The Band Side Bikini Bottom

I'll keep this section brief :-)

Nothing in swimwear fashion has seen more change over the years than the bikini bottom. Sadly or not, there’s very little room left for design as the piece gradually shrinks into non-existence. That said the simple and relatively conservative band-side bottom is still the most popular and definitely the easiest to make.

You can cut the waist as high as you like, add a fold over section to the top, add a belt stand and loops or even cut away a part of the side band to put in rings or other accessories without even a challengle. The pattern we're going to make here is the current hipster style but you can use the same instructions to make fuller briefs once you have a handle on the technique.

A very simple band side hipster from 2002. The short section of parallel side band is obvious in this photo.

The sketch below illustrates the pattern we're going to make. This pattern is based on the size 10B/C one piece block we created previously (using 12% horizontal negative ease and 0% vertical ease). Before you start each step, click on the link marked "Illustration for this Step". A pop up window with an illustration for that step will help guide you through the instructions. At the end of each step your draft should match the illustration.

Step One

Illustration for this Step

Trace out the bottom halves of your one piece blocks on to a new sheet (it's easier to do this on a folded piece of tracing paper so you can work from both sides and overlay the over again if needed. Draft in a top line (shown in red). This line can be at any position but must be square to the center front/back and square to the side seam. Current styling is the hipster look which would be between 3 and 5cm above the leg hole.

Step Two

Illustration for this Step

Separate the front and back panels. You could literally stop here, add your seam allowance and labelling and you're done. It's that easy. However this is not good enough for retail and too messy for commercial production. The following steps demonstrate how to improve the pattern for commercial production.

Step Three

Illustration for this Step

Overlay the panels again. Draft in a guide line perpendicular to the top side seam. Choose your desired band width (about 3.5cm is fine for this example) a draw second line parallel to the first this width apart.

Draft in a guide line perpendicular to the top of the center front/back (red line). Where this line intersects the guideline from the top side seam we draft yet another guide line perpendicular to the parallel lines. Ok that was difficult to describe so look at the illustration carefully!

Step Four

Illustration for this Step

Trace the guides through to both front and back panels, remove unnecessary lines until your drafts look like mine. What we are about to do is rotate the rectangles (each the same amount at first) in order to create a smoother pattern.

Step Five

Illustration for this Step

Rotate the rectangles about the dots. Rotate each the same amount until the front looks 'better' ... about 10° worked for me. Draw in very smooth and gradual curves to complete the pattern. The one you will find hardest is the back leg line. You must blend smoothly out of the old leg line and then gradually in perpendicular to the side seam. A flexicurve is essential if you're using a pencil and paper. It's easy if you're using CAD.

Step Six

Illustration for this Step

If you're even more of a perfectionist, you can tweak the back panel by rotating the rectangle from the other end about the dot as illustrated. This time your rotating counter clockwise until it looks 'better' again ... about 5° works fine. Redraft the leg line.

You're doing this in two steps for a reason. The first set of rotation brings the side seams to the same postion front and back, meaning the garment sits flat on the shelf. The second rotation on the back tweaks the seam into a better position for the back leg line without greatly affecting how the garment sits on the shelf.

Step Seven

Illustration for this Step

Remove unnecessary guidelines. If necessary retrace the front and back panels. Be sure to clearly label your pattern pieces with a title, panel name, size, cutting instructions, author’s name, date and revision number. Finaly, add seam allowance to the pattern based on how you intend to assemble it. I've shown this pattern with 10mm allowance for overlocked seams (8mm to blade, 2mm off cut) and 10mm allowance for folding over 9mm elastic.

Step Eight

Illustration for this Step

OK this isn't really a step and you are finished, but I thought I'd just show you how easy it is to vary your designs. As long as you don't narrow the crotch or reduce the back panel by more than half you can modify your heart out without worrying about the vertical length.

As the pattern gets narrower however, it tends to stretch more and loses 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. With practice you’ll learn the balance between width and tension for each type of fabric and will be able to predict exactly how much to tweak your pattern. It's when you come to make thong patterns that you need to shorthen the back at least 2-3cm (orange pattern) and sometimes even more if you're using a narrow elastic.