Please don’t kick me off the boards for being a weirdo. I’d kinda like to get an idea of people’s bust sizes’ and their under-bust size. I mean, I have some sizing charts that give general size comparisons between bust and waist, but that’s not what I want. I’m interested in the difference between the measurement at the widest point of the bust and the measurement immediately under the bust.
Can you guys help me out? You can PM me if you don’t want to put it here. Thanks.
LOL- very interesting! I know from days past when I did some costuming, most people have at least a 2 inch differential. I am smaller than most: I’m a 35/34. the girls may be small but they worked when they had to!!
When designing patterns and altering clothing, it is generally the cup size that tells you how many inches to add to the under bust measurement. and how large the darting/shaping should be to make it drape properly. I used to have a chart somewhere… if I find it I’ll pm it to you.
Thank you. I had heard about the bra cup size thing, but the numbers someone gave me were clearly wrong for me. I’m just an A (almost B if I can get those 1/2 size bras), but the difference between the widest point and the under-bust measurement is 5", from 34" to less than 29".
So you don’t think I’m just creepy or something, I’m trying to design a sweater that more closely approximates people’s curves, instead of the decreasing gradually like 4 sts every inch or something.
no- I didn’t think you were creepy!!! to me it seemed clear you were working on designs… I used to round up my friends and take measurements when in the costume dept.
I think the cup size/ underbust may end up being more of what you want, since the design needs to take the volume of the bust into account. however, trying to make a generalized fitted pattern for a wide range of sizes might be really difficult. (I know you know that…) My rather flat shape needs very little shaping, while someone with bigger girls, but the same size underbust would need a lot.
It is an interesting issue- which is why I think a lot of knitting patterns only come in a few, generalized sizes, without a lot of nice shaping. (or they use a lot of ribbing!)
If you figure out some useable numbers or a formula, I bet a nicely written tutorial on how to adjust sweater/top patterns to your particular shape would be a great submission to a magazine.
I’ll dig around for my old papers…
I’ve got big dinners…and finding shirts to fit is impossible! By the time it fits over the boobings, it’s huge everywhere else.
Here are my rough measurements:
“band size” or circumference just under the bust: 35"ish (34" when I’m not going through a tubby phase)
And measuring across the largest point: 42-43"
My band/cup differential in inches is pretty big. I wear (and very much fill out) a DD cup size, but that’s mostly cuz they don’t sell anything bigger in regular stores.
o/t Ugh…can’t wait to get a reduction! o/t
Good luck with the designing and do share!
Here’s my measurements, hope they help.
32 1/2 under bust, 38 1/2 across bust.
I just went through the “find my real bra size” thing a couple of months ago. I still don’t think I’m wearing the right size.
Ummm–don’t mean to gross you out–but mine have gone so far south–I can’t FIND my underneath anymore!:oo::oo:
Mine look like tube socks filled with sand! :rofling:
Just put on your best fitting bra and do the measurements that way. That’s what I did.
You guys are crazy. 
Thanks for your help.
I just got refitted, and I went from a 32FF to a 36G. So, my underbust measurement is 34", and my bust measurement is something like 42".
Hama, I suggest strongly that you get to a specialty boutique and shell out some money for a well-fitting bra. I went to Bare Necessities, which has boutiques in the tri-state area in New England, but if you ask around at department stores, they might be able to point you in a direction. I used to wear a DD and my cups ran over. I knew I needed to get refitted when I started getting a quadra-boob again.
I’m definitely a candidate for a reduction, but I decided to wait until after I was finished breastfeeding because surgery can interfere with that. I’m soooo sick of having sore shoulders though.
Wearing the right size bra makes me look a dress size smaller. My bras are expensive, but so worth it.
my underboob is 30.5" and my boobage is 39"
Hope that helps
There is a sweater pattern at Magknits called Donna which uses short rows to do the shapeing ;that should give you an idea on how to add bust size.
I heard that most women don’t wear the right bra size for them. I think I might be one of them. :oops: Somehow I find it difficult to get a bra that fits well.
I saw before that the trick is to add 5 to the size under, and substract the measurement at the widest part. If the difference is 1 or less you wear a cup A, 2 a cup B, etc.
My size under is 27, and 31 on the widest part. Does that make sense??? :?? According to this I should be wearing a 32A. I wear 32B a lot though, it’s easier to find in stores… :shrug:
I have an underbust measurement of 37 and a fullest size measurement of 44.
Oh yes, I remember that sweater. There is another sweater with short row shaping in my, was if Winter?, issue of VK that I was thinking of, too, and I think it does the short row shaping even for us smaller sizes. There’s also the super popular t-shirt over at White Lies. I’m thinking I kinda prefer darts for this particular design, but short rows are definitely an option.
With the way things are going, I think I’ll write it with 5" difference for all sizes, and a note on how to lessen or increase the difference.
It looks like for most women answering here, this would result in a negative number. Do you mean subtract your underbust+5 from the widest measurement?
I totally agree with you! I haven’t had a “real” bra fitting since college (which is when I very suddenly went from a B to a DD. But I have to wear a giant sportsbra for work everyday so eh…I’m too lazy. :teehee: Pretty soon though…it’s getting to be time.
err, yes, that’s what I mean. :doh:
For me though the result IS negative. Oh dear. :oops:
35" and 42". I wear a 36 DD-DDD, depending on the style.
It’s really really worth getting a well-fitting bra Hama! A department store should have assistants that will measure you and help you find a bra in the right size and tell you what size you need free. Many women do wear the wrong size. I find that clothes that fit on the bust are too loose at waist and hips etc. as well, it’s also really worth learning to sew to make the waist smaller. If you have a sewing machine this is pretty easy to do, especially comparing to a shirt you have that fits well at waist. Or get a sewing friend to help you, or have a tailor take things in below the bust, nott too expensive but really worth it! That plus the right size bra will make a big difference in how good clothes look on you!
With my bra on I am 39.25 bust and 33 inches just under the bra. 12-14DD.
Sarah