Basically, I've been looking for a one piece men's swimsuit to buy for... Oh, three years now. Do you see that glorious thing ? I want it. The best, and most affordable one that I've found is this, which is pretty expensive after converting the base cost to US dollars for something that I'd have to tailor quite a bit and isn't even in swimwear material (bad cotton blend, bad).

Finding the right material hasn't been easy, at least not in the pattern and usable colors (lime green and navy striped, really Amazon ? Come on). So my main question is... Would material like this be alright to use ? Anyone have experience ? It's technically the right kind of blend, but that particular stitch isn't advertised as swimwear. Know someplace that has striped swimwear fabric (prefer gray with black, red, or even magenta) ? Tips for sewing these materials if I decide on making my own ? General tips because man I am a newb ? I put my thing down, flip it and reverse it ?

I am still not sure if I am going to be making this, but thought I'd pop in here to ask.

[edit] My sister surprised me with one last month for my birthday ! Pictures below to see. X|Y

That is pretty cool, I was surprised at how difficult it is to find something that is both usable and affordable. You can do it, even if you haven't done anything like it before. I'm not a professional, just a novice sewer, but I have managed to make a few items both by hand and machine. I haven't worked with knit fabric in a long time. I remember with knit fabric (as with any fabric) you must pre-wash it first, don't skip that step! You also have to keep in mind your pattern and making sure the pattern lines up how you want it to in the finished garment.

If you can't find the pattern you want, you will need to make your own out of paper. Before making cuts on your fabric, you may want to make a test version out of scrap material and safety pin it together to see if it looks or feels the way you want it to. Be sure to leave room to sew on the edges. That was my biggest mistake on the first thing I tried to make. I cut the fabric without leaving enough room to sew it! So leave that "seam allowance", generally it's about 1/4 inch.

Unfortunately I've never made anything reversible, I don't know if that is difficult or not. Perhaps another Subetan can chime in with more hints and suggestions. Good luck with your awesome project!!

So sorry for my late reply, I wasn't on a normal computer and didn't want to goof up (my autocorrect is horrid, ahaha) Everyone is shocked, as it seems like it'd make a killing among a lot of people (Steampunk peeps, vintage enthusiasts, goofballs like me, cosplays, etc). But no, it's super hard to find anything ! I was planning on making a demo with some old sheets, but didn't think to use paper for the actual pattern making. It'd be much easier that way, ahahaha, thanks for that ! I always pre-wash my material no matter what... I know the horrors of shrinkage ! I knew to leave seam allowance, but for some reason thought it was more around an inch. I don't know where that came from, ahaha, but I will do a smaller allowance as it's kinda messed with me previously doing such a big gap.

Oh, the reverse comment is actually a song quote. Missy Elliot's Work It... She asks a line of questions in it and my brain did a connect-the-dots to there and thought it would be funny to end it with that. I... Am old.

Thanks for explaining the song quote. I totally missed it, I was thinking you were referring to the button opening at the top! Hehe.

(As far as being old....I remember watching the premiere release of Dead or Alive's "You Spin Me Round" video on MTV and thought we'd be in flying cars by now! I think in about ten more years I'm going to be shouting at kids to get off my lawn.)

No problem... I tend to do odd things like that and people tend to not get it (so, purely my fault).

Alright you have me beat then XD (though I am already "get off my lawn" cranky)

Just as a note on seam allowance -- When I work on cosplay outfits from patterns and such, I usually work with a seam allowance of 3/8 to 5/8 of an inch. 1/4 of an inch is actually too small of a seam allowance for the kinds of things I work with since lining fabric to the the edge of my sewing machine's presser foot is around 3/8 of an inch for seam allowance.

If the seam is too large, you can always cut away extra from the seam allowance so it fits closer.

Here's one more person amazed at the lack of good old-fashioned bathing suits! I remember my mom making a few of these, with red and white stripes, for my cousins when we were kids :D

As regards you project, I suspect that ponte knit fabric might be a bit heavy for swimwear. It might get really heavy when it gets wet and start sagging. If you can, you should go sample that in a local craft/fabric store and get a feel of it before ordering online. However, if you decide to go with a spandex-type swimwear fabric instead, you should be warned that it's super slippery and can be really tricky to sew, unless you use a ton of pins to attach the two sides beforehand. Like said, larger seam allowances are good (especially with slippery fabric), and you can always trim the extra afterwards.

Good luck with the project! ^^

I think the size does matter on the machine you're using. I have to figure out somewhere to set up mine so I can learn ahaha

Ah, it could be very heavy. I'll have to see what I find in stores ! And yeah, I'm worried it will be too slippery for me. But I'll pick up more pins when I finally get around to making this... If ever. XD Thanks for the input !

Tbh I'm not sure if the fabric link you posted is accurately ponte because it doesn't look like it. Standard swimwear is slipper and has a sheen to it (high lycra content), the more classic look of retro vintage swimwear is less likely to have that sheen, so partially what you're after for look can affect it? u_u;

Idk how 'beginner' you are, on a domestic sewing machine, make sure you are stitching with a zig zag (not straight) stitch for knit - this allows the garment to retain the stretch without ripping. The perks of knit is the seams don't have to be finished at all, you can just leave them raw on the inside and they won't really fray :)

The BW photo you have in the OP actually looks like it'ld be really MF uncomfortable, because if it is just a front and back panel attached, unless there is a gusset, there is no room for the 'rise', aka wedgieland. Normal romper/bodysuit type garments will have a CF/CB seam so that more can be added for the rise, even though knit is forgiving, it should be a lot more comfortable, but up to you how you are willing to compromise the look.

Alternatively you can have a waist seam, with a CF and CB bottom, so that the CF/CB seam doesnt go all the way up the top.

If you every find the fabric you like I can walk you through a loose-fit pattern similar to your link, but I'm not 100% how to do the tight fit one without seeing the stretchability of the knit fabric myself.

YOU KNOW WHERE TO FIND ME

Oh my goodness I forgot to respond to this ! Yeah, the fabric isn't proper ponte (which from what I read is poly/rayon mix), but more styled after it in the knitting fashion. Which is good because rayon for swimwear isn't good. The reason why I did like the fabric I linked was because it lacked the sheen (and slip). But it's not listed as swimwear, ahaha

I am very noob. I will try to remember the zig zag sewing for knit though ! If need be, I will probably ask around again once I get into sewing more... Hopefully not too far into the future.

I don't know if the one I posted has a gusset, but mine doesn't. Though I haven't swam in it just yet (tomorrow !), I have walked around in it and it fits well. Though it's not a full two piece, it was cut as bottoms and a top because of the fabric length + the alterations needed for it kinda limited the creator. Personally, I don't mind if I get a bit of a wedge, as I told her during the fitting :p ... I admit I don't know what a cf/cb seam is. If I ever make my own on my own, I may hit you up ! But for now... I have the one that was made for me and I do love it lots. XD

CB = centre back, CF centre front :D

& you look great in it too, might I add ;)

Oooh ! Ehehe, thank you ! ❤️

I should probably get this locked since I technically don't need it now ? would you do the honors ?