Hugs for Your Jugs

I was hoping to do a play-by-play alterations process for these cups but as it took me a long time to truly understand what was going on with them — and 8 toiles to fit it — it’s better if I summarise what I’ve learned about the fitting of this bra and how to address various fit issues. Mine still isn’t completely perfect but it’s very functional and I’m happy with it. If I were to fit it on someone else I believe I could do it a lot faster and have a more successful result overall. Be sure to check out the cradle and band fitting process in part 1 if you missed it. This post was released early to my lovely supporters on Ko-fi. To get early access to posts, or access to extended editions of posts, you can support me for just £2/$3 a month! Here are the original pattern pieces after reducing the wireline (top), and my final cups after alteration (bottom)— you can see that significant changes have been made. So I will try to talk you through the differences and the rationa

The Galina by Madalynne Intimates has had lots of exposure lately, it's been all over Instagram and TikTok with a bunch of bra influencers promoting it. I've been meaning to tackle patterns lately, hoping it will help others fit bras to themselves - and why not start with this pretty iconic bra? Part 2, where I alter the cups, is out now! This post was made possible by my lovely supporters on Ko-fi. To get early access to posts, or access to extended editions of posts, you can support me for just £2/$3 a month! Left: Screenshot of @fullerbustbestie on Instagram, r etrieved from @madalynne . Right: pattern cover photo for Galina, retrieved from madalynne.com Pre-Impressions and Intentions While I really like the design as shown in smaller cup sizes, I'll be honest in that I'm not really a fan of how it turns from a plunge to almost a half cup in larger ones, nor the very separated shape that seems to come along with it. Here , here , and here are some examples

There are so many different strap configurations in sports bras that it's almost impossible to categorise them all. From standard T and U backs to racerbacks, J hooks, cutout racerbacks, decorative multi straps, what should you choose? Is there a physical reason why these strap styles are so popular, or is it just fashion? In this post, I will be referring to all styles that connect or cross in the back as racerbacks, and standard U or T backed straps as standard straps.  This post was released early to my  lovely supporters on Ko-fi. To get early access to posts, or access to extended editions of posts, you can support me for just £2/$3 a month!   What the studies say Yes, there's research into sports bras! in fact, multiple research teams have pitted sports bras against each other to test which features are most effective, and unfortunately the results vary quite a bit. While some (Zhou et al., 2013) have found that bras with a "cross back panel" (like st

This question caused a lot of intrigue on Instagram when I asked it, and it's a question that has confused me as well for a long time. Analysing this alteration and its effects has really improved my overall understanding of bra cup geometry, so even if you don't intend to wear darted cup bras, I would still recommend reading through this post to help understand other alterations. An extended version of this post can be found on my Ko-fi , where you can get instant access to this and previous extended blog posts for just £2. If you want, you can become a member for £2 a month to continue supporting my blog. I drew up a Foundations Revealed draft of a darted cup bra. It's possible to maintain all the internal cup radiuses and wireline lengths while altering the dart angle, shown below to make it both narrower and wider. When we widen the dart, the whole bra seems to shift upwards. What happens to the fit, though? Same pattern, changed dart width There were all manner of d

Bra making has taken a very modular turn in the past few years: to make a well fitting bra, you must: Take a root trace (while leaning forwards) Match this to a wire chart and order some similar wires Make a fitting band to fit your wire and band Add the cups and fit those This system works well for some, but there are some pitfalls that are very easy to get muddled in when approaching bra making like this. Beginners especially can sometimes be lost in endless alterations, a lack of lift, and perpetually uncomfortable bras. These issues stem largely from the ideas that: The best fitting wire is one that matches your root width perfectly The wire must fit close to perfectly for the bra to fit well A perfectly taken root trace (again, taken leaning forwards) will show your breast root perfectly The fit of the wire can - and should - be determined without adding the cups, to avoid tissue being pushed out by too small cups  The cups can then be easily altered to fit with this new frame