Different brief sewn patterns

[JamesSwim]

I noticed that my brief suits are sewn together in quite different ways. In past posts, Torchwatch really explained things well such as why and how the back panel is often larger than the front, why it's important to keep the front taut, etc. But in any case, here are some different types that I see, all in brief-style. Do you have any other styles?

1) Common: Two triangular panels sewn together. Back panel is a bit bigger and curls just a bit to the front and stitched to front, and there's another seam under the crotch

2) Bottom panel: Just like the regular brief, but there's a third patch under the crotch, shaped like an hour-glass. Unusual. Sort of cradles your bottom rather than having a seam in the middle.

3) Side panels: Back, front, and one on each side, sometimes in a different color. So the suit has four panels total. One Adidas suit I have has the side panel in the same color as the front/back, so it was done for some other reason than just contrasting colors. The front panel is much smaller, and fabric is taut and fits really well. I wonder why more people don't make side panels? I bet it's extra labor.

4) Back center seam - One front panel, two in back, that makes it total of 3 panels. The back center seam seems to keep the back fit better. I've seen this in some Japanese suits where there's also a mesh in the back. Girls' one piece suits have back seams, so that the fit is better in the back.

BTW: Arena Japan has this cool custom swim suit order system where you can rotate your custom suit to see front and back. Go click on the custom swim wear link and play around: https://custom.arena-jp.com/simulation/#/entrance/material/simulation

5) Front center seam - one panel in back,two in front -- you see this in Speedo-brand Solar brief and some fashion suits. The 2 front panels can be cut on a convex curve to create a pouch.

A few cases, I've seen front AND back center seams, but that seems rare. I only have one of those and it's a square leg

I have never seen a suit made of one piece of cloth folded over so there's no seam beneath the crotch.

Torchwatch said there's just stitching (and no seam, I presume) to prevent sagging, but I don't have a suit like that. Paper suits has them but they don't make many of these.

[Torchwatch]

Will try to answer you question/points, but it may get complex.

When sewing a seam you have to stretch the fabric while sewing it or you would get a "bow tie" effect. I have never wanted this but someone might want it for something.

When sewing a seam along a convex curve a pouch is formed, joining enough convex curve seams together would give you a ball.
A swimsuit without a pouch (used by Speedo etc as a racing brief) is more properly called a smooth front bikini. On the front of a suit the sewn convex seam starting at the lowest point of the suit need not go all the way to the waist line to form a front pouch and achieving a posing suit. A seam going all the way up can be called a contour suit.

Sewing a concave curve seam produces a fork, if you were making a full body lycra suit from a front and back panel you may well sew from left ankle to right ankle via the crotch, the crotch in this case being a concave curve seam and defining the separate legs of the suit. This might be relevant in square cut suits.

When sewing a straight seam the 2 pieces of fabric become one, but they cannot stretch along the seam any more then the fabric was stretched at the time of sewing. Ageing Lycra loses it skin tight qualities and begins to sag, the seat of your swim suit may sag down towards you knees, this looks bad especially on a branded suit so the manufacturer may choose to insert a rear seam to support the seat of the suit. This was essential in Paper Lycra suits which had a very short use life. if the ream seam is slightly less stretchy than the seat of the suit it will be pulled up into ones ass crack a bit making the suit more skin tight and less tunnel forming.

To add a colour band to a suit a section of fabric may be cut out and substituted for the original using a fully stretched straight seam. A convex fabric sewn to an equal and opposite concave fabric are equivalent to a straight seam. If the manufacturer is making a batch of blue suits with white sides he would use straight seams to sew in the side sections. He might use the same sewing pattern to finish the order with plain blue suits but cutting and sewing blue sides into blue suits. (This is my guess)

If you can just about sew a little and would like to see how a suit fits together (I made my first suit with a cut up pvc shopping bag and sticky tape) then private message me with an email address and I could email you the Stitchboy Men's Swimwear Sewing Patterns that were once on the internet. Give it a go ......

[Torchwatch]

The Stitchboy Patterns are still available on the internet here:

http://web.archive.org/web/20011201034016/http://www.geocities.com/WestHollywood/Heights/3204/1styles.html

Give it a go if you dare.

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/86694361547818597/

[Byron]

Very interesting and educative (if a daunting prospect)
I was thinking of any special techniques required in the making of the old onion skin suits - or for those does what you say on Paper Lycra simply also apply?

[JamesSwim]

Thanks for reply and the links. I may attempt making my own. I was primarily curious how all the different methods affects the fits of the suits I own, and may help me choose new ones in the futures. But as you hint at, perhaps making your own is the best way to get the fit that I want.

[PSDave]

I saw these patterns a while back and went to the store and bought the fabric and was all ready to start in on making my own suit. Read all the instructions and gave it serious thought (the cautions on the stretch fabric scared me), then put it all in a bag (pattern and fabric) and took it to my tailor. He whipped out two suits for me and only charged me $30. He had me come in for a fitting so they fit perfect. I went for the string side bikini.

[JamesSwim]

Torchwatch wrote "achieving a posing suit" for the pouch.

I've seen that variation too, where just the bottom front of a suit is pinched and sewn together, but the top is flat. This was a Speedo brand reversible suit -- which I think was more of a fashion suit than a racing suit (it has no drawstring since it was reversible)

Will try to answer you question/points, but it may get complex.

When sewing a seam you have to stretch the fabric while sewing it or you would get a "bow tie" effect. I have never wanted this but someone might want it for something.

When sewing a seam along a convex curve a pouch is formed, joining enough convex curve seams together would give you a ball.
A swimsuit without a pouch (used by Speedo etc as a racing brief) is more properly called a smooth front bikini. On the front of a suit the sewn convex seam starting at the lowest point of the suit need not go all the way to the waist line to form a front pouch and achieving a posing suit. A seam going all the way up can be called a contour suit.

Sewing a concave curve seam produces a fork, if you were making a full body lycra suit from a front and back panel you may well sew from left ankle to right ankle via the crotch, the crotch in this case being a concave curve seam and defining the separate legs of the suit. This might be relevant in square cut suits.

When sewing a straight seam the 2 pieces of fabric become one, but they cannot stretch along the seam any more then the fabric was stretched at the time of sewing. Ageing Lycra loses it skin tight qualities and begins to sag, the seat of your swim suit may sag down towards you knees, this looks bad especially on a branded suit so the manufacturer may choose to insert a rear seam to support the seat of the suit. This was essential in Paper Lycra suits which had a very short use life. if the ream seam is slightly less stretchy than the seat of the suit it will be pulled up into ones ass crack a bit making the suit more skin tight and less tunnel forming.

To add a colour band to a suit a section of fabric may be cut out and substituted for the original using a fully stretched straight seam. A convex fabric sewn to an equal and opposite concave fabric are equivalent to a straight seam. If the manufacturer is making a batch of blue suits with white sides he would use straight seams to sew in the side sections. He might use the same sewing pattern to finish the order with plain blue suits but cutting and sewing blue sides into blue suits. (This is my guess)

If you can just about sew a little and would like to see how a suit fits together (I made my first suit with a cut up pvc shopping bag and sticky tape) then private message me with an email address and I could email you the Stitchboy Men's Swimwear Sewing Patterns that were once on the internet. Give it a go ......

[Torchwatch]

PS Dave that is cheating, employing a tailor.
The string side bikini is actually the hardest one to make, to get the sides right the elastic must be correctly tensioned all the time you are sewing.

James: Get some cheap 4 way stretch fabric to start with, don't worry about the colour or quality and just make the suits.
Once you understand how the patterns work and how to stretch both the fabric and the elastic simultaneously then begin to adapt the basic designs to do what you want them to.

Byron: To make a suit with non stretch fabric enlarge the pattern by the lost stretch in the suits. You still need to stretch the elastic as you sew it it. (same elastic lengths as in the pattern). Choose how baggy or tight you want the finished suit to be. Experiment by trial and error, don't use expensive fabrics until you know what you are doing.