Like, a maximum cup size? Technically no, although the larger you go the more the pattern will distort and the more volume you try to contain in one dart, the pointer that dart will be. So if your pattern has one dart per side you may want to split the volume between multiple darts (how many depends on the design and time period) and even fit those darts on the body.
I'm currently a 30-32 I (ay-yi-yi!) and while there technically isn't a limit, depending on your fabric, you may run into one. If you notice on the modern FBA adjustment, the underarm curve gets more extreme as you size up. The more you size up, the more extreme the curve. When translated to fabric, well, some fabrics won't bend quite enough to deal with this curve. Your grain line at the side seam will be thrown off, too. Adding a side seam dart will help (instead of putting everything into a waist dart), but that changes the design. I don't know how one would deal with this on a historical pattern.
@@lizcademy4809 this is a really good point about the armhole. In my experience you definitely want the armhole curve to be slightly more extreme when doing an FBA otherwise you can get that weird gaping in that area but it can go too far. One work around would be to just an additional line from the apex to the shoulder leaving a tiny hinge at the shoulder (you could take the line to the point where the shoulder and neckline meet). Then, when you swing the side part of the pattern outward, you also swing the should outward a bit. This splits the volume added between the side bust and the upper chest. You will be adding s bit of space to the upper chest but it's a good compromise if you don't want such an extreme angle at the armhole. However, if your pattern has a low neckline like the Victorian ballgown bodice this can be hard to do since the neckline doesn't go all the way up to the natural shoulder. You can "pretend" it does by layering your bodice piece on top of a modern bodice block to find where the natural shoulder would have been and draw/connect your lines from there (hope that makes sense).
Everyone else has already said it, but I'll say it again. This was a fantastic explanation of bust adjustments!!!! I'm new to sewing and have set two projects aside because I knew something was wrong in the fit, but had no clue what it was. When you described what clues might indicate that you need an FBA, I nearly cheered out loud. (But I didn't. My family was sleeping.) Thank you for this spectacularly clear and helpful video.
Excellent! As a G/H cup (I'm in between band sizes which sucks) with small overbust and underbust measurements and ALSO petite from waist up, this is invaluable information. I have been choosing pattern sizes based on full bust and then doing heavy alterations everywhere else - mostly because FBAs scared me. This is by far the best tutorial I have ever seen for FBA! Choosing based on overbust measurement is lifechanging. I can't wait to give it a try. Thank you so much!
Oh my god, I never knew how much I needed this! I vaguely knew the importance of FBAs but I had no idea how to really do one, even after reading what feels like a million blog posts, even if they had pictures. Thank you SO much, this will make a world of difference when I'm sewing. There's an eight-to-nine inch difference between my underbust and full bust depending on where I am in my menstrual cycle so I really, really needed to learn how to do this!! Thank you thank you thank you
OMG this is a game changer! I have been a self taught sewer for 52 ish years. I quit sewing for myself in college over the frustration of buying patterns and sewing based on my measurement only to never have it fit. Just making my first ever historical regency dress for myself and the modification to the “stock” pattern is a miracle! Thank you so very much
This is like "finish in the usual way," except that it is "fit and make adjustments, then finish in the usual way." Thank you for this. The fact that the cup size stays the same was very revealing.
@@DixieDIY I should say, the old instructions are like "fit and make adjustments, then finish in the usual way." It never occurred to me that antique patterns really gave no instruction for bust adjustments. You don't know what you're missing until you need it.
I wish I could “like” this twice or maybe 1120 times. Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you!!!!! I cannot thank you enough for explaining the FBA, the difference between bra and sewing cup size, just everything!!!! My historical clothing will fit SO much better now!!!! I guess I’m lucky that most of what I’ve made so far have been Truly Victorian patterns and have fit well, but ones I’ve made from other companies- not so much and I didn’t understand why. I just watched “ The Closet Historian”’s video explaining the purpose of darts and how to move them around the other day ( excellent videos) and I knew there must be SOMETHING I could do to my historical patterns to make them fit my fuller bust without just making the next size up and making a lot of adjustments to armscye and waist. Now- if I can just make myself start doing mock-ups FIRST. Lol. I’ve been lucky so far and haven’t messed up so bad that my fashion fabric was wasted- but the more I make, the higher quality fabrics I invest in and I’ve put off making a few things for fear of messing them up. Again. Thank you for thoroughlyexplaining so much of the why and then DEMONSTRATING how to do an FBA on not only a modern bodice block, but historical ones!!!! You’re my favorite RU-vid today!!
Mrs B here. I just want to second that the most important part is measuring while wearing the stays/corset, the reason being that gravity has such a huge effect on bust tissue. Very few women have the same shape with undergarments than they do without them. The difference can be dramatic. For instance Regency stays not only hold the tissue up they also hold it gently against the ribcage. It's a different shape than a corset, a bra, or no undergarments at all. The measurements of all the other garments in the ensemble depend on the measurements of the stays. So don't fudge on the measurements. They're really important. (Btw, I highjacked my husband's account to watch this video. And he is giving me a dirty look. 😆)
Yes, absolutely! Your shape and measurements can be totally different depending on the era and undergarments. You should re-measure yourself every single time in your foundation garments before you start a new project just to be sure. Good reminder
Absolutely fabulous info! This is a keeper for sure. Dixie, I can't thank you enough! I never understood how to fix this until now. P.S. I really had to concentrate on your information and I could never have made it through the video if there had been BG music, so A HUGE THANK YOU for that!
This was SO HELPFUL!!! OMG the best explanation I've ever seen. Can you please do the next step of "how to transfer the mockup with adjustments to your final fabric" - I don't understand how that portion is done. Again, really excellent video!
This is SOOO helpful! As a beginner, it’s wonderful to realize that the patterns I have tried have not gone well because I need a major FBA. This was explained well, the visuals really help. I will definitely be referencing as I try some patterns again.
Fantastic explanation! I'm so glad you mentioned the proportions as well, because according to all the patterns, from all the times, I'm 'disproportionate' which makes fitting a pain!
This makes so much sense! You have just saved me hundreds, if not thousands, of hours of crying and fretting about why the hell these patterns dont fit and why I cant make it work
Oh my goodness this is the most clear explanation of the bust adjustment I have ever seen!! Thank you. I have an h cup bust and I have never been able to understand how to make the adjustments needed.
The reason that there weren't bust adjustments is because of the goal of proportionality - You size your corset to your largest measurement, pad everything else out to that, and then all the patterns are just measured off your corset size! so if you had a really full bust, you wouldn't cinch your waist much, and would pad hips .
Thank you for all those examples of how to do a full bust adjustment. This was the best I have seen. Even though I have to do an enlargement, I think it helped to see both being done and that may be why I understand it more from your video.
This video is wonderful. I had been harboring a wish for more technical content, but I didn't realize how far short things were until I saw this. Granted, I was trained in (the basics of) modern/couture patternmaking, so I'm used to this kind of pattern manipulation to build new patterns off a sloper/block. It hadn't occurred to me to the same methods to resize without changing the other measures. Most of what I see is freehanding, which still feels uncomfortable to me as someone not fully proficient in the cut of garments from any given period. I love this method so much. Immediately adding this to my arsenal. I am so glad I found your channel!
Such a great video. You’re right: I only see fitting and pattern adjustments in modern sewing discussion. I really want to try sewing a corset but I’m not sure (after the 1st mock-up) how I’m going to diagnose and fix fit issues. Would love more videos on this topic!
Love this so much!! Thank you for breaking this down the way you did. I have watched so many FBA videos and it never clicked. Cannot wait to try this out again now that my brain has been able to make sense of it.
Amazing lesson, I thought I was familiar with drafting and pattern sizing, but lots of light bulbs went off. Think I’ll be watching this several times over. Impressed with your knowledge.
Thank you, this is amazing! So happy to have watched this video. Have been pattern making for years and constantly work this out on a mock up. Frustrating for the fittings for my peeps for whom I have sewed things for. Its wonderful to see the full processes for all the actual maths, bras, pattern companies etc… and to be able to make a flat pattern and know it has a better chance of working. I have realised many years ago that it was a nebulous area of non - interchangeable methods from the various differing manufacturing arms of fashion and have tried work out why they are different and how and come up with various methods of my own, not always successfully I might add. I make something beautiful but I am aware it could be so much better. I am very glad to have seen this.
So helpful seeing it side by side. I'm always a SBA as my difference between high bust and bust is 0" (unless I'm in a corset with a bust enhancer!) but always have to get my notes out or watch a tutorial to remind me how it's done. Seeing it like this I think will help it stick in my memory more. Thanks.
Omg I bought some patterns on ebay and it turns out they were all too big. This is a huge lifesaver and sooo helpful! Amazing instructions for finding correct measurements and applying them to a pattern
This was super helpful, thank you so much! I’ve done a lot of FBAs on patterns, but never thought about doing them for historical ones because I was afraid of messing up the figure proportions required for the time. (I’m making my corset, so I can’t simply rely on that to help me.) Now, I’m feeling a little bit sheepish-of course an FBA will be needed! Suddenly, all the size charts make so much more sense. Thank you so much for this!
Excellent! Remember to take your body measurements--including the location of the apex--over all the foundation garments (chemise, corset, corset cover, bra, slip, etc) you will be wearing with the garment.
My oldest daughter is still very much child size in the waist, sholders and length but is developing a bust. This explication is clear enough that I can adapt patterns for to actually fit her. Thank you! I have done a fba on a pattern for myself but they way I was walked though it I had no idea of what I was actually doing or how to apply it to other projects. Thank you so much for making such clear instructions
Thank you so much for this explanation and example! I have always had trouble fitting the bust and although I have read about cutting the pattern I couldn't understand how it worked! This is so helpfull!
Thank you. On behalf of 38FF bra size me, thank you So much. The bodice I drafted for my Foundations Revealed entry took 10 tries. And even then, the dress itself was, like, 3 or 4 more drafts to try to refine it (up &) down to fit. Sigh. There's a 1950's evening dress patter in the mail, winging it's way north to me. So. Thank you so, so much for covering how to do this with the 2 dart bust option. Because that's not intimidating at all. Am I winging in anticipation of working with my first ever big 4 patterns... maaay-be. - Cathy (&, accidently, Steve), Ottawa/Bytown {by-the-by - if you want to drop by and say 'hi' on my Beginners FR entry, it's under my full name - Cathy MacDonald-Zytveld}
Ugh, being in mock-up-hell sucks. I'm sorry it took so many tries to get right! The result was lovely, tho! I checked it out - so nice to be able to put a name to a face.
@@DixieDIY I'm pretty much in mock-up-hell any time I take on a new project. Focused flailing at the best of times. I'm somewhere around draft 5 for an asymmetrical dress that was, in theory, easy-peasy. Groan... send for help and chocolate... For the Foundations thing it's just nice to be a face without the (& not including...) explanation.
This video is SO HELPFUL!! And you used my favorite Laughing Moon pattern in your example :D I just cut out the smallest size of an 1860s bodice pattern and the bust was 9 inches too big! I'm going to try a SBA and hopefully salvage this pattern!
Thank you! My underbust is 34 and my bust is 41 and it's impossible to make anything actually fit me 😪 they need to change the standard to D cup because I don't know anyone over 25 with anything less than a d cup.
Aaaah! I wish I had seen this before I did my folkwear Gibson girl blouse! I figured I could get away with just using the pattern matching my bust measurement because it is gathered, but the armscyes gape, the shoulders are too big and it looks quite awkward as my full bust is 6” bigger than my high bust! Next time. Thanks for this
I have recently discovered my own personal hell in making a regency bodice off a one-size diagram. Because I don't have a waist measurement, I don't know the bust size of the original gown's owner--or how far down it's supposed to go--is it supposed to be this high? Have I adjusted it 1/2'' too low? And now the front is all wonky and I still have to attach it to the back! *somebody send help.*
The way I fit mine (based on a diagram from a museum piece that had no measurements at all) was size up all the bodice pieces until the empire waistline of the gown matched my underbust measurement. Luckily I didn't have to do too many changes after that except adding a little overall length. As for the length of your bodice, that's kind of up to your personal preference as well as your measurements in stays as well as the time period of the gown you're making it from. Bustlines rose gradually from the natural waist to empire line in the 1790s. Busts reached their peak height in the late 1810s and started scooting downward after that. Bust size and height on extant gowns can be hard to decipher without a real body in them so you just kinda have to guess and then figure out what works best with your own figure. Good luck!
Depends on the type of stays but generally I'd just change the size and/or shape of the gussets or panels to accommodate a larger under-bust-to-full-bust ratio. 18th century stays are a different story and their shape doesn't work with this adjustment.
