[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.