From a simple band side bikini bottom, it’s not big jump to convert it to a string side. I have always preferred to create my string sides from band sides rather than go back to the block. I feel I get a better perspective, but it’s entirely choice. This technique will be based on the band side bikini bottom we made previously.
Take a look at the illustration above. You will notice I’ve drawn a line perpendicular to each side seam that extends to the center (grey dotted lines). This represents the direction the strings will apply tension to the garment. You can place them anywhere along the side seam, they are arbitraty, just place them in the same position at each corner. I’ve chosen the center of the line. You could chose the top if you want a slightly more conservative approach (surfwear) or the bottom if you want a little more risque (high fashion). This few centimeters does proportionally make quite a difference to your start position.
The next question is where to place corners of your garment. You really need to stay as close to the back side seam as possible in comparison to the front. On a string side bottom, the string position is usually biased towards the front in order to allow as much bottom coverage as possible. This means that the front corners are positioned 4-5cm inside the side seam.
Of course it really all depends on what you are trying to create. Remember that , just like the band side, as the pattern gets narrower it tends to stretch more and lose its rebound strength. Another consequence of narrowing the back panel is that it begins to drop between the cheeks rather than sitting out over them. This means you will need to shorten the pattern a little.
The various coloured lines represent the limitless design possibilities. All are valid. The black line is the current Brazilian style. Suited only to young fit bodies, this stye is not very stable, but that’s hardly the point of the garment. The yellow line represents the back of the G-string. No matter what top style you use on the G-string, this is the back that covers all the essential bits. That said, there are manufacturers out there making even smaller pieces called ‘microkinis’.
This all goes to show you can pretty much do anything you want. Be careful though as these same concepts do not directly apply to one piece swimsuits.
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