November 21, 2009
UTNE READER

Mindful Living Short Takes

(Page 2 of 2)

March / April 2007
By Staff 
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Busting Out of the B-cup

The crafting renaissance seems to have thrust knitting needles into the clutches of every happening Gen-Xer. But for all the beaded appliques and stenciled T-shirts, sewing quality clothing remains a daunting task for anyone who didn't grow up with one foot on the pedal of a Singer. In the premier issue of Craft (Oct. 2006), a quarterly magazine dedicated to the fuzzy, quilty, hot-glue-gun side of DIY culture, feminist writer Susie Bright exposes one reason: breasts. Or, rather, lack of consideration for them. Women's bodies come in plenty of sizes, but major pattern companies (such as Simplicity, Butterick, Vogue, New Look, and McCall's) design patterns almost exclusively for a B-cup bosom. "You could cut out the tissue with a 40-inch bust," Bright writes, "and it would still be a B-cup." Sure, designing clothing for a flatter plane is easier and more forgiving, which is why the super-slender physique became a popular model for high fashion designers. (Bright refers to this as the "hanger-like look.") But one size obviously doesn't fit all, and the rejection of mass-marketed monotony is at the heart of the DIY movement, so for women who want to stitch their own duds, Bright suggests checking out Burda (www.burdamode.com), Hot Patterns (www.hotpatterns.com), and Kwik Sew (www.kwiksew.com), all of which offer patterns with cup sizes proportional to chest measurements. Simplicity also recently debuted some patterns with variable cup sizes. For more information on Craft, sister publication to the tech geek's must-have manual Make, check out www.craftzine.com. -Julie Hanus
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