I have fairly narrow shoulders and even the very best swimsuits have always been a little too far over toward the shoulder point and tend to "slip"..
YEEEEEEEEHAAAAAAAAAA.... the new strap off set tool which allows us to MOVE the midline of the shldr strap where we want it.. is pure genius!!!
For those who have never made a swim suit ( it had been years and years for me,,,) Ill pass along some of the decisions I made and why.
First the fabric.. 4 way stretch with the greatest stretch going around the body.
lycra spandex.. stuff specially designed for swim suits...
In the shop push your thumb HARD against the end cut corner.. if it bags DON�T buy it!!
2nd the lining.. yes lining..... I don�t know where you guys swim but our lakes tend to be COLD water... a no bra swimsuit needs a modesty panel or something extra tween me and the outside world besides one little bit of lycra spandex.... specialty swim suit lining is available mail order, internet order and from the same shop you find the swim suit fashion fabric.
3. elastic for around the neck, arm holes and legs.. specialty elastic.. chlorine tolerant is available.. clear elastic is available and colored narrow lingerie elastic is available. I don�t usually swim in chlorine but in natural lakes.. I used a matching blue lingerie elastic I had in stash ( why I had it is beyond me .. but there sat about 8 yards of the stuff.. for Lord knows how long!)
4. SERGERS are the very fastest method of construction.. I used a three thread set up.. balanced tensions and wooly nylon in the upper looper.
I didn�t bother to put on my special elastic foot ( didn�t think about it till afterwards..) but used a fresh needle and well cleaned machine.. made several samples using the differential feed and found I could run at just Normal.
5. conventional machine for top stitching.. I used a balanced zig zag set at 2.5 on my esante for the zig zag elastic stitch, not the straight line elastic stitch which I was afraid would weaken the fabric with its multiple punch holes.
I also used a size 75HS stretch needle..(schmetz)
I made samples of the stitch and tensions on scrap fabric.
OH.. the pattern.. swim suit ( found under outer wear if you get add on one.)
is a maillot.. tank suit.. no bra shelf.
default ease.....tee hee.how did they do that SOOOO RIGHT????.
made one muslin from swim suit lining and decided to use the offset tool to set the strap 1/2 inch closer to the neck away from the shoulder point..
checked the seam allowances and made them all 1/2 inch ( could have been 3/8th and will work with that next time.. and there WILL be a next time!!!)
rounded the back hip curve to smooth it a little bit..
no changes to the front... or the straps or the crotch or anywhere else.. this is UNBELIEVABLE!!!!!
I cut one front on the fold and one front lining on the fold. I didn�t bother to use the tissue sandwich I did on the first "muslin".. used weights and a rotary cutter.. fantastic.. smooth and neat.. all pins were put in the seam allowance only and I used a very few thin glass head pins..
I cut TWO backs adding a seam allowance down the center back.. why?? I checked every swimsuit I still owned.. they all had 2 separate backs..
I laid the lining front to the wrong side of the swim suit front and used "GLUE PINS"..in just a few spots.. little dots to hold the two in place while I stitched..
I stitched (serged) one shoulder front to back with the front and lining treated as one single piece.
I then added the elastic barely stretching it around curves to the WRONG side of the neck edge, and arm holes so it could be applied "flat".
I then stitched the other shoulder and did the other arm hole.
Make sure to leave the seam allowance at unstitched yet seams free of the elastic to reduce bulk.
sew (serge)side seams
add elastic around the leg openings.. here I did tug a little more on the elastic which btw was applied on the top of the sandwich front back elastic being the sandwich.)
sew crotch
I did NOT sew the bottom lining front into the crotch seam so it could "float"..
I added a small crotch extention LINING on the back crotch.
move to the conventional machine..turn the elastic and seam allowance to the wrong side.. top stitch fron the right side using the stretch zig zag set at a s2.5 stitch width default length if use a tacony product.
Then I wanted to dress up this royal bright blue swim tank... hmmmmmmm
in stash I found a downright drop dead piece of print china silk.. bright turqoise,white,yellow and royal blue..print.. too wild for a dress and it is china silk.. the cheap stuff.. got it for less than 5 bucks a yard in Toronto last year .drapes wonderfully .
serged the ends of a 2 yard cut......and instant sarong..cover up..
Total construction time after design planning, fabric layout and cutting.. less than ONE HOUR!!! for a swim suit and sarong.
Yes.. there are other methods of construction.. this is not the be all end all.. but it sure worked sweet.
I spent way more time..� thunking� on this.. than making it.
I found 4 more pieces of swim suit fabric I liked at Jo le's yesterday.. they are washed and ready to get maybe even stack cut...
AFTER the kids all leave.. but some morning early the sound of my machines running at break neck speed may be heard echoing thru the village...I doubt Ill ever put on one of my not quite right RTW bathing suits again..
� 2001 Kaaren Hoback, Dryden, New York