Bare Essentials: Bras - Second Edition: Construction and Pattern Drafting for Lingerie Design Paperback – July 26, 2016

UPDATE: I've been following Jennifer Lynne on Facebook and have become a little more familiar with her methods and design process. She also has a site where you can purchase all her books, get free patterns and spreadsheets, and buy fabrics and notions. I contacted her about needing a larger bra pattern - a 50G/H and she is currently redesigning her three-piece cup bra pattern and offered me the older one free. She even went so far as to offer to draft larger sizes if I could test them, but I'm a novice at making bras, so I didn't feel comfortable doing it. I've since re-purchased her book and am reading through it again. I've been learning a lot more about bra construction and design and how band and cup sizes relate to each other and the body itself. I now realize I, like most women, have been wearing a band 2 sizes too large and a cup much too small. That is why it's so hard to get all my extra stuffing into the cup - the band simply isn't tight enough to keep it there. I've gone down from a 54D/DD to a 50G/H bra. Now that I understand more about the process, I realize this book isn't lacking the way I thought it was. There ar instructions for drafting a bra that's larger than the sizes offered in the book and honestly, a self-drafted bra will fit a larger woman FAR better than any store bought bra ever will. I'm also in two classes on Craftsy - both by Beverly Johnson - that have immensely helped my understanding of bra making and design. However, Jennifer Lynne has also made drafting videos available! Having a visual makes the whole process so much easier to understand. Between my communication with the author, my new understanding of bra making, and seeing just how dedicated she has been to the design of bras and other lingerie, I'm changing my rating to 5 stars. I also have heard from her blog that this and her underwear book are part of a series yet to come. She will also be publishing books on leisure wear and men's underwear. I'm sure my husband will appreciate that.I was really hoping this book would be comprehensive and would include information for some of the issues larger women face. It's been impossible to find a bra that fits properly and I am starting to look towards making my own. I face a few challenges, such as copious amounts of extra stuffing both in back, but mainly on the sides where it should technically be pulled into the bra cup. Also, band sizes don't go large enough in an underwire, which I need for support. This book doesn't cover any solution for the side tissue and that's been my main issue. So, this will be returned.

I've been sewing for a few years now and was ready to expand what I am able to do. As a male sewer, I've mastered tailored shirts, slacks, jeans et cetera and have started making things for my sister and a few others. I bought this book due to reviews I've read and that it came with patterns included (always a plus in my book). What I did not expect was just how detailed this book is. Not just how to make bras and work with finer materials, but also nursing and mastectomy bras. To be honest, I don't know any women who need that at the moment - but that I found a book which shows how to construct not just the beautiful stuff, but also the real life stuff that helps women stay feeling beautiful in all aspects of reality - that's a plus in my book. I read in the intro that Bare Essentials is planning to come out with a few more books (I already have the underwear book). OK - I'm now waiting for what they come out with next. Very happy camper here!

I have been wanting to attempt making my own bras for a while. This book is a really great resource. I have yet to make anything, but I've already learned a lot about sizing and fit. Bra shopping is ordinarily, very frustrating for me, but I recently bought one that fits perfectly and I only had to try on 2 before I found it. Usually I try on 5 and walk away with the least horrible of the bunch.I picked up some fabric yesterday and I'm all set to attempt constructing my first bra. There are two reasons I gave this book 4 stars instead of 5. The first is that parts are somewhat vague. The basic bra calls for seam tape. Does that mean the fusible stuff you use so that your seem lines don't stretch? Based on how it's used in the pattern I don't think it does, but that's the only kind of seam tape I know of, and the only kind they had at the store.The second reason is that I'm not sure the patterns are included in the Kindle version. All of the directions on constructing the bra mention the patterns at the the end of the book, but when I got to the end of the book there were no patterns to be found. They can be downloaded from a website listed in the book for an additional $8, but I assumed, as the patterns are in the printed version they would also be in the Kindle version. I got the Kindle version to save myself some time and money, but if I have to download the patterns separately I'm spending more money than if I'd just purchased the print version. In the grand scheme of things $8 isn't a huge deal considering the materials to make 2 bras was cheaper than the price of just one ready to wear bra. Still, I'm kind of annoyed the absence of the patterns wasn't mention.Update: I just bought the downloadable patterns and there is definitely nothing like them in the Kindle book. I find myself again, a little irritated. On the website there was a note about the strap placement on the bra needing to be altered along with instructions on how to do so. I can understand not being able to fix the book as it is already printed, but there is no excuse for leaving the mistake in the downloadable patterns. There were also inconsistencies in the pattern pieces. The lines for the various sizes are color coded but the code changes. On one piece a 36 D might be a blue dashed line, but in another it's a solid black line.It seems like I put more time into proofreading my facebook posts than was put into this book. However bad the editing was, the information so far as I can tell thus far is still good, so my rating of 4 stars remains.... at least until I make my first bra.