Mrs. Cad has a very hard time finding bras in her size in a style she likes. I do some basic sewing so she asked if I could make a couple of bras for her. It’s a little out of my league but it said “Of course dear.” I made a great pattern for the cups (being a geometer helped a lot) but now my question is about the wings. I know that bulk manufacturers make them stretchy so that they can accommodate a lot of band sizes and I see a lot of hobbyists do as well but being a guy, I would think a custom-made non-stretching wing that fits just a touch snug would work just as well. I’m probably missing something important like movement or ease of putting the bra on so I ask you lady dopers, is there a reason a custom-made bra should have an elastic band?
That in the end, they fit better. Same as for any other item which is normally made from fabric with some “stretch” in its mixture (jeans, bathsuits…).
One reason is that the female body and the breasts are not of perfectly consistent shape from day to day. Normal fluctuations in hormones can cause the body to retain water and/or the breasts to swell slightly at different times of the month. If the band has no give, the bra will sometimes be too tight, sometimes too loose.
Moreover, any close-fitting custom item made without any stretch is extremely vulnerable to becoming utterly useless if the owner gains or loses 5 pounds.
I think only those Victoria Secret models wear wings. But they look cool, so your wife should be happy with them. They seem to be made mostly of feathers.
The bolded is the main reason for me. Makes it much easier to get the thing on when it’s a bit stretchy.
If you really want to make a fantastic bra, look into two fabrics for the band and cups - a bit on the fluffy side for the inside (so it slides across skin even when said skin is a little sweaty or damp, and is soft and comfortable and wicking) and sleek on the outside (so that it slides across clothing fabric without causing bunching or catching - look at spanx-type material to see what I mean).
Threadwinner.
Also, Mr Cad, if you are taking orders for wings, I want this set. Just PM me when they’re ready, ok? 
This Threads Magazine article “How to Sew a Bra” may be what you need. (Not sure what non-subscriber access options are.)
First of all, you’re a brave, brave man. Even the people who claim to be experts at bra manufacturing can’t seem to hit a home run for me.
Secondly, I have to vote for stretchy, too. The upper torso moves a lot and without stretch, I think it would feel constricting.
Yeah - a little elastic is really essential.
Most of us female types do like to breathe, now and then. While that part of the ribcage doesn’t expand as much as further down, it does expand some. So your choice would be either to build in enough room so she could breathe - in which case it wouldn’t do the best job of supporting the girls - or make it tight enough to do its job, in which case she’d be doing the whole Victorian fainting thing.
Not what you asked for, but the whole idea of doing a custom-made bra sounds a bit daunting. Those things actually have a fair bit of engineering involved to get them to fit correctly, and the seams are not going to be easy to accomplish. I’d suggest that she should check out a good bra fitting shop and work with someone there. Personally I always go to Nordstrom, where I pay a chunk of cash for a bra but get a couple years wear out of it.
If she wants custom and doesn’t mind something that is, well, fugly, go with Decent Exposures. They can make them in any color or any size, and can customize them as well. They aren’t pretty but oh. my. god. they are COMFORTABLE.
The band of the bra goes around the ribcage. The band, properly fitted, should be rather snug. If it didn’t stretch, breathing would be difficult.
Has your wife ever been professionally fitted? Many women are not the size they think they are. It can be a revelation and a relief once properly fitted. Could still mean it’s a difficult to find size, but at least knowing it will fit if it needs to be ordered.
As this year’s Ig Nobel prizes will be handed out today: The bra that doubles as a gas mask.
The stretch is for comfort, primarily. Otherwise the thing would feel dreadful.
I sometimes have to wear a non-elastic bra-like top for performances. It has to fit tight, as I don’t want anything coming out during dances. It is a bit more hassle to put in (elastic just makes it easier to put on, too). If I fit it too tight, breathing is not as easy as it is with stretch fabrics. It is not something I’d use every day when I have to move around and work.
Also ditto on the weight loss/gain points.
The fit around the torso changes between sitting and standing up. Even with elastic, anything with good support can feel way too tight if you’re scrunched down in a couch rather than standing straight up.
I applaud your strength of will, OP. If my wife asked me to make her a bra, I don’t think we’d ever be able to make it past the measuring.
Rather than start from scratch, would it be possible to alter a bra that is close to what she wants? I tried to count one time, and there was something like 30 different pieces that made up one of my bras.
I assume the biggest issue is the cups - I would think taking an existing bra, removing the cups and substituting your own homemade cups would be the ideal solution and shortcut. It can’t be that hard to find a band that fits around the torso, is it? (Never had to worry about that…)
Sentence # 2 explains why sentence # 1 is a crock of #$@#!
Does your wife breathe much?
Ah I see Mama Zappa beat me to it.
The issue is for women with a large band size is to find a real demi cup - not a full coverage called a demi. Find a real demi and you have to take away the lace because the lace because the texture shows through her tops which is “unprofessional”. For a bra to not show around the edges of the camisole and made out of molded cup, it doesn’t really wrap around the top so if she bends over you can get a look down the bra of her nipples. At $50 retail per unsatisfying bra it is not worth it.
Like I said the cups were easy. I think the reason they are considered so hard is at least from what I see online, bra hobbyist are missing some basic geometry knowledge and considering it is impossible to make a flat sheet of cloth into a true sphere, it needs some decent math to get the fit right. So if that is the tough part then maybe it will work.