Sports Bras are something I’ve long resisted making, there is a whole lot of technical things encompassing science, research, body movement, fabrics and more. My favourite RTW sports bra for running is by Shock Absorber and I’ve never worn anything so constricting feeling when you first put it on and yet comfortable while I’m running. You literally don’t even think about it which means it’s doing it’s job perfectly.
For non running sports I use some Nike ones that are getting older and will need to be replaced. They compress well, stop bounce and allow for a full range of movement while having a brilliant level of moisture wicking.
As such I’ve never really bothered with making my own, but I was kind of interested in at least making a toile. I started with the Greenstyle Power Sports Bra. Using their size guide I measured my bust and underbust to sort out my band and cup size. Checked my fabric against the recommended stretch percentages and made a first toile.
From the first toile here are the changes I made
- reduced the overall circumference by 15cm – some at the side seam and much from the back. 15cm equals 3 sizes which is just kind of crazy size wise.
- smoothed out the bust point so the curve wasn’t so severe
- raised the neckline by 1.2 at centre front
- raised the underarm by 1cm
For the second toile I used the same quality outer fabric but added a lining of power mesh to the front. The powermesh was cut to be most compressive on the side bust, less compressive over the front. The back panel was double layer of the outer fabric both cut on the reduced stretch to help aid compression. The photos showing a red version is this one. I wasn’t happy with my sewing on it as I felt like I rushed it a bit and I absolutely hated how the straps went on it looks so messy and unprofessional.
From this toile the changes made were
- add 3cm back in circumference to account for lesser stretch of power mesh
- bust curve needs to be reduced more so the curve is less pronounced but the volume stays the same
- raise neckline by another 1cm
- raise underarms – check this while being worn for exercise though as it can be a chafe point
- reduced strap length by 6cm
For the next version I want to change a few more things
- the way I attached the shoulder straps which looks messy and isn’t very strong
- change the entire back construction for a neater finish at front strap join and side seams
- smooth out the bust point more as with the extra layers of power mesh and lining it’s just rippling and projecting too much. I’m even considering splitting the seam and putting it somewhere else as right over the bust point is not necessarily the best place for a seam in a garment designed to be sweated and moved it. Chafing, rubbing, friction etc
- adjust the base of the top so that it sits flatter to the elastic band without looking puckered or gathered
The sheer number of changes and alterations are kind of making me think while I started with one pattern it’s certainly only going to resemble a fraction of the original by the time I get done. I’ll try with the changes listed above and if I’m not liking the results then I think it’s time to ditch this pattern and spend time finding a more accurate pattern.
Pattern: based on Greenstyle Power Sports Bra but now heavily modified and still not correct
Fabric: from Pitt Trading and it’s lovely, am actually slightly sad I used it on something that I’m so disappointed in the fit on
Alterations: all of the above