I’ve made a lot of different versions of the Muna and Broad Banksia Bralette and I think I’ve finally been able to settle on my favourite configuration!
The Banksia Bralette [pronounced like Banksy-a] comes in two different cup sizes, and options for narrow shoulders too. The Banksia has a unique inner sling system which works to separate large breasts and stop them from pushing together to make a sweaty uni-boob. You can customise the amount of support by lining the bralette in different fabrics.
Banksia Bralette Size Details: My perfect Banksia that I’ve settled on (and which is pictured above) is a Size E, D cup, narrow shoulder with approx 3” removed from the centre front. To make matching sets, I apply the FOE in the Kapunda style (not folded over).
My measurements: My current measurements are 43″ high bust, 48″ full bust, 43″ waist (smallest part, close to my underbust), 54″ low hip and I’m 57″ at my roundest point (around my belly). I am relatively short through the body, and have narrow shoulders compared to my other measurements.
It’s taken several years of sewing, but I’ve finally decided that I have singers lungs, which makes it seem like me sewing cup size is bigger than it actually is. This meant that my boobs weren’t exerting enough downwards pressure, and the bralette was sitting very high in the centre front.
I might make some like this where I actually fold the elastic under, because leaving the elastic flat means the straps take up more room, which means you’re more likely to see them peeking out of the neckline of my tops (which is not always what I’m after).
Fabric and support levels: I omitted the slings and lined the front and back of this bralette with a merino/poly blend which doesn’t have great stretch. Because it doesn’t stretch much, it actually provides a decent amount of support (more than if I’d just put a double layer of cotton/lycra).
Future versions? Bamboo bralette! More matching sets. Mesh or powermesh on the outside of the bralette! Full merino bralette? It’s fair to say that I have plans.
I just finished my first matching set, Banksia bralette plus my tried and true self drafted undies. I am so thrilled, and my first set is just boring grey cotton/Lycra. I feel like the possibilities are endless.
I have a similar fitting issue, and I have a larger cup size. My sneaking suspicion is that cup size measurements assume your boob is a perfect half-sphere, like the shape of most modern bras. If I went solely by the difference between my full bust and underbust I would wear like a G cup, but I only wear a DDD. My “upper boob” (lol) is relatively flat, so while my boobs project far away from my body they aren’t as big as you would think based solely off the horizontal measurements.
It could also be a completely different thing causing this issue, bras are mysterious sometimes!
That’s a great point, sewing cup sizes and bra cup sizes are also different and the sewing cup size comes from the difference between an upper and full bust, whereas bras you buy use the underbust.
Bras that I wear are vastly different in size from the D-cup that I’m wearing here!