Off Topic Tips for making a leotard?

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I use ordinary thread with a high poly count I tried woolly thread and it didnt go well.
Great. Seemed like more hassle than I feel I need right now :)

If your using a three thread you will need to add an extra line of stitching with an ordinary machine on the stretch. I have found now that I just set the overlocker or serger on rolled hem and stitch whilst stretched for neater seams and edges.
Ah, because the rolled hem gives you a narrower seam. Nice trick.

I have tried every possible way to add bindings but have found the flattest and neatest look, so far is to make a strip of binding using clear elastic using a twin needle on an ordinary machine. This is basically wrapping a piece of lycra around a length of elastic and sewing it whilst stretched. then sew this around the neck and arms. (photo below of finished leo)
I need to have a closer look at that. Interesting solution.

Don't sew in the same order on the jalie patterns, I do one shoulder then neck whilst its folded out which is much easier then other shoulder then add sleeves without centre seam done then do the sleeve cuff then sew from the bottom of the sleeve up to the armpit and down the side in one seam. I then to the crotch and then legs.
Good tip!

I got overly excited when I noticed Jalie had a sale on and bought a PDF pattern so I didn't have to wait :)
Not that I've had time to do anything more than try to figure out sizings, this whole getting a child to school on time routine sure takes it out of you!

Thanks for all of the details. Bring on the weekend!
 
for the binding just imagine you have a piece of Bias binding ( just cut a strip of lycra or I bought a heap of pre cut at reverse garbage) that is the type which is folded so one side is clean and the other is the rough side where the edges meet and have been pressed or ironed down and place the elastic under the edges and sew them down so the needle catches the edges or use a wide zig zag.
 

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No sleeves, just a tank leotard. I'm actually a gymnast and will be trying to make one for myself! Should be quite an adventure. My mom is a good sewer though so that should help!
 
All seamstresses have their preferred way of doing things, just find what works for you!
I personally always finish the seams before attaching the binding as I hate the seams you get from sewing the binding while one shoulder is still open...
My order is (depending on difficulty of appliqués or blocking this may vary slightly): always crotch seam first, as I like to top stitch that to lay flat. Depending on what style I'm doing, then I sew the side seams or top shoulder seams. If the Leo has sleeves, shoulders, then set the sleeves in flat, then sew the side seams. Once the whole Leo is put together I do all bindings and elastic in the round as this gives a much nicer finish without irritating seams.

Out of those two Jalie patterns, the fit of 2792 is nicer and it has more options, but 3138 is simpler. I use 2792 a lot! This might be totally different for a gymnast of different shape than my dd though, some may like the 3138 fit better. :)

I am not sure about using the rolled hem to stitch pieces together, but if that works, awesome! I have never thought serged seams were particularly bulky but I can see where the rolled hem would be thinner.... I would just be concerned about how long it would last or if the fabric would stretch out too much as it is not a seam meant for joining, only for finishing. I love hearing about different methods, and in sewing (as with so many other things) it's always fun to learn new things. I have never heard of anyone using that binding method either, interesting!

Ultimately, experiment and find what works for you! Have fun with it!!
 
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I think the rolled hem was for neatness, she mentioned sewing the seam stretched plus the rolled hem, so it wasn't by itself a method to form a weight bearing seam :)
 
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I think the rolled hem was for neatness, she mentioned sewing the seam stretched plus the rolled hem, so it wasn't by itself a method to form a weight bearing seam :)
have a new overlocker and can really play with the strength of the stitch but on this machine the rolled hem worked really well on internal seams. I only tried it after I saw a shop bought one finished the same way. really the best way is to stitch a piece of the lycra with your machine and then open it up and test it out and see how much tension it can take and how durable it is. Really stretch it out and rough it up to test it. Some fabrics cope better than others so just try it out and see what works for you. Ive made so many leo's now and Im still trying new ways of doing things and experimenting with different types of fabric
 
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POK, so I made a biketard :)

As an experiment to see how well the Jalie 3138 pattern fitted my DD I cut it exactly to her measurements.
The short version is, it fitted her like a glove. Only problem is, it fitted her like a surgical glove and she's used to more of a gardening glove fit :)

DD is 4.5 and at about the 60th percentile for height. Muscular more than skinny, but not one of those kids that you look at and go "Wow, they have muscles". Absolutely no waist, a bit of a tummy but on the whole fairly normal looking, just not skinny.
I cut the chest area to a size 2.5, waist to 4.5, hips to 2.5 (which effectively just removed the waist so it was straight up and down) and the shoulders/neck, thighs/crotch to a size 4 as that was exactly her girth measurement.

The resulting pattern was so much smaller than her existing size six leotard that I wasn't sure if she was going to be able to out it on, but hers does currently bunch up in various places. Her existing leotard is also quite triangular in shape, widest at the shoulders which is a completely different shape to the Jalie pattern.

As this was an experiment and I wasn't convinced it's was going to actually go on her at all as it seemed way to short in the body (someone did mention this above), I decided not to overlock the seams. I figured I could do it later if it turned out really well, but also, the lycra didn't actually look like it was going to fray, so I was a bit curious. After all, the worst that will happen at this point is a torn seam in training. (So maybe I also couldn't be bothered getting out the overlocker.)

After being pleased that I could actually remember how to thread my machine and then discovering that the bobbin winder wasn't working I sewed the seams in pink and white. I'm considering the little white dots that are showing through because I forgot to adjust the tension a decorative feature, OK?

After sewing all of the seams, she tried it on and declared it very comfortable.

I did the binding as described in the pattern, I didn't watch the video and obviously didn't read closely enough because I couldn't find anything explicitly stating what the binding seam allowance was, so I used 1/4" because it seemed about right, but when I actually sewed it there was barely enough width so I kind of just fudged it. I also only did a token effort to trim the seams before binding. I wasn't sure how important the extra layers were going to be in contributing to the stretch or lack thereof at the neck and armholes. I used a small zigzag across the join.
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After the bindings were finished, it fitted really well, with no growing room and no chance of her being able to get it on or off by herself :)

Before the bindings, the arm holes were stretched quite low on her. After the bindings there was really only just enough room to get it on her. It did need an extra bit in the length. I think although the girth measurement was exactly right, they don't factor in a tummy.
It was stretched enough that it wasn't touching the small of her back.

After letting DS 2.5 try it on and declared it too big for him (it was a bit long, but fitted surprisingly well actually) I chopped off the legs and turned it into a singlet. It's tight, but just about a perfect fit.

I'm a bit undecided whether to just make the next one the same shape but an entire size or even two larger larger, or to add length as well. She certainly needs more wriggle room to be able to go to the bathroom by herself.
 
Ta. The 'singlet' worked well, she was happy it took less time to go to the toilet :)

I'll try the next one at size 4 as you suggested and see how it fits.

Just so it's here with all the other stuff:
To clarify, when you do the rolled hem seams, you're leaving the 4 needle in so you do actually have a line of stitching as well, then having the rolled him with a slightly larger stitch length than you'd normally have for a rolled hem so it's neat but not tight. Is that about right?
 
I know this is an old thread, but I'm hoping someone might see my message. I'm making my first Jalie 3138 leo and am wondering how to make the leg not so high cut? Can I just adjust the front piece down, or do I need to adjust the back piece too? My DD hates when her underwear shows, and the pattern to her measurments is too high cut. Thanks!
 
I know this is an old thread, but I'm hoping someone might see my message. I'm making my first Jalie 3138 leo and am wondering how to make the leg not so high cut? Can I just adjust the front piece down, or do I need to adjust the back piece too? My DD hates when her underwear shows, and the pattern to her measurments is too high cut. Thanks!
Start a new thread with this request
 

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