Review: Harriet Bra Pattern by Cloth Habit

In my flurry of activity this past week, I decided to add an extra pattern to my to-cut pile. The Harriet Pattern by Cloth Habit! It comes in 2 size sets: bands 28-42 E-H cups or bands 28-42 A-E cups. Between the usual questions about bra fit and cup shape, my curiosity was piqued. And so a quick mock up was in order!

INSTRUCTIONS

Not much to write here as I didn’t actually read it. AT ALL. Since this was a list minute add to my to-do list, I literally just printed off my usual size (Cloth Habit uses UK sizing and I fit a 32E (UK pretty well), measured the BCD and Horizontal Hemisphere (taping together a paper cup really helps with this!) and compared my well fitting wire to the cradle. The 32E turned out to be too small circumference wise and I needed to size up (not surprising as I’m nursing now and the next size up is consistent with my sizing from the past). My pattern pack only went up to E cup so I sister sized up to a 34E and measured again. The 34E was close enough to make a muslin with. I was fortunate that my favorite vertical wires fit the regular 32E frame without needing any alterations.

ALTERATIONS

For this muslin, no alterations to the pattern were made other than selecting a larger cup size.

CONSTRUCTION

Bra was sewn up in MY usual order. First the cups, then frame, cups to frame, channeling, wings, elastics, and hook and eye last. As this was a muslin, I didn’t bother trimming the seams but did a bit of top stitching for strength. Some seams are a bit wonky as I was also practicing sewing without pins (or at least minimal use). Incidentally, the hash mark on the upper cup is the half way point of the seam line as I was able to sew it on backward! I also didn’t bother adding rings and slides on the muslin, just tried it on and pinned where the straps should be attached. Oh and for a bit of fun, I used my 3/4” FIRM Double Plush Elastic instead of the usual strap elastic! I kinda like the look of the continuous scalloped edge. This worked well as a substitute as my FIRM Double Plush Elastic has the same stretch percentage as my strap elastic (50%)!

Harriet Pattern by Cloth Habit. Salmon colored sheer cup lining via Dharma Acid Dye.

FIT

I was pleasantly surprised that the cups didn’t require any alteration. There was no indication of the pointiness I saw in some other makes (and the paper cup itself!) but that may be due to my current breast shape. Straps are a bit far apart but that’s pretty typical for me in RTW bras. The height of the side seam and wings are too low for me. Combined with a VERY snug band, there are rolls galore. The TOP of the bridge is pleasantly narrower than the norm and I didn’t have to make any adjustments there. That said, the BASE of the bridge is TOO narrow for me but that’s an easy adjustment. In future version, i would need to add some length to the base of the bridge pattern piece as I was getting tell-tale wrinkles in the cup just above the wire at the center front ONLY. This was confirmed when I palpated the gap between wire and breast root at this spot. Band was a bit tight for a 32.

FINAL ANALYSIS

The Harriet seems to be well drafted. Seams line up nicely and hash marks are clearly indicated. Fit of the cups is pretty spot on. I do want to note that the apex of this bra seems to be a touch below the diagonal seam. So for those of you who measured the BCD, you may NOT need to shorten/length that seam! This was the case for me, I often need to reduce the BCD but it was unnecessary here!

The cradle fit my vertical wires quite nicely without needing to redraft the wireline - this was a bit curious as the bra was designed for regular wires. Placing my wire on the pattern itself, it seems there was very little wire spring added. Depending on which school of thought you subscribe to, you may need to adjust the wireline. The width of the bridge is about 1/2” - smaller than the usual in RTW which is a welcome change for me but a bit unusual in the smaller size set.

The band fits - a little too snug. Unstretched, the bra measures 26” (incl hook and eye) which is not uncommon but stretch percentage plays a factor in fit. I used a medium weight powernet which has about 50% stretch. The wings themselves are a smidge over 5” long each. Meaning the 10” span of the wings need to stretch 6” to fit a 32” ribcage. That’s a 60% stretch requirement! Since my ribcage is 31”, and the powernet I used has 50% stretch, the powernet is working at MAX capacity. This is likely only an issue with the smaller band sizes assuming the standard grading rules were applied.

CONCLUSION

The Harriet is well suited for those with narrow roots and/or use vertical wires with minimal alterations needed. Those who have wide roots and like the Harriet’s styling may need to redraw the wireline to better suit their perfect wire. Our friends with smaller rib cages may need to add a bit of length to the wing pattern for comfort (or size up the wing only). Once my usual adjustments are applied (narrow/widen bridge, raising height of band, etc) I can see why its such a popular pattern!

Harriet Pattern by Cloth Habit. Firm Double Plush Elastic instead of strap elastic.