This bra is quite complex to draft and make, so if you get a good fit and your bra is of merchantable quality, award yourself a university honours degree in intimate apparel... but do not forget to hand in a sketch book to go with the design for that degree. This style of bra may be considered by some of you as being rather “Matronly” but it is intended to give very good support and shaping, and again the choice of fabrics and colour can change it’s look. How about a fun red polka-dot fabric for the cups?

First, a bit more “Grey’s Anatomy for the fashion conscious” and a very interesting fact: no matter where in the world you good ladies were born, your ethnic background, or your size, your breast tissue root starts at your second ribs and ends in-between the 5th and 6th ribs. (The rib size and spacing is different for different “chest wall” sizes.) So the writers of the 1980’s feminist magazine “Spare Rib” should have called the magazine “Second Rib” or “The 5th and 6th”.

So, on with the bra draft - you know what to get out by now...

This bra is similar to the part-framed bra but with the addition of Powernet for the centre front running up the neck hemlines of the cups to help to stop any “double bust” syndrome. We are aiming for “total encapsulation” here.

Start by defining the basic cup shape as with the Part Framed bra in the last article.

Now we will move the cup apex (strap point) to a position more above the P of B (point of bust). Divide the cup dart lines 5/4 in half and draw a line up through P of B. Draw a line at 10 degrees to the line from the P of B. Mark this line as 1a.

Along the extended line 3 put a mark at 1.2cm or 1.6cm for cup sizes above size 9 from the edge of the cup. At this mark, draw a centre front line parallel to the line 2 / 90 degrees line. You can extend the centre front line above line 2 by 1cm or more for more neck hemline / centre-front encapsulation.

It is a good idea for larger cup sizes to increase the centre-front line.

The next step is very similar to the part-framed bra. Measure the length of line 1 and transfer this measurement to line 1a. Draw a line square to the line 1a and make the length the same as your chosen bra strap width.

Draw a line parallel to the line 1cm above, if you have added 1cm at the centre-front above line 2, then draw the parallel line 2cm up.

Now draw a new neck hemline from the cup apex to the centre-front, and curve this line at the cup apex end - see diagram.

We need now to start to define the perimeter of the cup within the frame. Measure the length of the 82 degrees line to line 7. Transfer this measurement to the 90-degree line to line 5 and put a mark. As with the part-framed bra, this mark will be one end of the underarm side cup curve.

Now go to the new cup apex and draw a line through the centre of the of the “strap width lines” down to the original neckline hemline. Where the line touches the old neckline hemline is the next mark for the underarm side cup curve.

Using your flexi curve or French curve, draw a smooth curve from the first mark, through the original neckline hem mark, to the new neck hemline.

For the centre-front side of the cup, draw a curve from the cup apex / neck hemline mark, through the original end of line 3, then just past line 3 follow the curve of the original darted cup hem to the end of line 4.

We need now to draft the cradle under the cup - part of this cradle will be made from the Powernet that forms the centre front / neckline. Again the process is very similar to the part-framed bra.
So, vertical 2cm line, horizontal lines at 102 and 108 degrees, copy cup and bridge shapes to the lines. Draw lines at 96 / 87 degrees at the end of the vertical 2cm line to form underband hemline.

Extend the centre front line down to meet the underband hemline and extend the 82 degrees line to line 7 also down to the underband hemline, this line will become a seam in the wing where we will sew in a bone.
Extend the cup under arm side curve down to the underband hemline; use your flexi curve or French curve to keep the curve smooth.

Extend the 90-degree line-to-line 2 down to the underband hemline, and at this point, draw a line at 60 degrees to the 87-degree underband line - see diagram. This line will become the none-stretch fabric cradle to Powernet seam line.

For the wing, follow the diagram. As before, the number of hooks and eyes for the back fastening is up to you - but I would suggest no less than two hooks / eyes deep. I have made the length of the wing 34% of back measurement but you can again adjust this to match your Powernet / personal fitting preference. (BM = back measurement.)

Curve the underarm / wing hemline, curve 1. The strap point to CB wing end, curve 2. And the bottom hem, curve 3.

Now separate the wing / cradle / frame drafts into parts by tracing the outlines.

Two more things to do before we add seam allowance: firstly smooth of the curve of the cradle to cup seam line...

...and on the centre front / neck hemline part, place the cup draft onto the part and draw a line at 45 degrees to the centre front seam starting were cup line 2 touches the centre-front line, across the part - see diagram. This new part will become a non-stretch lining to the Powernet to stop the cups / frame stretching apart at the centre-front.

Separate the cup shape from the frame, tracing the outlines.

For this bra I will divide the cup into three panels, dividing the cup at lines 6 / 3 for an overbust seam with an underbust seam lines 4 / 5.

You should now have 8 main parts (half the bra) ready for seam allowance to be added.

• Wing (Powernet)
• Underarm side frame (Powernet)
• Cradle (non-stretch)
• Centre-front neckline frame (Powernet)
• Centre-front lining (non-stretch)
• Cup top panel (non-stretch)
• Cup lower underarm side panel (non-stretch)
• Cup lower centre-front side panel (non-stretch)

As usual, use 5mm seam allowance, but with extra seam allowance at end of the wings for the hook and eyes, and 1cm seam allowance at the cup / frame apex to pass though the strap ring / slide.

Now to sew it all together... and no pinning patterns to fabric - that’s home sewing! Use a fairly strong Powernet for the cup frames; we want stretch but not too much or the cups will distort. Start with the cups, seam, seam tape and put to one side.

Turn over the top edge of the centre-front lining parts and tack-stitch to the centre-front Powernet frame parts.

Sew cradle parts to centre-front Powernet frame parts, and then fold seam allowance open and seam tape over.

Now sew the cups to the cradle / centre-front frames and seam tape. Do not sew the cups / frames together at the centre-front seam yet. As usual, try not using pins but “feed” the opposing curves of the cup and frame/cradle into the machine.

Next, sew the underarm side Powernet frame parts to the cup / cradle and again, seam tape over. You should now have completely framed cups.

Zig zag sew and turn under the neckline hems with thin plush elastic.

Sew frames together at the centre front; fold open seam allowance and seam tape over.

Now sew the wings to the underarm side frames, folding the seam allowance towards the centre-back, and seam tape without stretching the Powernet - in preparation for the plush bone casings.

Zig zagging and turning under, sew plush elastic to the bottom hem and the wing / underarm side frames

Apply plush bone casing to the wing / underarm side frame seam, and insert plastic or flat spiral boning.

Make up two straps from 45cm strap elastic for each, with two strap sliders for each - see pics.

Three-step zig zag stitch strap ends to wings and pass through cup / frame apex through slider and stitch down.

Sew on hook and eye tapes to ends of wings, then try on.

I have made my example very “Plain Jane” to concentrate on the construction sewing, but as always, you can use more fancy fabrics, colours and apply trims to your own taste.
'I could' suggest that you may like to use faggoting tape in the underbust cup seams, but that may be interpreted as stepping on the copyright toes of a certain German underwear manufacture, who for some strange reason people in Britain think is a British company. (Possibly because the certain German underwear manufacturer has almost the same name as a British motorcycle manufacturer.)

'I could' also suggest that you may like to use a stretch faggoting tape in between the cup and the Powernet part of the frame to give a “floating self adjusting cup”, but that could be interpreted as stepping on the copyright toes of a certain American underwear manufacture who said that you could wear one of their foundation garments for “Eighteen Hours” . (Why eighteen hours? Why not wear for twenty hours or sixteen hours? If you know why the girdle was an eighteen-hour one please let me know...)

Back to designing... and some more homework for you. As with the corselet and darted cup from a previous article, you can use the soft bra cup shapes in other foundation garments - do not just think 'Bra'.

Here are two all-in-ones from my pattern drafting / sewing machine, using full-framed cups. You can just about see how the side seam of the cup / frame runs into the side seam of the body.

I will go over “Bifurcated garments” (foundation garments with a crotch / legs) another time.

Still more homework for tonight! For those of you who may be interested in making nursing or maternity bras, this full-framed cup bra could be a starting point? Espedcially with no underwires next to tender, lactating breast tissue. Think about making part inner cups, say just a 2cm wide band derived from the cup pattern parts for support with opening full cups over the top. You could partly sew the full outer cup to the frame and use a strap hook at the cup apex to fasten to a fabric loop on the main bra strap for opening...

 

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