Answers about grading bras and briefs
Earlier on Instagram I asked if anyone had questions on grading, and I’ve picked the two questions that I received the most, or were similar.
Do I need to increase my grade between stretch and non-stretch fabrics?
The answer is no. The reason a stretch pattern and a non-stretch pattern are two separate patterns. You can’t use a stretch pattern, and grade it up (using grade rules that are used for a size range) to get a bigger size. A non-stretch pattern will be bigger than a stretch pattern. A non-stretch fabric pattern has to be big enough to allow the fabric to go over the hips, whereas a stretch fabric pattern will stretch to go over the hips, so the pattern will be smaller to start with.
When you are achieving a size range for your patterns, I would grade patterns that you know fit for that style of fabric and fit.
A brief pattern, for example, will grade up by 1cm and out by 1.25cm (on the half), and this is the same on any pattern. So it's not a case of grading a pattern with a bigger grade increase on a non stretch fabric pattern, it’s about ensuring your first pattern fits in whatever chosen fabric you have, and when you are happy with the fit then that is when you grade your pattern with the same grade rules to achieve the sizes you want for your range.
How do I know what to grade by wing by, when you can grade from 1.25cm upwards?
Okay this one is harder question to explain as grading a bra is slightly more complicated than a grading a brief. A wing can grade from 1.25cm upwards so how do you decide what grade to put on? Around the body for each grade you are (like the brief) increasing by 5cm.
Some graders grade each section by 1.25cm (so each cup across and each wing) and others start with grading the each cup by 1cm and the each wing 1.5cm. I often teach using the second method, especially if you are hand grading as you aren’t using such complicated numbers. Each back (so each 32 back or each 34 back and so on) will measure the same so, a 32A, 32B and 32C will measure the same from hook to eye.
How I decide what to grade the wings by would be by working out the cup, I’ve worked on styles which I’ve graded the cups by 1.25cm and the wings the same, a different style where the cups have been graded by 1cm but measuring them flat once they have the underwire in they haven’t come up to an increase of 1cm (but I know they are right and they fit) so I’ve had to grade the wing by 2cm. This often with bras without cradles.
Each brand grades differently on different parts of the bra that is how some 32Cs can fit perfectly for you but others too small or too big. What you do have to have to remember is that if you are not grading the cup and wing by 1.25cm, is that be aware of your final measurement across all the sizes with the same back.
For example if you are grading the wing bigger than the cup, then on paper your under-band is slowly going to increase between the same band size. If you are only doing a small run of cup sizes then this won’t be noticed and you have a 1cm tolerance for handing, so it may be contained it that.
If you have a large cup range size, then I would look at not sister sizing your cups or not keeping the 1.5cm constant in your wing grade, so you get the 5cm grade between each size and this is reflected having a slightly different grade in each wing.
For more information on grading please click on the picture below.
