Make your own suit

[sebbie]

I thought this was an interesting video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emHKGKQHJzw

[area51tazz]

I tried to make my own suits a few years ago...with the differences in stretch based on the quality of material, it's hard to get a good pattern going.

[louis]

To much trouble easyer to buy them lol

[knikon]

Well I hope my next attempt is better than my last one... Interesting video.

[sebbie]

My plan is to take some old suits with rips or tears and see if I can make repairs on them. I already did a couple and the repairs turned out good enough to make the suits wearable again. But these were typically small rips near the waistband.

Next up, I might try cutting an old stretched-out suit along the original seams, and then sew it back together into a smaller, but better-fitting size. Maybe I will try running a long butt-seam to snug it up too.

The lady in the video has some interesting ideas on how to sew elastic and get it to come out even using the "dot" method.

I've snugged up stretched-out jock-strap straps with some success by simply cutting them completely in two in the middle and overlapping them an inch or two and running several stitches in the overlapped area. I've been repairing holes in compression tees and shorts by simply folding along the hole on the reverse side of the item and running a long stitch just inside of the hole. You get a dart on the outside where the hole was and the garment is quite serviceable again., I've been repairing holes in the toes and heels of athletic socks the same way.

Basically I have nothing to lose with these experiments and I might get something back that is wearable again.

Always fun to see how the revamped product fits and looks.

Sebbie

[sebbie]

I tried taking the bagginess out of the rear of an an old stretched out suit.

Basically this involves creating a rear seam that divides the butt cheeks in a suit that has none. This seam starts at the waistband middle rear (where the tag is just below the elastic, folding over the suit and sewing from the inside of the suit and then goes more concave as you get toward the middle of the rear. I went a couple inches inward at the widest point, then narrower going bact to nothing and ending the seam as you approach the perineum area where the front attaches to the back.

I have a stretch stitch on my machine that is made to use on stretch favrics like Lycra. I kept breaking the thread. The stretch stitch requires that the feed alternate between forward and backward but it leaves essentially a triple- stitch seam, which is nice.

After you get the concave area sewed in, just cut out the fabric outside the stitch. The edges should be serged to prevent unraveling, but I haven't tried that. or I could just run a zig-zag stitch along the cut edge but for the time being it is fine and the fabric is not unraveling.

This is not a perfect fit, and I could take slack out of the suit in other places, possibly even put in a front seam. This suit is rather roomy in front but that is fine especially for sleeping. it certainly looks and feels better than it did. This technique would work for any old suit that seems to have gotten overly loose in the butt. How much you sew out with the concave seam depends on how baggy the suit has gotten.

I also added a new shoe string tie string which was missing entirely from this suit, using the safety pin stunt as shown in the video. I quickly discovered that 40" string is not long enough to tie, so I knotted on a 54 inch string and ended up adding about 6 inches additional from the 40 inch string. If you want a string long enough to drop down loose below your ball level, 60 inches works.

Next up to try: I have some old swim thongs that have gotten all stretched out.

[ReservedEnthusiast]

Ok I'm super late to the discussion, but I think making your own is a great idea if you have the skill! Not necessarily for the convenience or the economy of it (Idk how that plays out), but for the sense of pride and having a direct influence on how the suit looks! I'd consider doing it.

Plus, think of the pride you'd have when it's done, and then if someone compliments you on it and asks what brand it is, you get to say, "Oh, *imaginary hair flip because guys' hair is usually too short* I made it myself" and they instantly worship your mad skillz.