You Want To Put What, Where??

Hi everyone. I’ve made a few small changes to the site here and there this last couple of weeks. Firstly the comments now appear from newest to oldest rather than oldest at the top … I’m starting to get more messages than will appear on one page and it seems silly to have to click through several pages to get to the latest message.

The avatars are now working properly. Instead of uploading an avatar for each blog you visit, you can go to http://www.gravatar.com and upload one there, associate it with an email address you use for the blogs and it will appear automatically for every blog thats associated with gravar or uses gravatar as it’s default … gives you much better control and ownership of your images!

As I mentioned in my last update, the Yahoo group has been removed and I’ve put up a page for sewing questions on the blog. As it’s rapidly filling up with sewing questions I might break it up into sections such as;

1. General sewing questions
2. Machines and needles
3. Sewing elastics
4. Share your patterns
5. Show off photos of your work

… or other such topics. I’ll give it a bit longer to see how it develops and better define the topics by what you post. Feel free to answer other peoples questions if you think you know the solution.

OK so let’s get on to today’s topic … catsuit seams … or better said as You want to put what, where? This one is always going to be a matter of contention as there are many who believe there is only one way to seam a catsuit. I don’t care a great deal for those who argue the philosophy that fewer seams always mean a better garment … that’s plain and simple rubbish and eminates from a lazy designer trying to reduce costs or some other excuse. Although today’s more superior performance textiles can eliminate the need for some seams, a better fit is achieved not by distortion of a single patter panel but by an all over even tension which is usually be best achieved by more seams, not fewer. This is the first part of the argument. I’m not saying, as yet, that it’s preferable to have more seams … I’m saying that a better fit is achieved by more seams.

The second part of the argument is that of aesthetics. Some people just don’t like visible seams in the traditional places. I can understand those who dislike the centre front seam splitting their crotch in two, however this is more likely to be caused by an incorrectly shaped and positioned crotch curve or by a seam that doesn’t stretch adequately. A properly shaped, positioned and stitched curve will not cut you in two. The problem is that for ready to wear catsuits, tailor curving the crotch seam is impossible! Hence I accept this as a valid arguement.

The issue raised by the second arguement is while you don’t want a center front seam, where are you going to put your crotch seams instead and what compromises on fit are you willing to accept. The obvious alternative is the gymnast leg line. While this creates a really nice fitting crotch, many argue that it defeats the whole point of having a catsuit … you want leggings as part of the garment, not something stitched onto a bodysuit so to speak or you may as well just don a pair of tights. Fair call to a limited degree, but the leg line can be put at any height or position that the designer dictates and it’s almost invisible in darker colours because there’s no leg elastic or tights seams showing underneath the body section … it also allows for a far greater range of movement than any other method of seaming the crotch.

There is another method which suggests runing an inside leg seam up the leg, across the crotch and down the other leg (the 2 panel catsuit) … with only an outside leg seam running up to the armpit (we’ll ignore the sleeve for the moment). These designers depend on the fabric stretching excessively along the center front/back line. I particularly dislike this concept with a passion because it causes a number of problems …

1. Excessive loss of horizontal tension across the front crotch often resulting in 45 degree ripples either side of the front crotch.
2. Distortion of the print for the above reason
3. Flattening of the cheeks at the back
4. The garment slowly pulling down the legs as you walk  (or even as you put the garment on) resulting in a space under the crotch that chaffs the inside leg and looks like a blow up doll.
5. Poor movement and sitting generally.

 … that said, it’s a very popular style in low waist tights just about everywhere at the moment. Fortunately some designers add a small horizontal gusset instead of the normal vertical gusset to improve fit and prevent the ripples but I reckon it looks awful. Of course it just doesn’t work for a catsuit because everytime the wearer bends over and stretches the back of the garment the front crotch ripples tear into the front leg tendons at the crotch and the back legs ride up … resulting in cheecks overhanging when the wearer stands up again.  Can you tell I’ve done a lot of these things?

The other thing I don’t like about 2 panel catsuits/tights is the angle that some designers cut the legs at. In order to stop the garment pulling down, they try to spread the legs outward to create more ease in the crotch (like lifting sleeves in a T shirt) … it’s  essentially following bad with worse … it works, but it guarentees not only the 45 ripples either side of the front crotch as before, but also excess height at the top of the inside leg which creates even more ripples from the 45 degree ones down to the horizontal … try to imagine that if you can … it gives the appearance that the lower tummy is much rounder!!

If you saw my two articles on the Art of Making Patterns (Part I and Part II) you’ll see I like to push the boudaries of fit. I’m not scared of seams. If you can get an extremely close fit from a limited stretch fabric with a few extra seams then you’ll sure as hell get a good catsuit pattern from the same concept.  Does anyone really believe more seams can’t be sexy?

I believe there are two objectives to commercial patternmaking … achieving the best fit you can while limiting the cost of production where possible. More seams costs more time and money. Unfortunately (said only half tongue in cheek) the designer will decide where the seams are going to go, so all the patternmaker can do is optomise the fit given the working restrictions (and try to slowly educate the designer on fit realities over time).

OK to summarise so far, we have …

• Center front/back seam (easily with or without side seams like this guy does)
• Gymnast style leg lines (must be with side seams)
• Inside leg and horizontal croch seam (must be with side seams)
• Simple to complex combinations of the above eg; gymnast front with center seam back or something like my links above.

 … but what about sleeves?  Predictably enough we can treat the sleeves the same way as we treat the legs. An inset sleeve acts just like the gymnast leggings, while a raglan sleeve is much like a center seam  (whereby the body is just a huge gusset if you think about it that way).  The inside leg seam only concept is pretty much like an all-in-one T-shirt, complete with the same problems I might add.

So what’s the best way to do a catsuit? Well as much as I dislike some methods myself, there really is no right or wrong way …. just differing ways to achieve differing results … it’s a compromise. Seams cam be as few or as many as you like. More seams potentially equate to a better fit, whilst less seams potentially equate to a simpler garment with some ripples. Fewer seams also mean it’s often simpler to line up prints, although they may end up more distorted on the body. So what’s your priority? Fit? Aesthetics? Prints? Simple manufacture? Ready to wear size envelopes?

All the above relates to a plain catsuit block/pattern … it does not consider function or purpose, getting in and out of the garment, enclosures (such as zips), or any other special features (hoods, fetish items, panelled waists, block colour, etc) which may well better determine where seams are placed.  Heck just wait ’till we need to put feet in these things!! Yup that’s coming soon too.

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Pattern Quiz

Taking a small leaf from Kathleen’s book I thought I’d pose a question to the clever ones out there. Jennifer from our old Yahoo Group asked if we’d ever solved the pattern to this Gottex number from way back. We did pose it to the group and after a number of tries we gave up. I’ve had a go at this a few times and I think I’m pretty close, but I’ve never managed to get it to sit as evenly as it looks in the photo below … how’s that coming from the alleged guru of stretch fit pattern making huh?

So who reckons they know how to do it? If you click on the photo you can see a larger version. A few things we noted before ..

• from the waist down we believe it’s one panel.
• there is a seam that runs along the waist line.
• the bust panels are two seperate pieces.
• the outside edge of the halter strap appears to be a straight line (ie; a fold).
• there is way more fullness in the gathered knot than anyone ever initially believed!

We’re going to need more info than just a few vague comments … we want pictures!! … and so do I! This one certainly makes the request for a twist front bikini top seem a lot simpler.

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Stuart’s To Do List

1. How to put feet in a catsuit/leggings (Judy) – working on this still
2. A graph of Bust vs Underbust (Hannah)
3. Twist front bikini top (Danielle)
4. Discussion on styles and trends (Georgia)
5. Seams on a catsuit, what are the alternatives (Ruth) – done
6. Photochromic, hydrochromic and thermocromic inks (Pasquale) – I know nothing about this but I’m curious so it’s on the list.

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