advice altering maternity swim suit top

hello, well i am back again with last minute preparations/alterations... this time a maternity swim suit.

i am a bit worried about stretchy knit stuff and so i am looking for some guidance.

DW does not fit in pre-baby swim suits, and she thought maybe i could alter a 3rd trimester maternity swim suit she likes to get us through a long weekend at the beach (why ? because she does not enjoy shopping for swim suits and does not want to waste valueable beach time trying to find swim suits)

so i have what looks like a camisole style swim suit top ( ? a maternity Tankini ?) , (82% nylon, 18% spandex) it is constructed like this, a fitted and lined tube top with thin straps over the shoulders and attached to the bottom of the tube top part is alot of material down to hips which is slightly flared at bottom and larger mid way down the suit where that extra material is gathered a bit at side seams (where pregnant belly would be) and a 4"cotton strip is sewn into the gathered bit (just in the seam) ..... i guess to prevent any up and down stretching

so, do i just rip the seams up to and over that gathered area, then pin fit and re-sew ?

i am guessing a small 70/9 ball point needle and a walking presser foot ?

do i need any speacial thread (i.e. wooly nylon, stretchy, or just nylon thread etc ?)

what are recommended stitch settings with a plain zig-zag machine ?

thanks for any help and advice you can give, robb

Reply to
robb
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robb a écrit :

I'm maybe being a bit dense ,it is first thing in the morning here, but in what way are you altering the swim suit, taking in to let out later in the pregnancy or letting out? I'm having trouble visualising what you want to change, you have described the swimsuit itself fine. Sorry if I missed where you said that. Defiantly a ball point needle, and a small zigzag I would say.

Claire in Montréal France

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Reply to
claireowen

Yes! The hem will need straightening.

Good ideas. Also, use a narrow, small zigzag stitch and a ball point or jersey needle.

Not for an ordinary machine. Polt thread is best.

Small stitch (1.5mm - 2 mm, or 10 stitches to the inch) and a narrow ZZ.

Once you have stitched the seam, you can go over the edges with a wider ZZ. Don't forget you are using a narrow seam allowance here, too! :)

Reply to
Kate XXXXXX

-- trimmed --

I want to take in (reduce) the maternity part. The baby has arrived. DW's figure has not returned to her pre-baby swim suit size . DW wants the maternity suit reduced to a more flattering fit.

thanks again for any helpful suggestions, robb

Reply to
robb

thanks Kate for all helpful suggestions,

i had not anticipated the hem, i suppose they would be starring/swaying at me soon enough. also i was not sure if i needed to do something to the material before ripping seams to prevent any fraying or re-fitting problems it seems from your advice that will not be an issue ?

this is a funny situation like a previous one, i was just thinking of making DW a suit for a later summer trip (just for the fun of making it) but this early trip came up so not enough time for me to make one.

for now altering the maternity suit seems to be next best option.

thanks aga---- trimmed---

Reply to
robb

Remember that to cover the bump, the front has been made longer than the back, so you want to even things up when you alter it. :)

Shouldn't be... Swimsuit fabric doesn't really fray, being a knit.

Here's a great place for tips on sewing swimwear, from an Auzzie designer. He's just building his site, so keep going back:

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Quicker and pleasanter than struggling to buy one with baby in tow! AND remember that she WILL change shape quite a lot over the next few months, so the budget option is probably a good one for now! :D

Before you REALLY get into swimsuit making, you might like to invest in an overlocker/serger. You'll see why when you explore Stuart's site!

Reply to
Kate XXXXXX

Thanks for help Kate, well , swim suits are not as easy as i thought... that is smaller seams and fewer seams does not seem to equal easier.... then i looked at your swim suit web link and i now understand why.

i th> > thanks Kate for all helpful suggestions,

wow! all 5 inches of extra length after ripping all the side seams and the gathering bit.

i was happy to have accidentally cut the seam in just such a way so that pulling on two bits of wooly nylon thread un-zipped the seam all the way to the top of course after spending 10 minutes trying to rip and pull about two inches of ?4 thread safety/overedge? stitches

well, now, i would/could take care of the baby, DW just happens to be one of those rare exceptions to "all women love to shop" generalizations (she does not like to shop) but oddly enough i do like to shop and DW usually finds more things when i am scanning the aisles for stuff that i think *she would like* or i think flatters her.

DW is in the midst of those changes, she was a little worried about not returning to pre-baby shape as quickly as she wants but i try to remind her "you had a baby", it was 9 months of change and maybe her expectations were to high

but like most DWs i suspect she needed to hear it from girlfriends and sisters and such

thanks for help , robb

Reply to
robb

The explanations are quite technical and detailed, but well written and very easy to understand. He's good! And some of the stuff he's designed is lovely (well, if you are 19, slender, and never had a kid, or look like Darcy Bussel!)

Good move! I thought the same myself! :D More difficult than wedding dresses in some respects!

Well, remember just how big that bump was!

Pulling out the needle threads is the easiest way!

I HATE shopping for anything other than sewing stuff with a passion! I need to be bribed to do clothes shopping for my son with a nice Costa coffee stop and a trip to the sewing emporium! I don't do groceries at all. We'd starve if Alan didn't do them! :D

Tell her a secret from me: after you are 16, you NEVER return to pre baby shape! You just don't have that much snap-back! Even Darcy has said the same, and look at HER figure! Even if the measurements are the same, the body id a different shape.

Probably! Big Sis Kate is here with the truth! ;) But the new figure can be just as sexy and interesting... She'll get there!

Reply to
Kate XXXXXX

Thanks for posting this. I enjoy making swimwear for my family and it added to my knowledge base. I have a long body and find it difficult to buy well fitting swimsuits.

The swimwear I make for my family is more functional for swimming/racing than his examples. I am not trying to create high fashion swimwear. He included a racer back suit on his page, but, as he said, it has a variety of drawbacks. Racers and lap swimmers generally practice in suits that have a hole below the racer back. This makes them easier to put on, since there isn't a narrow waist to squeeze through. It also avoids the tendency toward the mid-back air pocket while swiming.

I have not been able to find any patterns for this style of suit and have had to create my own patterns. This has worked, but I would love the ease of starting with a pattern to modify. Do you know of any patterns or information available for creating racing suits?

Thanks, Betsy

Reply to
betsy

hello, ran into slight problem while altering

(my alteration will be shorten hem by 5 inches to just above hips , and take in about 6 inches from side seams)

the front panel of suit is wider than rear panel by about 1.25 inch (on each side) (so total 2.5 inch), the extra width tapers from 0.25 inch at top seam to the 1.25 inch when you approach the hem.

question : do i need to keep front and rear panel tapering difference after trimming excess fabric ?

do i need to keep front panel slightly wider than rear panel and is there a proper amount besides 2.5 inches

i can not figure why the difference, i would have expected alot more difference in front/rear panel widths if it was primarily to make up for the maternity bump. 2.5 inch does not seem like enough for that purpose ? or maybe it is ?

thanks for any help, robb

Reply to
robb

It looks like Jalie patterns has a racer-style swimsuit pattern. I found this pattern while cruising around the Rainshed site that someone posted a few days ago.

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Click on books and patterns, then on jalie patterns. The jalie.com site does not seem to have this particular pattern on it.

hth

liz young > Racers and lap swimmers generally practice in suits that have a hole

Reply to
Elizabeth Young

then on jalie patterns.

Thank you very much. This is what I have spent quite a bit of time searching for. I have ordered it and am eagerly awaiting its arrival.

It is great that one pattern package includes all the sizes for children and adults.

--Betsy

Reply to
betsy

Not neccessarily... Just pin it so that the side seam is virtical, and take out as much as you need to from back and front.

No, the nmount larger will depend on your wife's size at the front.

Swimsuit fabric ordinarily stretches a great deal more ROUND the body than length ways. See Stuart's site for the reasons... :)

Reply to
Kate XXXXXX

I have never made a real swimsuit, per se. I once used a swimsuit pattern and made a suit of cotton knit, to wear while sitting by the pool, which is the closest I get toward the water. But just before getting online, I was reading the latest issue of THREADS, and there is an article called "Inside Swimsuits." written by Laura Keith,

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. Apparently, she has a line of swimsuit patterns. If you don't have the magazine, you probably can read it online at
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Emily

Reply to
CypSew

thanks Ms. Kate and to all others that helped

Alteration was done and we have returned from beach with no complaints about suit from DW

i altered as you suggested Ms. Kate with vertical seam fit and then finished with some amount of "negative ease" as described by the swimsuit link ;) i used a small zig-zag for seam then larger zz to finish over the edges re-using the wooly nylon i collected from the original seams (did not have any)

the top part was too loose for DW taste so i cheated with some darts over shoulder blades because there was a lining and tapered pieces and double stitched clean finish binding etc ...

worked great, survived the beach, thanks, robb

Reply to
robb

Great stuff! Do let us know about the one you make from scratch when you get started on it! :)

Reply to
Kate XXXXXX

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