All the bikini bottom patterns are based on the one piece block. You need to have completed this before proceeding to any of the patterns. From time to time I’ll be adding new patterns so check back now and then. If you’d like to see a pattern made from your own design then please email me a sketch or leave a comment in the section below and if it’s straight forward enough then I’ll have a go and put it up here. Simply click on the thumbnail to select your pattern instructions.
Click on a thumbnail to select your pattern instructions.
First – thanks for your website. I’ve learned so much about patternmaking for, and working w/ lycra. I hope you can help w/a specific question. I am working on a pattern for skating shorts for a roller derby team. They’ve shown me several commercial types they’ve tried, but complain that they don’t rise up high enough over the tush when they skate. I am thinking these need more of a leotard ease (8/4) than a fashion swimsuit ease(12/0). Also, I am thinking to make these out of 4-way stretch, not 2-way (which I’ve seen in a few of the commercial ones). Any advice or suggestions? Thanks!!
Hi Stuart,
I’m Lambert from Manila… Last year I had a Few collection of swimsuit because I was really Inspired of this website to create such pieces. I named my Swimsuit collection “SWIMSUITAGENDA2010″ here are some of my works below.. I’m so thankful that there is such like you who never kept the skills himself alone but instead share it to a lot of people… Thank You for that.. and I will do the same thing… The could some flaws but in a timely manner I would be able to perfect it one-by-one and step-by-step.
Hi Leah. Ok it isn’t essential, but if you don’t the garment won’t necessarily stay in place. By having a center back seam the garment needs to extend along the length of the seam in order to ride up … ie; stretch against it’s main tension lines, which it is unlikely to do unless there’s not enough tension in the first place.
With a wider side seam you need to do it in order to get the shape of the back panel correct … without it you end up with either too small a waist circumference or too large a leg hole … that one is simple maths. It can be fixed by increasing leg hole elastic tension but that only works up to a point and fails when you start looking at square leg lines or shorts for example.
Much better fit and aesthetic attained in both cases if you use a center back seam. Of course some people do without it … so it isn’t impossible …
Stuart,
Would you mind explaining why when a bikini bottom gets lower at the hips and wider at the side seam it becomes necessary to create a center back seam?
Thanks!
Leah