Don McCunn's Blog

Book Review: Expecting Style

December 17, 2011 on 6:32 pm | In Book Reviews, Fitting Issues, Sewing Techniques | No Comments

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.

Bust Sling Nursing Bra

July 20, 2011 on 7:05 pm | In Bust Sling Bras, Custom-Fit Bra Making, Fitting Issues, Online Classes, pattern making | No Comments

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.

Pants Fitting Issues

June 25, 2011 on 12:02 am | In "How to Make Sewing Patterns" book updates, Fitting Issues, Online Classes, pattern making | No Comments

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

June 1, 2011 on 4:01 pm | In "How to Make Sewing Patterns" book updates, Fitting Issues, Online Classes, pattern making | No Comments

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.

Adjusting the Sleevecap and Armscye

February 8, 2011 on 8:12 pm | In "How to Make Sewing Patterns" book updates, Fitting Issues, Online Classes, Sewing Techniques, pattern making | No Comments

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

November 1, 2010 on 8:25 pm | In Bust Sling Bras, Custom-Fit Bra Making, Fitting Issues, Online Classes, Sewing Techniques, pattern making | No Comments

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.

Introducting the Bust Sling Bra

October 15, 2010 on 8:25 pm | In Bust Sling Bras, Custom-Fit Bra Making, Fitting Issues, Online Classes, pattern making | No Comments

I have developed a new design process for my online patternmaking class How to Make Bust Sling Bras & Variations.

The premise of this design is that the conventional bra has been designed for the young woman in her reproductive years. When women enter their post reproductive years, both the body and the personality can change dramatically. But the basic structure of the conventional bra remains the same.

The conventional bra is based on a cantilever concept where the weight of the breast is supported by the band around the rib cage. My Bust Sling Bra changes the support structure to a suspension style that follows the natural contours of the body.

Because the structure of this bra provides support by following the natural contours of the body it can be used to create garments with built in support that require no additional undergarment. This approach also eliminates the need for underwires. It is an open design concept that can be used to create garments for women of all ages.

The design is motivated by the comments I have been listening to for the last four years through my Yahoo group Custom Bras. I trust with this one design concept I have been able to address almost all the issues women are faced with in a conventional bra.

Changing One Dart to Two

July 3, 2010 on 12:02 am | In Fitting Issues, Pattern Design Guides, pattern making | No Comments

I am working on a design concept for custom-fit bras based on the Bust Sling from my eBook How to Make Custom-Fit Bras. This design lends itself quite naturally to a bra for nursing mothers. A neighbor of mine is about to give birth to her second child. She has graciously agreed to test this concept for a bra. She has indicated that she prefers nursing bras that have foam in the covering portion of the cup.

As I was developing the pattern for the foam for this design I found it was going to have a rather large dart. In the past we have discussed in my group How to Make Sewing Patterns the problems of darts for women with larger cup sizes. They can become quite pointy.

I decided to tackle the problem of changing one dart to two for this particular design. I wasn’t sure how to best approach keeping the shape while changing the dart. I like to advocate the use of poster board to test out pattern shapes. Particularly for the complex curves of bra patterns. The photo below shows the evolution of changing a single dart to two darts.

Here are the steps I followed:

1. The first photo shows the shape of the pattern for foam with a single dart.
2. I wanted to spread the distance between the two darts based on the Bust Circle which I describe on page 58 of my book How to Make Sewing Patterns. I opted to spread the darts by 5/8″ to either side of the existing dart. Those are the two pencil lines in the second pattern that are parallel to the sides of the dart.
3. I taped the single dart in the poster board closed, then cut along the two lines from the step above. I flattened the poster board.
4. When I made this pattern I discovered that the bottom curve of the pattern needed to be adjusted slightly when the poster board was flattened. Both the body and fabric have give. This minor change in the shape of the pattern does not concern me. I show this adjustment to the pattern with the red line in the fourth pattern above.

The last two images compare the poster board shapes of the one dart and two dart shapes. I was pleased enough with the results that I decided to make them up using the swimsuit techniques I describe in my eBook How to Make Bikinis and Bandeaux.

The final test will be to see which of these two styles looks best on my neighbor with her input being crucial to the final decision. I am intrigued by the process of exploring pattern shapes as a collaborative process with the person who will wear the final garment. I recommend that if you follow this procedure, you take it in the kind of small steps I have indicated here. I would be very hesitant to change my concept if this was the final product. But it isn’t. It is just one small step in a larger process.

If you are interested in learning more about the evolution of this particular design, I am sharing the process with my Yahoo group How to Make Custom-Fit Bras.

Preparing for Red Dress Day

June 3, 2010 on 12:50 am | In Events, Fitting Issues, Sewing Techniques, pattern making | No Comments

Bill Rivers		Raj and Susan Walia
To see a larger version, click on an image. More Photos on Flickr

Awhile ago a friend of my wife and I, Bill Rivers, mentioned he was going to celebrate his 50th birthday by doing the AIDS/LifeCycle 7-day bike ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles from June 6-12, 2010. We got to talking and he told us about the special day when everyone, men and women, wear red dresses.

Somehow the discussion veered on to the idea that he would like a red tutu. I had acquired instructions for making tutus back in the 70s and had always wanted to make one. So the die was cast. I started as I always do by researching images of different styles of tutus. Boy are there a lot of variations. I saw one that I really liked because it reminded me of the cartridge pleated Elizabethan Neck Ruffs that I had made before.

So when Bill came over for measurements I showed him the images of what I was thinking of as well as the other variations. We got to discussing how to make the tutu so that he could wear it all day long. Bill also expressed an interest in wearing it for the entire 7 days of the ride. So the challenge became how to make a tutu that you could wear with different clothes that were going to be exposed to some serious exercise.

I came up with the idea of building the cartridge pleats on a wide elastic waistband that could be worn over just about any garment. I pulled some waistband elastic from my stash of elastic and put it around Bill’s waist so we could adjust it for the comfort factor. This was the easiest measurement/fitting session I had ever done.

Then I was off to my favorite fabric store in San Francisco, the Fabric Outlet on Mission street, to buy the yards and yards of fabric that were going to be required. One of the reasons I love this store is I can always find fabric that surprises me. I was not disappointed. I found a red net fabric that had a metallic sparkle to it. They also happened to have some wonderful red ribbon trim that sparkled as well and was a wonderful complement to the fabric. From my research I knew I needed to bulk out the fabric to achieve the effect I wanted so I also bought some regular red nylon netting. It was not nearly as lustrous as the metallic netting so I used it as an inner lining for the tutu.

Then all I had to do was to sew it up–Ha, Ha, Ha. Cartridge pleating is interesting to do. But to stabilize it so it would stand up to vigorous wear was a major challenge. But I persevered with the results you can see.

Part II

In the middle of this project my computer died. Fortunately I live 5 blocks from a wonderful business which builds custom computers for me, Castro Computer Service. I lugged my dead computer down to them and cried “Help my computer died.” They took it in and checked it out and told me sadly that the motherboard was a goner.

As I was talking to them about building me a new computer and having them save my life by transferring all my data and programs to the new computer from the old one the topic of the AIDS/LifeCycle came up. It turns out that my computer guru, Raj, was doing the ride for the second year and was being joined by his sister, Susan, the woman who manages the business end of Castro Computing Services with a firm hand–don’t try to put anything over on her. It turns out their mother is going along as a roadie.

Susan and I talked about the Red Dress Day and she told me how much she wanted to wear a cape. I got intrigued by the idea because I have worn a cape and know how hard it can be to keep them on when you are just standing around, much less riding a bike. Once again the die was cast. By knocking our heads together Susan and I came up with a cape that was a full circle of fabric with an opening for her head.

I put one together and when she road tested it, she came up with the idea of adding straps to keep the fabric from flying up in her face so she could see where she was going. It sounded like a good idea to me so I made the addition.

And of course we couldn’t leave Raj out of the picture. He is a very masculine kind of guy so I envisioned him with a vest. Thinking of my conversation with Bill I wanted to create something that could be worn over any other garment. When he came by for measurements and a quick draping fit I could see he was disappointed in not having more. We talked back and forth and decided a frilly skirt would be a nice addition. Strong masculine from the waist up and nice and feminine from the waist down.

Back to my favorite fabric store where I found a lovely crushed, panne velvet with nice frilly lace for the skirt. You gotta love a fabric store that so consistently delivers the goods. They have a fabric and notion selection to die for.

But enough of me talking. Check out this YouTube where you can hear about this ride from Bill, Susan, and Raj and this wonderful venture they are participating in.

To see more of their stories and contribute your support, if you should so desire, check out the pages below.

• Bill Rivers
• Susan Walia
• Raj Walia

Marking for DIY Fittings

April 20, 2010 on 12:38 am | In "How to Make Sewing Patterns" book updates, Fitting Issues, Online Classes, Sewing Techniques, pattern making | No Comments

Back in the 1970s I wrote in my book How to Make Sewing Patterns about how you could fit yourself using typewriter ribbon to mark those hard to reach places. Who would know back then that typewriter ribbon would become so hard to obtain.

Fortunately I have found a product that works as a wonderful substitute for typewriter ribbon. It is called Chaco Liner from Clover Products. This product comes in a dispenser that allows you to draw lines on fabric using a device with a spoked wheel. The video below shows how to use the Chaco Liner Refill to mark the hard to reach locations such as the top of back darts and seams like the neck curve.