I ordered the duoplex/tulle kit by Emerald Erin sometime in the spring of 2020. As a new sewist who had the interest but not the skill level to get into bra-making, I didn't actually make this until the winter of 2020.
So when I first made this bra, I made the beginner mistake of not making a toile first. I went by my measurements (underbust 29 & bust about 33-34), and made a 30D with a 34 underwire. When it was complete, the bra was beautiful but way too small! The wires definitely didn't fit and poked into my breast tissue. The bridge was too narrow and it felt like the wires were poking at my rib cage. I realized I had wide set breasts that are shallow at the top, as the top of the cups were too baggy. I tried again, this time making a toile out of muslin fabric with my modifications. 1/4" was added to the bridge, and just a scant amount (about 1/8") was removed from the upper cups. I used Beverly Johnson's bra making class on Craftsy to make these modifications. LizSews on YouTube also has tutorials on how to make these mods, in case you don't have a Craftsy subscription. I made a 30DD the second time, with a size 36 underwire. I took apart my first bra, salvaging some of the foldover elastics and straps. (that's why the stitches look messy on the finished bra) This time it fit well! In the future, I'll add just a slight amount more to widen the bridge (maybe 1/4"), but overall it fits! I used Lizsews' Black Beauty sewalong videos on YouTube along with the included pattern instructions to sew my bras. I just like seeing it done in a video, but it's definitely doable without watching a video. I messaged Emerald Erin for help along the way, and she was always responsive and willing to help!
So I'm glad my first bra sewing was a success. I will always make a toile with each new bra pattern in the future. I never was completely certain of my bra size in the past. I just measured myself for ready-to-wear bras and usually wore either a 34C or 36C. 30DD sounds like an odd size to me that I wouldn't have even bothered to try on! So this whole process of finding my right size, right underwire, and making adjustments helped me find a better, customized fit!
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