If you’ve browsed through any pattern catalog, you’ve possibly run across a reference to patterns with different cup size options. But what does this mean? Patterns used to nearly all be drafted for a B-cup pattern cup, meaning a woman whose difference between her high bust and full bust is 2 inches. Thankfully for many of us with larger busts, in recent years, some pattern brands have been expanding beyond drafting for a B-cup pattern cup.
Pattern cup sizes are different from bra cup sizes. Just because you wear a D-cup bra does not necessarily mean that you will need a D-cup pattern or always require an FBA. Unless otherwise stated by the pattern maker, pattern cup size is always based on the difference between your high bust and full bust measurements.
Bra cup sizes, on the other hand, vary by bra maker. Most methods for measuring bra size involve measuring your under bust area, doing some math (or not) and subtracting that from your full bust measurement. To confuse things further, the volume for a particular bra cup size increases as bra band size increases. For example, the cup of a 36D and a 38C bra will have the same volume. Along the same line, the volume of a 40DD cup will be considerably larger than a 32DD cup.
Thankfully for those of us who sew, pattern companies have a standard method to measure pattern cup size:
- Measure your full bust. Wrap the tape measure around the fullest part of your bust. Don’t pull the tape measure too snugly, or you will end up underestimating your full bust measurement.
- Measure your high bust. Wrap the tape measure around your chest and under your arms. Pull the tape measure snugly.
- Subtract your high bust from your full bust, and use the difference to figure out your pattern cup size:
- 1″ = A cup
- 2″ = B cup
- 3″ = C cup
- 4″ = D cup
- 5″ = DD cup
- 6″ = DDD cup
For those of us with very large busts (larger than a D cup), the only pattern company that goes beyond a DDD is Cashmerette Patterns, which goes up to H.
Why is pattern cup size important?
If you’ve ever gone to a pattern’s size chart, picked a size by your bust measurement, and had the garment that you’ve sewn end up too large in the neck and shoulders, then pattern cup size should be important to you. If you have a large difference between your high and full bust, for example, you have a 6″ difference between your high and full bust instead of the standard 2″, most patterns that you select by your full bust measurement will be much too large for your neck and shoulders.
If your cup size is larger than the pattern’s cup size, you’ll usually get a better fit by selecting a pattern that fits your neck and shoulders and doing an FBA to increase the bust size. The following fitting issues are clues that your fit might improve if you start with a smaller pattern size for your neck and shoulders:
- Gaping at the neckline
- Shoulder seams that extend past your own shoulders
- Gaping armholes
- A pinch or wrinkle of fabric forming at your armhole above your bust
In my opinion, patterns with larger cup size options are a GREAT option for those of us with large busts. We might still need to perform an FBA, but we have a much better starting point.
Determining your starting pattern size
If you’re a B cup choosing a B cup pattern, select a pattern by your full bust size. If you’re a D cup selecting a pattern by a company that drafts for a D cup (for example, Bluegingerdoll), select your pattern size by your full bust. From there, things get a little more complicated:
- If you’re a D cup selecting a B cup pattern, choose the pattern size whose bust measurement corresponds to your high bust (not your full bust) measurement. This size should give you a decent fit through the neck and shoulders. Depending on the ease of the pattern, you may need to then do an FBA to increase the bust size of the pattern.
- If you’re a D cup selecting a pattern that has separate cup size options, such Vogue’s Custom Fit patterns, determine what your pattern size would be if only the B cup option was available. In other words, choose your normal Vogue Patterns starting size (typically, going by your high bust measurement), but then select the D cup pattern piece for that size.
What happens when your pattern cup size falls outside of the range of the pattern itself, though? For example, what if you’re a G cup (9″ difference between your high and full bust measurement)?
- If you’re selecting a B cup pattern, select by your high bust measurement and expect to do a large FBA, depending on pattern ease. (I’ll talk about options for a large FBA in future posts.)
- If you’re selecting a pattern that has separate cup size options, like the aforementioned Vogue pattern line, select your starting size based on high bust size, then choose the D cup pattern piece for that size. You will probably still need an FBA, but your FBA will be much more reasonably sized.
- If you’re selecting a pattern from a pattern line that drafts for a D cup, remember that the patternmaker is assuming a 4″ difference between your high bust and full bust. Add 4″ to your high bust measurement and start with that size.
Let’s walk through this example with real numbers. We’ll assume that you have a 51″ bust and a 42″ high bust measurement, for a difference of 9″, then pick your starting size for a Bluegingerdoll pattern, which will be drafted for a D cup:
BlueGingerDoll’s size chart
Take your high bust measurement of 42″ and add 4″ for a hypothetical bust measurement of 46″. Find the 46″ bust measurement on the above size chart and see that it corresponds to a size 20, which is the size that I’d suggest starting with for these measurements. You’ll likely still need an FBA, but it will be a smaller FBA than if you were to start with a B cup pattern. Now, you might have other methods that you use to select your starting pattern size; however, I usually use the method that I’ve just described, and it works well enough for me.
I do highly recommend making a bodice muslin unless you’re really familiar with a company’s sizing. You may find that you need to go up or down a starting size based on your own personal body.
Cup size reference chart
A question that I see frequently asked in the online sewing community is “What cup size does [Pattern Company] draft for?” I compiled a chart of the most popular and a number of larger-bust-friendly pattern makers to help sewists evaluate what pattern size to start with and identify companies that help make FBAs a little less painful:
| Pattern Company | Cup Size(s) | Comments |
| BlueGingerDoll | D | |
| Bootstrap | Custom | Custom pattern draft based on your own measurements. |
| Burda |
|
|
| Butterick |
|
B5917, B5966 have cup sizes D-DDD in the Women’s range. |
| By Hand London | B | |
| Cake | Custom via grading | Connect-the-dots and lines to grade Cake patterns to your own measurements. |
| Cashmerette | C to H | Each pattern comes in 3 cup sizes, C/D, E/F and G/H. |
| Closet Case Files | B | |
| Colette Patterns |
|
Sarai has mentioned in blog posts that she officially drafts for a C-cup, but makes sure that her patterns will fit her own D-cup figure. Colette’s plus size block drafts for a DD-cup. |
| Deer & Doe | C | |
| Grainline Patterns | B | |
| HotPatterns | C (for base size 16), Increases and decreases with pattern size | Cup size decreases and increases as the pattern is graded for smaller and larger sizes, respectively. |
| In-House Patterns |
|
Early patterns were drafted for a straight-up D-cup. More recent patterns have cup sizes A-D included. |
| Jalie | B | |
| Kwik Sew |
|
|
| Lekala | Custom | Custom pattern draft based on your own measurements. |
| Maria Denmark |
|
|
| McCall’s |
|
M6436, M6473, and M6927 have cup sizes D-DDD in the Women’s range |
| Muse Patterns |
|
|
| New Look | B | |
| Ottobre Woman | B/C | |
| Paprika |
|
|
| Petite Plus | D | Petite Plus are drafted for curvier women 5’4″ and under |
| Seamster Patterns | C (for base size 6), Increases and decreases with pattern size | Cup size decreases and increases as the pattern is graded for smaller and larger sizes, respectively. |
| Sewaholic | B | Sewaholic patterns are drafted for a small-busted, pear-shaped figure. |
| Silhouette | B, C, D | All patterns have options for cup siszes B-D |
| Simplicity |
|
|
| Skinny Bitch Curvy Chick (SBCC) | B (smaller sizes) DD+ (larger sizes) | SBCC patterns are drafted for women under 5’4″. Here’s a great blog post explaining their cup size draft: http://www.sbccpatterns.com/boobs-math-and-margaritas-what-cup-size-sbcc-patterns-are-drafted-for/ |
| StyleArc | B | |
| Tenterhook Patterns | C | |
| Vogue |
|
Research methods
I used three methods to compile the information on this chart:
- Some pattern companies list cup size information their websites.
- I contacted a handful of indie pattern makers directly to ask about cup size drafting.
- A small amount of information came from Pattern Review threads (e.g. Kwik Sew), but I have not been able to find/verify that information elsewhere. I did, however, want to include those entries for the sake of completeness.
If you think that an entry contains an error, let me know, and I’ll follow up. If the entry does, in fact, contain an error, I will correct it on the chart.
So I just broke out this exact pattern in the FBA entry, the McCalls 6696 and I am trying to get the right fit. I noticed this pattern comes with a D cup piece. My upper bust being 44 inches puts me at size 22, and on the pattern piece, the additional sizing information for the D fit, says that size 22 fits up to 50 inches, and my full bust is 47/48 inches depending on my bra. So do I need to do the full 3-4 inch FBA or will the base pattern be enough? Do I subtract 1-2 inch from my FBA because I am using the pattern Piece for a CD cup, which theoretically accommodates the extra inches?
***Or after reading this entry am I previously misunderstanding the pattern size grading, and if I am now understanding correctly.. since my upper bust is 44 and full is 48, do I need to make any accommodations at all to the pattern if I use the D cup bodice pattern piece?
Hi Jessica – you need to compare the finished garment measurement for the D cup with your own measurement. It sounds like the pattern has a finished bust of 50 (from your description at least) and so if your bust is 48″, then no FBA needed! (assuming you’re OK with 2 inches of ease – personally I find that fine).
This always confuses me too. I’m in a similar situation as you; I’m also a 38H, but my FB and HB are smaller. I think in your case I would not do a FBA on the 22 since it has 2″ positive ease in the FB, which is plenty, in my opinion. Good luck!
Thank you for this really useful post! I’m so impressed with all the great resource you put together.
There is some numbers I cant get my head around in this article though! In your example with someone with a G cup choosing a pattern designed for a D cup: if the pattern assume a 4″ difference between the high bust and full bust and our full bust is 51 while the high bust 42. How come you are adding 4 ” to the high bust instead of 5″? 42 +5 = 47 which would be 4″ difference to our full bust. I’m sure i’m missing a trick but your help would be greatly appreciated!
Thank you for all the great info! Yes, I ALWAYS have the symptoms you listed. Its really hard to fix this stuff on yourself rather than others, but this helps!
I am confused. I measured myself following your directions. I measure 44″ HB, 47″ FB. With a difference of 4″, according to your charts I would be a D cup. I wear a 38 J bra. Thoughts?
That wouldn’t be completely unheard of, especially if you have a somewhat broad upper back and/or shoulders but a small ribcage. Throw in that everyone’s breasts are shaped and proportioned differently, and that gives you another variable. However, while the “go by your HB” method works for a lot of us, it doesn’t work for everyone. If you try that one, and it seems “off”, Google Nancy Zieman’s method of determining her size, which has to do more with the forward projection of your breasts and will generally put you in a smaller starting size than the HB method. The bottom line is that you might have to try different methods to find what works best for you.
That sounds familiar to me. My high bust measurement is exactly 2″ less than my full bust so I never thought I needed an FBA or SBA, yet I wear a D or DD bra. The penny finally dropped when I noticed that I always have to raise the bustline on my makes. I eventually worked out that my boobs sit high up on my chest so when I take the high bust measurement, my boobs get in the way and artificially increase that measurement! I went down one pattern size and added a 2″ FBA, and that sorted it out for me. If your boobs do sit high, going by your bra size rather than by comparing full bust and high bust measurements is worth a try.
Is your bust fairly high on your torso? That can also factor into a larger HB measurement.
This is information is very helpful as I venture into indy patterns. I do find myself needing to make small changes here and there but nothing major. This will help me tremendously.
this is fabulous, thank you so much!
During the Aster Sew-Along, Sarai and Haley mentioned that they draft the plus sizes with a DD cup or 5 inches difference between upper and full bust. They recommend a SBA for those with >DD busts. I generally start at a 20 in the shoulders, 22 in the bust and then 24 in the waist since doing an SBA removes space in the waist and hips where I need it.
Thanks! That’s really good to know, and I’ll update my chart with that info. (FWIW, I like that approach to bust size/plus size blocks.)
I find it confusing because I am butternut squash shaped. For Big 4 patterns I often need a 24 in the shoulder and then either FBA of about 2.5″ on the 24 or an inch on the 26 with further adjustments for the waist and hips. I feel like I’m finally beginning to get a handle on grading, but every now and again I’m thrown a curve-ball.
Thank you so much! This is making it much less scary to give sewing my own clothing a try.
Fantastic information….thank you for putting this together!
http://rememberingoz.blogspot.com
Anne St Claire of http://ndlnookfab.blogspot.com/ NeedleNook has bra patterns up to J? and also teaches at the round robbins
This is really great information, and I’ve never seen the issue explained so well before.
EXCEPT for this: “If you’re a D cup selecting a B cup pattern, choose the pattern size whose bust measurement corresponds to your high bust (not your full bust) measurement.” This is the only issue I have with the suggestions here.
It makes no sense to me to select a pattern by a full bust measurement that matches my high bust measurement. Because the high bust measurement on that pattern will be 2 inches smaller than mine. If we know that a B cup’s full bust measurement is 2 inches larger than its high bust measurement, then we can take any full bust measurement on a pattern’s size chart, subtract 2 from it, and figure out that pattern size’s high bust measurement. THAT is the calculation I use. It enables you to choose the pattern size based on your and the pattern’s actual high bust measurement and gives a better neck/shoulder fit, in my opinion. But maybe the method advocated here takes into account the excess amount of ease that most pattern companies draft into their patterns. Is there a reason you think that choosing a pattern based on a bust size that matches your high bust measurement works best? I’m truly curious!
If I choose a pattern based on my true bust I would need a size 20/22 which is way too big for me on top. So I go by my high bust which gets me a 16, with a FBA of 1.5- 1.75 inches and a 1/2 inch dead dart at the neckline. Perfect fit.
I get why the high bust body measurement is used, but not why the pattern’s full bust is used in correlation with the body’s high bust. Why not use the pattern size which has a high bust measurement close to your body’s high bust measurement instead? The adjustment needed would likely be smaller. That’s what I was asking. That’s what I do.
I think we are saying the same thing lol. I choose the size closest to my high bust measurement, then adjust for the FBA. As far as the bust measurement, maybe to figure out the amount to add? I just kept adding different amounts until I found what worked best.
This is where wearing vs. design ease comes in to play. Wearing ease is the amount of ease needed above a measurement for a garment to fit properly. Design ease is decided on by the designer and dictates the style of a garment. A fitted blouse might only have 2-3″ of ease at the bust, whereas a much looser-fitting blouse might have 6″ (yes, that’s fairly loose-fitting). In theory, you can take up some of that “design ease” as wearing ease and make a smaller FBA.
I perfectly understand the difference between wearing ease and design ease; my question really had nothing to do with that. It’s this: why use my high bust measurement to choose a pattern size based on its full bust measurement? If I know that pattern is drafted for a B cup (2 inches more than the theoretical high bust measurement) then I should be able to figure out the pattern size’s high bust measurement and choose the one closes to mine to eliminate some additional fitting problems (shoulders, upper chest, etc.). This is what I’ve never understood about this method of choosing a pattern size and what no one has been able to explain. But this is how I choose my pattern sizes, and it works. If I chose a pattern size using my high bust measurement (39) as if it were my full bust measurement (42.5), the pattern would be way too small in the shoulders/upper chest, and I’d have even more altering to do.
That would be great, if it worked for most patterns. However most companies don’t list “high bust” as one of the measurements to pick your size from.
It all comes down to a grading issue. A lot of companies grade up the neck/shoulders/chest area as they grade up the bust. The problem with that is that as we gain weight, we don’t typically gain weight in, say, our shoulders. So, we need to do something to compensate for the fact that some pattern companies’ drafting/grading doesn’t take this into account. Thus, picking your pattern size by your high bust and adjusting from there.
Clear as mud, right?
True, companies don’t list high bust measurement, but if they draft for a B cup, and a B cup’s full bust measure is 2 inches larger than the high bust, and the full bust is what’s listed on the pattern, all you have to do is subtract 2 from the full bust measure given on the pattern to figure out what that size’s high bust measurement is. It makes zero sense to me to use my high bust measure and the pattern’s full bust measure as if they address the same area on the body.
This is so helpful! I didn’t fully know the difference between pattern and bra makers approaches until I read this 🙂
This is so incredibly helpful, thank you so much!
What a fantastic resource! Thanks so much! 🙂
Nice useful chart.
Gah! I didn’t know this. Thank you so much. Fitting issues were helpful and so was the explanation of what cup means in patterns compared to bra sizes. That might explain why FBA’s don’t work on me in a larger size.
It’s not uncommon at all to need less of an FBA than you’d suspect, based on your bra cup size.
Well this explains why Burda tends to fit me better in that area. I just recently made my first Jalie top. I have to say, that I think Jalie may be on the small size of B. I had to do more adjusting than normal – possibly because of less built in ease.
Jalie is drafted for an athletic build, so that wouldn’t surprise me. I do know that some women actually just go by their full bust for Jalie (even if they’re larger busted) because Jalie doesn’t over-grade the shoulders like some pattern lines do.
Thanks so much, I knew this info was somewhere out there on the web (you previously posted this or maybe a smaller list on your blog, right?) and I was looking for it the other day and I couldn’t find it and it was driving me crazy! So glad to see it appear again! This is really such essential info and its just crazy that its so hard to find on designers’ websites. One possible correction, I swear I saw somewhere that once Colette extended their size range, their new/plus sizes are drafted for a DD? Not sure if that is correct though, it might not be remembering right. I typically take note of that stuff i’m one of those small busted curvy ladies.
That was bugging me so I decided to get to the bottom of it. I don’t see anything official about it on their website, but it is mentioned in a sewalong post here: https://www.sewalongs.com/myrtle/myrtle-full-bust-adjustment
That post states that the larger sizes (2X and 3X in this case) are drafted for a DD. When you get one of their newer patterns with the extended size range, you can definitely tell that the larger sizes are drafted for a different fit model (which is great!).
I did actually publish this back on my own blog a while back, but I had so few followers back then that I figured it was worth sharing with the CSC’s larger audience.
Good find about the new Colette block. I had suspected that something like that might be going on, looking at how the Moneta is drafted, but I hadn’t seen any confirmation anywhere.
This is great information. I am an F cup (as is my gorgeous daughter) in a bra size, but made a size 10/ D cup in the Diana blouse from In-House Patterns, it was quite large and I had to extract some dartage, umm quite a lot of dartage. So I can highly reccommend this pattern for those lassies whose cups runneth over. I made 3 versions and each of them are blogged about starting here http://sewniptuck.com/2015/07/16/608/ Come to think of it, most of my posts obsess over boob fit!
It’s unfortunate, though, that while In-House gives you the option for a D cup, that they only go up to a size 16.
Connie Crwford has a blouse block that goes up to an H cup. Her web site is Fashion Patterns by Coni. Highly recommend her private patterns as well as the one Butterick has picked up.
Thanks for mentioning this one. I do want to point out that the only patterns available in this size are her fitting shell(s), though.