Lockdown Sewing

[niftynev]

Inspired by my wife sewing herself a bikini during lockdown, I decided to use some of my spare lockdown hours to sew myself some swimwear. Although my general preference is briefs (or even better - skinny dipping when possible), there are times when a more conservative cut is warranted, such as with my wife's workmates, for which I wear a square-cut. However, my favourite squarecut recently needed to be retired due to lycra rot, and I was struggling to find a suitable replacement. Commercially available ones seemed to either be for serious lap swimmers, or for extroverted show-offs.
I could not find a sewing pattern that was quite what I wanted, so I made a pattern myself based upon an Aussiebum handlebar pouch (which I find the most comfortable of anything I have tried) and an Olaf Benz waist (the Handlebar is a bit low cut for conservative use).
The outcome isn't perfect, but not half bad I think.
https://imgur.com/a/Cnnldkm

[dm106]

Looks great! Excellent for a first try. I could never do that.

[Bikiniman]

Great "lockdown squarecut" suit! While the suit is too conservative for my taste, you have sewn a wonderful pouch into that design. Most squarecuts I find have an inadequate pouch resulting in a squashed look. Your design looks perfect. IF suit had a lower rise, it would fit my idea of a perfect squarecut. Great work!

[stayinspeedo]

compress91.jpgcompress36.jpg....here are a few pics of one of my suits.

[stayinspeedo]

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Same style but in polka dots.

[ThongTom]

They look really good
Nice job on them
You look good in them also

[Bikiniman]

Originally Posted by stayinspeedo

Attachment 1206Attachment 1205....here are a few pics of one of my suits.

Your suit looks terrific. Very professional looking sewing and detail work. It's a wonderful fit. Did you have a pattern or did you make it from your own design?

The rise and coverage are perfect The pouch holds you beautifully and very tastefully. I wish I could find suits like that commercially. I believe they would enjoy a great market. What size is it? Would you consider making some for us?

[stayinspeedo]

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Thanks for the compliments. I made my own pattern from one of my purchased suits and then modified it to accommodate my skill level and sewing machines, also to enhance the fit. It took about 6 attempts to get to this point.

I'm very pleased with the result and am thinking I will purchase far fewer swimsuits in the future. I might consider selling a few depending on how productive I am this winter