I keep those cut away bits until I go back to my copy of the pattern (I always make a copy) and mark the modifications I made. Sometimes I don't have time or space to do it when sewing, so I just keep a little box next to my sewing machine that stores the extra bits until I'm ready to mark up my pattern.
Because these bottoms fit so well, I wanted to try them without 2 layers of fabric (the swim bottoms are fully lined front and back) and in a wicking / wickaway material. I had a tiny amount of this drapey knit wicking fabric left over from the hiking shirt I made here. The fabric is some I bought from Joann's in their performance and dancewear section. It's a ribbed knit which means it's either a 1x1 (1 knit row to 1 purl row) or 2x2. That means the fabric didn't ravel and tends to lay flat quite well. But either content or construction makes it quite drapey. That also means the fabric tends to stretch out of shape.
When I lay out my fabric, I didn't have enough to cut the back piece all the way to the true crotch seam between front and back. The back piece ended up short. No worries, I figured. I'll just see how the fit is because that odd amount may just work out in my favor or it may not.
When worn, these fit super great! I even wore them to a dance class followed by hours of dance practice. Final results:
- They hit top of my hip bones beautifully, the legs aren't tight and I hardly knew I had them on. And I discovered they fit in all the same ways my favorite Cacique / Lane Bryant "daily driver" panties do. Yay! I've been wanting to make more panties rather than buy so I'm well on my way!
- They slid around a little, tended to hug body parts and wander into places they needn't be (imagine if there were ruching in the place where a center back seam might be).
- I also didn't create a crotch lining and the pattern didn't have one. Next time, I'll add a cotton crotch lining for sensitive areas of the body.
- This fabric (all poly and non natural) tends to draw out body odors as it wicks the sweat out. Maybe you haven't had any issues with that. For me, non-natural fibers don't allow my body to breathe. When I wear a wicking top, I notice that even with proper hygiene and deodorant, I begin to sweat and smell bad quickly as though I've not worn any deodorant at all. It must be a reaction between my body and the fabric.
- I sweat a lot while dancing, and they did wick quite well. In that sense, they were quite comfy.
Pink Bottoms Leg Elastic
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