’t very good. I’ll spare you the details. Then a light bulb went off and I realized I could leave a long vertical pocket in the corset at center back (down her spine).

The next thing I had to do was to determine what the wings would look like. I did more Google searches and really liked the look of dragonfly wings. Each side has two wings and each wing comes to a single junction where it joins the body. I realized that this type of wing could easily be adjusted after the costume was made. This would give it a lot of flexibility. So it was off to find the fabric.

Finding the Fabric
It is common to find solid colors but I really wanted a variegated green for the dress. I was afraid I was going to need to dye fabric to get the effect I wanted. Fortunately the fabric store I went to had variegated green chiffon. It has been my experience as a costume designer that sometimes you have to do a lot of shopping to find the right fabric. Other times you are walking along and the fabric just jumps off the shelf and into your arms. This was one such occasion.

My second happy fabric search was to find a green organza fabric that was iridescent. Once again there was no choice to make. The idea of having translucent dragonfly wings made my heart sing. The other principle fabric I need was for the corset. But I had made myself some swim trunks out of a crushed brown velvet that had a wonderful tree bark like look. So it was off to start the construction process.

While I was in the store I found some wonderful artifical flowers and a cute butterfly pin. I couldn’t resist.

The Wings
I realized the wings needed to come first. If I couldn’t make the wings I envisioned, then I might need to change my entire design concept. How were the wings going to work with the rest of the costume and I needed to make two different sizes. To create the shape I opted for 14 gauge solid electrical wire. I had printed out an image of dragonfly wings I liked so I knew the shape I wanted to create. I took the wire over to a body double (aka dress form) I had of my model Alex to determine the proportions.

The other decision was how to treat the fabric. Initially I had intended to use a double layer so I could sew the two layers together, turn it and just pull it over the wire frame. But I really liked how fragile the organza as a single layer would work. I felt this was so appropriate for dragon fly wings. Below are the steps I followed to create the wings.

The photos below show the various steps of this process.

The Dress
For the dress I wanted a strapless dress with an uneven hem. I opted for the concept of a handkerchief hem. I figured if I wanted more of a petal effect, I could add it later.

To avoid a closing device I knew I needed to make the center circle larger than the hips so the dress could be pulled on. I could then enclose the waist in elastic to reduce it to the size of Fallon’s above bust dimension. I used the wonderful pattern-making calculator from String Codes to determine the radius I need for the circle from the full hip measurement. I used just the hip measurement because I knew when I added the elastic I would be rolling it to create an even larger circle. If you haven’t tried the String Code calculator, I recommend you do. It is free and does too much for me to describe here.

I cut the center circle and all edges of the fabric with a hot knife working for a freehand jagged around the outside edges. I then used a Swimsuit Edge finish to add the elastic. Fallon is allergic to latex so I was careful to roll the elastic a couple of times.

Checking the Design
About this time I was thinking “Okay enough for the theory. Let’s see if it works.” My model Fallon was out of town on an extended modeling gig. I knew she wouldn’t be back until it was time to shoot her wearing the finished garment. Fortunately I had worked out custom-fitted bodice, skirt, and bra slopers for Fallon so I was able to construct a custom dress form for her as I describe in my book How to Make Sewing Patterns. To keep it simple I just taped this dress form to a stool that was a good height. It took about three hours to make the dress form which I now have to use for other projects. And it saved me a lot of anxiety wondering about whether the costume would fit or not. The photo on the left shows the dress form. On the right you can see how I could check the drape of the dress.

When I saw the dress on the form I realized the front was too long. Fallon wanted it knee length. I think the error I made in my measurements was that I doubled the above bust to knee measurement for the overall length. I forgot to factor in the height of the center circle.

They say there is a silver lining to every cloud if you can find it. I liked the idea of the back hem being longer than the front. So I pulled out my trusty hot knife and shortened the front.

The Corset
The corset was a relatively easy pattern as I already had my fitted slopers for Fallon. So I just traced them to create center front, side front, side back, and center back patterns. I started it just under the bust and carried it three inches below the natural waist. I extended it below the natural waist because that contour of the body makes great support. Particularly because I wanted adequate support for the wings.

For the front lacing I shortened the front pattern by an inch which left a total opening of 2 inches. I first cut the pattern out of some stretch denim I had around the house. When I tried the initial denim on the dress form of Fallon, I felt so secure in the fit that I decided I would only need boning at side back to support the wings and center front to support the lacing. If you haven’t tried lacing, you need the boning or the lacing will squeeze the height of the corset down. The following is the sequence I used to create the corset.

Initially I was considering adding a second skirt to the bottom of the corset. But during the process above I kept checking the corset on the dress form. I liked the simplicity of the single layer of skirt so I abandoned the idea of additional layers.

When I was figuring out the spacing for the grommets I eyeballed how many looked right to me. Six grommets looked right to me so I knew I needed to divide the space equally in fifths. I whipped out my Scale Rule and used the 1/5th scale to establish the distance–no head math or calculator needed. The dimensions are right there in front of your eyes–whew!

Head Band
I thought adding head and arm bands would be nice. It would give me a chance to use the artificial flowers and cute butterfly pin I had found.

I had not measured Fallon’s forehead but I know that head sizes vary between 20 and 22 inches. I figure Fallon had a smallish head so 20″ should work. I used a strip of my Lycra and a band of 1-1/8″ elastic to make the head band.

Arm Bands
I use a palm measurement to verify a sleeve will fit over the hand. I did some testing and determined that the palm measurement would be a good dimension for an arm band. I wanted some of the chiffon at the bottom of the arm band to echo the appearance of the dress and corset. So once again I opted for a handkerchief hem with the 8″ opening. I decided that 3″ was a good length for the short side of the chiffon. So here is how it came together.

Initially I had planned to add elastic to the top and bottom of the armband to further secure the edges. But I found with a trial fitting that the stretch in the Lycra was adequate and no additional elastic was needed.

Conclusion
If this had been a complicated costume to make, I could not have explained the process as easily as I was able to. My wife thought I was crazy to take on this project. But when she saw how quickly I was able to create this costume, she was surprised. I guess this was a big surprise because I spent a full month creating my Quorra costume and I completed this in less than a week from start to finish.

I am pleased to say that when Fallon tried on the costume for the first time, no fitting adjustments were required. She wore it for a full afternoon of photo shoots, dinner at a local restaurant, and she even drove home in it instead of changing back to her street clothes. She said that the corset was the most comfortable corset she had ever worn. I attribute this to the custom fit and minimal use of stays. I also asked her at dinner if the headband she was still wearing was comfortable. She said it fit her so well she didn’t even feel she was wearing it. To me that is one of the goals I pursue for custom-fit clothes. When they fit, they are comfortable and a pleasure to wear.

To see more images, visit my Flickr photos.

If you have any additional questions about how I made this costume, I would be happy to answer them through my Yahoo group How to Make Sewing Patterns.

Bust Sling Nursing Bra

The basic concept of the Bust Sling Bra is to support the breast from above instead of from the side (which is the cantilever structure of a conventional bra). For more on the comparison of these two structures see my post Introducing the Bust Sling Bra. It was my hope in developing this design that it would provide a more natural and comfortable support for the breast.

From my research I learned that one of the most sensitive times for a woman’s breasts is when she becomes pregnant and then starts nursing. It was my hope that the Bust Sling could be used as a nursing bra such as the one you can see in the photo below.

While the example above supports the bust sling with a strap around the neck, other variations are possible as you can see in the description of my online class for Bust Sling Bras.

It is with great pleasure that I have recently heard from Kenna who made one of these custom-fit nursing bras for herself and has reported the results of using it. With her permission I have included her comments below. To give you an idea of the support she requires she wears a “DDD” cup in a conventional bra. She is not the model you see in the photo above.

Bust Sling vs. Conventional Bra

As for nursing, the bra works very well. I have quite a bit of experience with
conventional nursing bras. Usually the part of the bra that falls away for
nursing is the part of the bra that supports the breast. Therefore, when you
nurse, the bra drops the breast. I love the fact that the bust sling does not
do that. The breast is supported through the nursing, and that feels better to
me. I do have to hold my baby a little further out from my body due to the
projection, but that has not been a problem.

Fungal Growth

It’s not unusual for women with ample busts to struggle with fungal growth on the skin underneath the breast. This is a real problem. Your design prevents skin-on-skin contact, which prevents sweating, which prevents that fungal growth. A+ for the help in that department.

Mastitis

The other day I started experiencing pain from a clogged milk duct. Guess what! The fact that the Bust Sling Bra has no underwire and is very gentle on the breast tissue made it the perfect bra to wear while trying to prevent the pain from turning into full-blown mastitis. Another A+.

Cost and Durability
Kenna is new to sewing. She found this an easy bra to create.

It’s nice to know that even a beginner’s experiences can be useful. I plan to recommend this bra design, and your class, to anyone who asks me about nursing bras. I find your design very refreshing. Bras have been a constant source of angst for me for many many years.

Another little tidbit about your approach that I love is the cost factor. When I buy conventional bras, they easily cost me $60.00 per bra, if not more. Then they last for no more than a year, and often times less than that. If I launder them adequately to prevent fungal growth, they will last no more than 3 months. With your approach, I can make a bra out of material that can be laundered, and I can do it very economically.

All these things have me very excited! I get good fit, adequate support, ease of care, better skin health, and a great nursing bra for a very reasonable price.

Period Patternmaking

The history of patternmaking is an interesting field which I have only explored minimally. From the research I have done, the early patternmaking techniques use detailed instructions to create patterns from measurements for specific garments. These instructions must be followed by rote.

To show you what I mean, below I am including an illustration and instructions from the Cutters’ Practical Guide: Gentlemen’s Garments for making Jodhpurs. To the best of my knowledge the copyright of this book has expired so sharing this page is not a violation of anyone’s rights to this material. The written instructions are exactly as they appear in the book.

JODHPURS.

Diagram 6.

Measures. 32 waist, 38 seat, 13½ to knee, 30 full length, 42 sideseam, 14 knee, 12½ small, 14 calf. Bottom measure to taste. Scale equals half seat 19.
1 from O equals the bodyrise, 12ins. 2 from 1 equals 2ins. 3 from 1 equals ½in. 4 from 0 equals half-scale. 5 from 4 equals 1½ins. 6 from 2 equals one-fourth waist plus ½in. Spring out ¼in. to 7. 8 from 0 equals one-sixth scale plus 1in. 9 from 8 equals 1in. 10 from 9 equals length to knee. 11 from 9 equals length to small, 2½ins. below. 12 from 11 equals 3½ins. 13 from 9 equals full leg length plus a seam. 14 from 10 equals 1in. square down to 15, 16 and 17. 18 from 10 equals one-fourth of knee. Square down from 18 to 19 and 20. 21 from 18 equals half knee. 22 from 19 equals half small. 23 from 20 equals half calf. 24 from 17 equals ½in. less than 23 to 16. 25 from 0 equals one-sixth of scale. 26 from 14 equals 1½ins. Join 26 to 5 and add 3ins. of round to the sideseam.
The Undersides. 27 from 0 equals one-third of scale plus 1in. Draw the seat angle from 25 through 27 to 28. 28 from the waistline equals 4ins. Hollow the seat seam 3/8in. at 29. Measure from 2 to 6 and apply by half waist measure from 29 to 30 plus 2ins. for seams and waist dart. Spring out 1/4in. to 31. 32 from 28 equals 2ins. 33 from 32 equals 1½ins. 34 from 25 equals 2½ins. 35, 36, 37 and 38 are each 1in. Measure from 21 to 14 and apply from 35 to 39, the knee measure plus 1½ins. for seams and ease. Measure from 22 to 15 and apply the small measure plus 1½ins. from 36 to 40. Measure from 23 to 16 and apply the calf measure plus 1½ins. from 37 to 41. 42 from 13 is ½in. less than 41 to 12. 43 from 39 equals ½in. 44 from 36 equals ½in. Shape the knee gore seam as shown to intersect at 45. 46 from 5 equals 2ins. Join 46 to 43 and shape sideseam,. 47 from 46 is ½in. less than from 5 to the knee tack, ½in. below 14. Shape 47, 45 and 44, making the seams equal in length. 48 from 31 equals 3½ins. Mark out ½in. dart as shown to 49 and 50. Add 4½ins. for permanent turn-up bottoms. When the pattern is cut, add seams to each of the gore seams from 43 to 44 and 47 to 44. Reduce to bottom measure by dart to calf line.

The reason I have not explored more of the history of patternmaking is that when I was developing my book How to Make Sewing Patterns, I wanted to understand the concept behind the patterns and how two-dimensional patterns related to the three-dimensional shapes of the body. I did not want to have instructions that had to be followed blindly. I find the instructions above rather intimidating but historically very interesting.

I would love to see a scholarly work that traces all the variations of patternmaking techniques through the centuries. I am afraid this is not a project I will undertake as I have enough to do with my own approach which continues to evolve as you can see by this blog.

Pants Fitting Issues

Getting pants to fit can be a challenge. My mantra is nature never makes the same shape twice. Working with people in my online How to Make a Pants Sloper class I have had the opportunity to hone and fine tune some of the ideas in my book How to Make Sewing Patterns. The information below is intended to supplement the material in my book.

Crotch Curve
One issue that arises is that fabric in a slacks cut pants can buckle under the buttocks as I show in my book.

This is caused either by posture or the soft tissue of the buttocks going south. What we discovered by doing some field testing in my class is that this fitting issue is actually reflected in measurements.

When I was researching pants patterns the crotch curve never dropped lower than the top of the inseam. This means that when you add the Crotch Depth and Inseam measurements they will equal the Waist to Floor measurement.

But in some bodies the buttocks can be lower than the ideal location for the top of the inseam. In this case the Inseam measurement indicates the length of the inseam and the Crotch Depth indicates how much the back crotch curve needs to be lowered for an appropriate fit. I have written and illustrated this relationship in a little more detail in a Crotch Curve PDF file you are welcome to download.

Adjusting for Tummies
Another fitting issue that we have addressed in my class is how to optimize the fit of pants for women with tummies. I am grateful for the assistance that Barbara Cleary provided in field testing a new measurement and giving me permission to use pictures of her journey addressing this issue.

Once again in my book I indicated how to adjust for tummies on page 40. The concept is to extend the front crotch curve so the pants don’t pull in tightly directly under the tummy as you can see in the “before” photo on the left. What Barbara and I worked out is how to use a Tummy Width measurement to establish how much the front crotch curve needs to be extended so the pants will not pull in here, the photo on the right. Here is a link to the Optimizing for Tummies PDF file you can download.

Caveat: beware of relying too much on the measurements. The only way to really evaluate pattern shapes is in a fitting. Use these measurement ideas only as an initial guide.

Sway Back Posture

One of the fitting issues that has come up in my online class How to Make a Lower Torso Sloper is the sway back posture which some refer to as a “tilted waist.” If a body has this posture, it can affect the fit of any pair of pants or skirt you buy or make. These garments “hang” when the hips are larger than the waist. If the waist is larger than the hips, then the skirt or pants have nothing to hold them up–except suspenders.

The tummy affects the fit of the front and can be larger than the hips. It is the shaping of the back pattern from side seam to center back that the sway back fit addresses. It is a common posture configuration for many women. If the fit of the back and sides is correct for a particular body, this portion of the garment may also hold up the front even if there is a tummy. Only creating an accurate fit for a specific body will you know whether this will work.

If you look at the picture below you will see how this person’s sway back is flat from the natural waist to about 2″ down toward the hips. If the top of the waistband is low enough, the sway back will not affect the fit. But if the waistband is within the range of this flat area of the back and the dart is not shaped accordingly, the garment will tend to slide down and hang unevenly. This shaping is also important for the Contoured Waistband which I describe in another blog topic.

It is my experience that the best way to create a sloper that fits accurately is to align the grain of the fabric to the contours of the body keeping the horizontal grain parallel to the floor and the vertical grain at right angles to the floor. For a sway back posture this means that the top of the hip dart will be parallel or almost parallel where the back is flat, then angle out to the fullest part of the hip at the bottom of the sway back contour.

This posture will also affect the fit of any dress, coat, or jacket that is shaped to fit the back.

Creating a Custom Quorra Costume

The movie “TRON: Legacy” (2010) has inspired an interest in the costumes worn by the principle actors. In February of this year I had the opportunity to create a Quorra lookalike costume for an Equity actress I have worked with, Alexandra Matthew. She used the costume for a corporate gig in the Silicon Valley.

When I started researching I was intrigued that the costumes were created using high-tech body scans. Even so Olivia Wilde, who played Quorra, said it took 11 fittings to create a costume that fit her and could do the required stunts. This in itself was enough to make me want too take on the challenge of creating this particular costume.

I knew some adaptation to the costume would be required. Olivia had wardrobe experts to help her into the costume and the batteries that lit the suit lasted only 12 minutes. Alexandra needed a costume that was wearable for at least 4 hours. The first decision the producer and I made was that we would use black light technology for the glow in the dark feature. This was instead of the electro-luminescence technology used in the movie. I also decided to use a combination of pleather, buckram, and Tricot bonded foam to create the “armor” like appearance of the costume. This was instead of the latex foam and spandex used in the movie.

It was extremely tricky to determine the lines of the costume because the movie was so dark. Fortunately, using a Google Image search, I ran across a woman, Briana Lamb, who had seen the movie a number of times and created wonderful annotated line drawings of the costume.

From these drawings I could see a princess line sloper would be the best approach. Fortunately I already had such a sloper for Alexandra. From a pattern perspective there really wasn’t much to do except draw in the design lines on the sloper.

The challenge came in trying to figure out how the costume was to be taken on and off. There was no indication of any opening device. Also the neckline was so close fitting I knew that an over the head pull on would not work. I ended up using hook and eyes and velcro straps on the shoulders and under the arm. It also required a velcro closure at center front to achieve a neckline that was close to the original design–but not exactly the same. During one of the initial fittings we established that some on the closing devices I used could be eliminated.

Then there was wrap around skirt, leggings, and armor for the arms and legs. The final challenge was getting the black light paint to adhere to the pleather. I ended up using an undercoating of acrylic under the black light paint. In retrospect I think a regular paint primer would probably have required fewer coats. I was primarily concerned that the paint would not crack with movement.

The producer purchased the “identity ring” from Toys’R Us and Alexandra purchased the boots and wig.

Adjusting the Sleevecap and Armscye

My current thinking about sleeve caps is a little different from what I have in my book How to Make Sewing Patterns. I have used the approach I described in my book for a long time. But since I have been teaching my Online Classes, I have had some additional thoughts and observations which I want to share.

Background First:
The reason for ease in sleeve caps is a little different than the reason for ease in other parts of the slopers. A minimum fitting ease is added so you can move comfortably in a garment. If your design calls for additional fullness beyond the basic comfort factor, this is design ease.

The ease in the sleeve cap is to adjust the fabric of the sleeve so it can be shaped over the shoulder. This ease, unlike other ease factors, can be referred to as “sewing ease.” The sleevecap needs to be worked into the armscye (aka armhole) during the sewing process. I show why this is required in more detail in my blog entry “Sleeve Caps – The Reason for Ease.”

When I was researching my book I found the sewing ease that seems to be not only a “standard” but something that actually works on most bodies is to add 3/8″ of ease to both the front and back of the sleeve cap making the total sleevecap 3/4″ larger than the armscye, see page 74 of my book.

Always Fit the Bodice First:
Before you start to develop a sleeve sloper you need to have the fit of the armscye worked out for the upper torso (aka Bodice).

Adjusting Side Seam and Underarm Ease:
Once you have drafted the sleeve as I show in my book you need to verify that the length of the sleeve cap has the necessary sewing ease as described above. It has been my experience that for a lot of bodies, the sleeve cap drafts very close to the appropriate length. I show how to make any necessary adjustments on page 73.

Caveat: After listening to the issues of the people in my online classes it has occurred to me that the “standards” of ease for the bodice and sleeve may not be appropriate for the proportions of some bodies. It may be possible that some people have a smaller or larger arm than is accommodated by standard ease measurements. If this is the case, ignore the “standards” of 4″ of ease for the bodice and 3″ for the sleeve. Adjust your sleeve cap or bodice to which ever is the largest length required, see Figure 150 on page 73.

Use the following steps to create a fitting shell to determine if you have the correct amount of ease for the comfort and fit you want.

Bra Issues

For the last four years I have run the Yahoo group How to Make Custom-Fit Bras. During this time I have listened to the issues women have with the design of conventional bras. The result is the concept for a different type of bra based on a suspension structure rather than the cantilever structure of conventional bras. I call this alternate type of bra a Bust Sling Bra. I was pleased by the response of one of my early testers, Becky Hess. One of her first experiments was to wear it for 9 holes of golf. An exercise that requires a lot of upper body movement.

I made one of the test bra slings. I am happy to report that it is the most
comfortable bra I wear. I wear it every chance I get. My girls are on the large
side and the bra sling gives me great support, and lift.

There are a variety of issues I have responded to with the design of this bra as I describe in my online class How to Make Bust Sling Bras and Variations.

Underwires
Bra underwires are problematic for women for several reasons.

• Underwires are not the right length poking the underarm area
• The left and right breasts can be different sizes
• Some women need an underwire that is flat on the bottom. No commercial underwire is shaped like this.
• Underwires ultimately poke through the channeling with time.

The conventional bra uses an underwire to hold the bra cup close to the body, particularly at the breast bone in front. The Bust Sling Bra eliminates the need for an underwire by using a suspension structure that follows the natural contours of the body.

Separation between Breasts
Some women have no separation between the breasts at the full bust level. This means that the underwires of a conventional bra can not go high enough to provide adequate control of the bra. The Bust Sling bra only requires the thickness of the fabric to fit between the breasts to provide appropriate support. I trust that this fabric riding between the breast will improve comfort in warm climates where perspiration and other issues can be a factor.

Front Opening
The largest clasp for a front closure for a conventional bra is 1-3/8″. This is not tall enough to reach the full bust level which is important to prevent East/West drift. The Bust Sling Bra removes the tension around the rib cage allowing for a variety of different kinds of front closure devices including separating zippers. This should be of special benefit for women with mobility issues who find it difficult to use a back closure for a bra.

Bra Strap Width
The largest readily available width for bra straps for conventional bras is 3/4″. Conventional wisdom is that these straps should not support more than 10% of the weight of the breast. When the bra strap is narrow it can pinch nerves and result in other serious health issues. After consulting with a friend who is a doctor, he said that the issue is not placing weight on the shoulders but the width of the strap. He pointed out that back packs use a wide strap.

The width of the strap for Bust Sling Bras can be up to the full width of the shoulder–even wider than that found on back packs. For women whose breasts are smaller or self supporting, the straps on a Bust Sling can be as small as 1/8″.

Support from the Back
Given that the Bust Sling relies on a suspension style, the support from the back up to the shoulders is an important issue. But like the width of the strap this will vary with the needs of the individual. For this reason I show variations for the back that include a halter style around the neck, an “X” back, a racer back, and a hybrid that uses the same kind of band around the rib cage as found in a conventional bra.

East/West Drift
An important issue women have with bras is the East/West drift. Large breasts can tend to spread to the sides. The Bust Sling uses two means for controlling East/West drift. First the position of the Bust Slings can be adjusted at the rib cage. But for many women additional support can be added to the full bust level using a bridge between the two Bust Slings. As mentioned in the topic of the front opening, this bridge can incorporate a zipper. If desired the bridge can even be carried above the full bust level.

Rib Cage Elastic
Some women have trouble with conventional bras because the elastic band under the bust rolls up and becomes uncomfortable. For the Bust Sling Bra you can use any type of elastic of any width including the wide non-roll elastic used in waistbands. I have even made a dress for my model that uses no elastic at all around the rib cage. Depending on the body, this could be an important consideration for women who have scar tissue from surgery.

Life Expectancy of the Bra
I have heard comments from women who say a bra will only last them three or four months before it looses it’s tension and is unusable. The structure of the Bust Sling is such that it does not depend on tension around the rib cage. As mentioned above it may even be possible to make a Bust Sling garment with no elastic. This means a Bust Sling Bra should have the same life expectancy as any other garment that is laundered regularly.

Support for Fluff
I have heard for women refer to their soft tissue around the rib cage as “fluff.” This is a fun term but obviously can be uncomfortable when it is pinched by a tight band around the rib cage. With the Bust Sling Bra the support comes over the shoulders minimizing the tension around the rib cage. In addition by offering different styles for the back such as the racer back and the hybrid, there is an inherent ability to support this fluff in a comfortable way.

Profile Enhancement
The Bust Sling can include a pocket for either one side or both to include a bra cup for profile enhancement or a prosthetic device.

Styling Concerns
One issue that seems to come up pretty frequently is that conventional bras designed for large breasts are ugly and institutional looking. Fortunately I don’t consider that an issue for the Bust Sling Bra because it can be used with any type of fabric and any type of elastic. The lines can be changed to create different designs as long as the underlying structure is maintained. Furthermore the structure of the Bust Sling can be used to create Empire style tops, dresses, and gowns that do not require an additional undergarment.