Stretchy.org: How to make a catsuit 3: shoulders and arms

[sleekweasel]

I really need to re-shoot these: I was trying to pack far too much into each video back then. The website might be clearer.

[missXspencer1]

this looks like so much fun! too bad i cant keep up but ill just have to watch all of it 50 more times. ur really good!

[sleekweasel]

I wish! No, I just developed an unhealthy interest in lycra and velour, bought a serger to tinker with (with a seamstress friend over in California egging me on), and noodled with it whenever the mood struck me, asking her advice now and again.

I made a couple of horribly naiive suits, looked at some proper patterns, made a thegreenpepper(dot)com racing suit, and then worked out how to draft the basic pattern. Everything else has just been a refinement.

[FrozenExplosion]

how did you learn, do you work in the industry?

[sleekweasel]

Aaaand if you go to look on the stretchy(dot)org website, be aware that at the time of commenting, I hadn't written this pattern up on that website, so go and have a look by all means, but don't get confused that the details of this suit don't match with the details of the zipless suits on there.

[sleekweasel]

Note at 3:00, the pieces used to construct the sleeve's shoulder are the two roughly triangular pieces bordered by the two perpendiculars nearest the camera, part of the semicircles, the kite shapes, and the centre-line of the paper (which isn't marked in pen but should have been). They are not the parts contiguous with the body.

At 4:20, these parts are joined along those perpendiculars, then re-cut along a parallel perpendicular to divide the base length evenly for making the sleeve shoulder.

[sleekweasel]

Of course, when I say 'add 5mm seam allowance', that rather assumes you're going to be sewing the suit together with a serger or overlock machine. If you only have a conventional sewing machine, with zig-zag, then you'll need to add more - however much allows you to reliably sew two bits of fabric together with zig-zag.