Drafting Basic Bodice Block - Bunka Style

Bunka style blocks are one of the simplest, and yet at the same time, more complex blocks we have come across. Bunka Fashion College is from Japan, and they use the Japanese Industrial Standards (JIS) sizes to develop their basic blocks. Based on the JIS statistics, Bunka Fashion College is able to produce fairly accurate blocks representing a good range of body sizes just using three body measurements, namely the bust circumference, waist circumference and centre back length.

However, for those who have encountered Bunka style blocks, the drafting is rather involved. For instance, there are two waist darts for each back and front bodice blocks; all of which are determined by a percentage predetermined in the Bunka Fashion Series textbook.

Because the blocks are highly dependent on only a few body measurements, Bunka style blocks work very well for those who fit within the JIS sizes, and less so for those that deviate from it. Having said that, it does not mean that Bunka style blocks cannot be used by some body sizes; it just means that toile fitting becomes all the more important in getting the blocks to fit you right.

For this Instructable, we will be covering how to draft the Bunka Style Basic Body Block - Missy, which only requires two body measurements - bust and centre back length. It is a very generous block, so will only work for styles that are not tight-fitting.