First of all, thank you for all the replies to my previous post. You are proving once again why this sewing-corner of the web is the best. When I read your comments and re-read my own words, two things stood out to me: First of all, by speaking of and to women, I neglected to acknowledge some people who also add to our little sewing circle. I'm sorry guys! In fact, one of the things which are great about sewing is that everybody can enjoy it. Not just regardless of size but regardless of gender too.
And secondly, one of you pointed out that there are still issues with the size ranges of sewing patterns. Trust me to forget that! Not even because I don't have that problem but because I nearly always draft my own patterns... Which is also the best advice I can give to anyone who would like to say farewell to the terror of sizing: If you have the time (because it does take a while to get it right and build up confidence), learn how to make you own patterns. Or do what some bloggers with difficult sizes do: Perfect the fit on a simple pattern and use that as a sloper.
With that said, I would like to move on to the main topic of today's post. It has taken me a week but I finally found a moment to take pictures of that bodysuit I made.
At come angles it is a bit daring. I will have to decide whether or not "low cleavage" (a bit of bust curve showing at the underside of those opaque triangles) means this thing can't be worn in public.
I like how it looks with a wide skirt like this. A bit ballerina-like.
There's that V at the back.
And... eh... Here it is without the skirt. In this picture, you can just about see the opaque bits at the bottom and the angle on the front of the leghole.
After finishing the first bodysuit, I didn't feel I was quite done with it. So, I made another one. On this one, I slightly adjusted the angle of the triangles (in an effort to get more lower bust coverage but I forgot to move the center point down a little bit. And even then it might not have worked), I added sleeves (I had never even drafted those for this body fashion block before), removed the center back seam, cut the back neckline round rather than in a V and I changed the design of the bottom. This time, I cut the sides up in a smooth line from that front triangle and cut the back in the same kind of thong shape I often use for panties. That also allowed me to add a that bottom opening I didn't make in the first version.
The different placement of the triangles doesn't really show but the sleeves make the whole thing look quite different. And if I decide I am brave enough, this one would be more practical to wear as a bodysuit.
I think I am done with bodysuits for now but this experiment has given me a new idea for a bathing suit.
To be honest, I've been a bit down on my sewing mojo lately. Yesterday was the first time since I came back from holiday that I actually made something from scratch (I've done some very small repairs in the mean time). There are some excuses: I've been busy with work and last weekend I went rock-climbing in the Ardennes again (I think I'm actually starting to get the hang of it ;)
But mostly, I've just been over-thinking things. The striped dress for example. Yesterday evening, I went back to contemplating that orange striped fabric and being indecisive. And then I decided I'd had enough. As much as I love shirt-dresses it's not worth fretting over for weeks. And I could do with some nice, enjoyable, relaxing sewing. So, I decided to make a pair of panties using a tried-and-tested pattern and some black lace and lycra (I forgot to take a picture).
Of course, I was happy with the result. That's what tried-and-tested patterns and materials are for! And it made me think of other things I could do with those lingerie materials...
So, today I made this:
My first bodysuit! The picture is not very clear so I've also made a technical drawing (I'll see if I can get a picture of me wearing it tomorrow. One I'm comfortable showing online...)
The pointy bits in strategic locations are made from black lycra, the rest from a fairly dense black mesh (which is about as stretchy as my lycra, maybe a bit less). All the edges are finished with fold-over elastic.
My main idea behind it was to experiment with graphic shapes. I used a sloper made years ago for my first bathing suit. The bathing suit was always uncomfortably short in the body so I added one humble centimeter at the waistline. Which turned out to work perfectly.
For the bottom edge, I used a shape I pioneered recently: The notched front leg.
I am quite happy with the way it turned out. The fit is good and those points are in the right places.
It is not really practical though. Normal bodysuits are meant to be worn as nice smooth tops and have a placket with snaps at the crotch to allow for easy bathroom breaks. You can buy those plackets pre-made at places which specialize in lingerie-making supplies but I don't have any. And I didn't think I would find a feature like that very comfortable. Of course, the only alternative was sewing up the crotch like you would for a bathing suit.
Making this thing was never about creating a practical addition to my wardrobe though. It was about the experiment and the fun of sewing it.
