I bought a rowing machine and put it in my loft, no windows, no one to watch. I tried rowing naked but found I was uncomfortably catching myself as I passed. Square cut shorts, running shorts and speedos felt wrong, cycle shorts worked but felt wrong for other exercises.
I found a thong felt right for rowing machine, cycle machine and karate kata. I wanted a new swim thong and looked up thongs on the internet, I discovered the Stitchboy website, a site with patterns and instructions to make your own men's swimwear including swim thongs.
I was fascinated, I'd been thinking of designing my own tent for some time using Gothic arch poles, the next development from the Roman arch and dome but I needed to know how to sew.
I made my first thong from supermaket carrier bags and sticky tape, although it was unwearable I liked the design. I bought some Lycra fabric and elastic and made my first thong, hand stitched, it was fascinating how the 2D fabric became a 3D object defined by and defining my body. I continued hand sewing the Stitchboy patterns until I bought a sewing machine.
I can now make anything from a G string to a full body suit in Lycra, I've never made my own tent although I've replaced a 5ft tent door zip. Vango started making Gothic arch tents and I now have a couple of them in different sizes. They are the future for tents although there is currently a fad for inflatable air beam tents but like 3D TV such fads come and go.
The Stichboy website has gone, but I saved all the Stitchboy patterns, if anyone needs them let me know.
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