Classic European swim briefs tend to have 2" sides while a 3" side is preferred in the USA. These were intended for use in club swimming and training by swimmers of all ages and abilities in front of families and spectators, they were accepted as being of decent cut by swimming officials worldwide.
Somewhere between 2" and 1" and suit changes name from a swim brief to a swim bikini. The 1" suits are a bit more daring and less acceptable for the club training/racing circuit, more suited to private pools and the beach.
To reduce a 3" suit to 2" you have to cut away either the waist or the leg elastic. Cutting away the waist elastic creates a low waisted suit (Japanese style), while cutting away the leg elastic produces a high cut suit. It is your choice.
You will need 12mm (!/2") elastic of replacement waist elastic and 6mm (1/4") elastic for leg elastic. The original elastic cannot be reused.
If you are cutting off the waist elastic cut just inside the fabric under the original waist elastic, although this is only 1/2" lower you will lose another 1/2" of fabric when you fold it in the hide the new elastic.
Working out how much fabric to cut off with the leg elastic is more difficult, you may also wish to alter the style of the suit.
You will need an overlocker to sew the new elastic onto the edge of the suit and after folding the elastic in (and returned the waist string into position) a sewing machine to sew the fold closed.
It is a lot of hard work and easier to buy the suit you wanted in the first place or to make a suit from scratch using a paper pattern to a design you like.
Last edited by Torchwatch : 10-04-2012 at 05:57 PM.
|