FehrTrade Lacey Thong as Swimwear / Activewear

After making my first Lacey Thong in cotton and lace, I wondered, "what would the pattern look like if I used swimwear knit (nylon-lycra) for all pieces?"  Well, I needed to try the pattern a 2nd time anyway without a seam in the main center front piece (I was using scraps for my first time round).  

Then, I recently discovered that Merckwaerdigh has a great tutorial on converting Lingerie into swimwear. SWEET!  I've been wanting to try the clear elastic, but wanted a little guidance before I dove into it. Her tutorial was just the push I needed.

So, I grabbed some pink nylon lycra I bought at Joann's in the dancewear section and remnants of the Funkifabrics Ikat Lycra I used to make this skirt plus some white swimwear lining from Pacific Fabrics and went to town.

Seriously, doesn't this color combo just make you smile? 

Similarly to how Melissa's pattern tells you to insert the inside elastic, I inserted mine.  Though, because I have no lace fluttering in the breeze, I have the need for elastic on the full leg circumference rather than just on the inner legs. I measured the leg length using my curve runner, then took 2" out of the total length. This was just an easy place to start. I didn't know how much the clear elastic would stretch or behave.  So, I used the same method as on my other panties. 

One of the techniques I learned from Jan Bones was to sew elastics flat as much as reasonably possible. Though her technique is a little different and is focused on the comfort and placement of elastic around the leg in a slightly different way than I will be explaining. I suggest getting her smoothie panty pattern because the techniques she includes are worth the price of the pattern alone!  Flat elastic insertion (rather than in the round) is what I did with this thong. That entire curve from side seam around the leg circumference to the other side seam is basically a single line. 

To measure / mark my elastic and pattern for elastic insertion:

1. I put side seams together, marked 1/2 way
2. then took the side seam to the 1/2 way point and marked that new 1/2 way point (which is really one of the quarters. You're halving the halves. 
3. Then, I took my elastic, folded in half and marked
4. Last, I took the cut edge of the elastic to the mid point (the pin you placed in step 3), and marked that half. Halving the halves or marking the end of the the 1st and beginning of the last quarter of elastic. 
5. To encase the elastic, place the clear elastic on the wrong side, flush with the raw edge matching pin for pin between the pattern and the elastic. EASY!  
6. Pin the side seams and cut edges of the elastic
7. Now, some of you might stop here and sew away. I've had too many seam ripping disasters, so I pin a little more.  I slightly stretch between a set of pins, grab the flat smooth spot in the middle where the elastic and raw fabric are aligned with my teeth then grab with my hands and place a pin. I repeat until I feel it's smooth enough to not fight the sewing machine. 

As you can see, I didn't place more than just 4 -8 more pins beyond the original 5. The curve wasn't terribly severe so that meant it would be easier to slightly stretch and sew. 

After the elastic is sewn to the wrong side 1 time, fold it over toward the wrong side one more time and stitch again to completely encase the elastic. I like smooth fabric rather than elastic against my body. That way I don't know I'm wearing anything. If I'm fussing with my clothing or underwear, we have a problem. That stuff will get tossed! Not worth it. 

To preserve the beautiful points of the center front and back, I chose to fold and stitch the seams to the center front / back pieces rather than than the sides, even though that meant a little more bulk (5 layers rather than 4). This fabric, including the funkifabric is so thin that it worked out nicely.  I'm so glad I did that and aimed for sharper points. 

Here's the thong showing the sharp points and the leg elastics fully sewn in before I added the waistband elastic. That point where the side pieces meet at center front is a bit tricky. So I ended up folding them to whichever side allowed for a nice straight center front seam and no bumps, then stitching them down. 

Above is the back of the thong showing the waist elastic encased (top) and the leg elastic and joining side to back seams.  The swimsuit lining was only used on the center front and back pieces because that pink lycra from Joann's is so friggin see through that I can read every square and dash on my cutting board when it's a single layer. 

Here she is all done! I just adore this print and color combo along with the pattern. I'm not usually a thong person. And while it's fit is fabulous and so far wonderfully comfortable, I'll only be wearing this to a private party for 2.  Meaning, I doubt I'll ever wear it as a swim bottom in public. But hey, who knows. Maybe one day I'll write home about being adventurous on some foreign beach in like Southern France or Rio where no one knows my name. Ha ha!