Patience, Patience

I have now fully deconstructed, traced to paper and cut new fabric for the RTW plunge bra.

Sounds good, doesn't it?

But with bras, it's always a long view proposition.

Turns out I do not have the right widths of elastic to proceed. My stash is comprised of much thicker stuff. The more I compare the pattern bras for my size, against the RTW bras I own, the less surprised I am that the handmade bras haven't fit. We've been trained to think that wider or bigger is more "supportive". It's really not true. The more I consider this, the more I come to the conclusion that it's the construction mechanism which defines support. Of course, this implies use of the highest end materials and notions. RTW bra companies have ready-access to these supplies. Home sewists trying to make large bras, not so much.

My point is, if you have small(ish) breasts and you look around a bit, you can find totally adequate fabrics, notions etc. If you've got large breasts, requiring "architectural" supplies, that becomes a much more challenging task.

For example, even having spend hundreds of dollars on bra supplies, here's what I've figured out I STILL need - stuff I'm still working to source:

• Stable, high-end wires. (Note: I have bought some I have high hopes for from Danglez. Dini, the owner, was kind enough, when I requested, to mail me 4 sets of wires in a small box for 15 euros less than 20 euros it costs to send anything from NL to Canada via Danglez. That made the risk affordable and I greatly appreciate the consideration.)
• 2 wide x 3 long hook / eye sets that aren't made of inferior quality with badly finished siding. I also need them to be 1.25 inches wide, not the 1.5 inches that the other sets I've bought have been.
• Top band elastic at 3/8 inch. I've got 5/8 inch...
• Bottom band elastic at 5/8 inch I've got 3/4 inch...
• Really high quality lingerie fabric with the smallest amount of width stretch. I've been working largely with Duoplex, a fabric with no stretch and it's limiting! I do have all kinds of stabilizers and linings and interfacing but I really don't know how to work well enough with them yet. And till I do, I need some gorgeous, stable, fashion fabric options (the likes of which all the high-end lingerie RTW companies provide).
  

I am also increasingly convinced that every sloper I've tried has been the wrong shape for me. When I compared the deconstructed RTW against one of my previous patterns (admittedly, the RTW is a plunge and the pattern was a balconette) I was SHOCKED by the difference in every single piece. I'm not yet skilled enough with the 3 dimensional thinking to explain how the shapes of the pieces speak to the shape of my breasts and frame, but maybe I'll figure it out as I go along. And then I WILL share.

Unless you're really skilled or really lucky, I sense that getting from "bra making novice" to "bra making expert" is a long and expensive road. The only thing I can say is that RTW bras are so costly, eventually the scales may level.

I'll keep you posted on developments...