Sewing leotards for rhythmic gymnastics

Girls who are engaged in rhythmic gymnastics must have their own uniform - a special swimsuit. You may need several costumes for a performance, it all depends on the number of numbers supplied, and this is already an overhead for the budget of the whole family.

It can be sewn at home with a sewing machine, fabric and swimsuit pattern at hand.

How to start creating a swimsuit? The title of the next chapter will be the first cheat sheet for those mothers whose daughters are involved in this sport.

The pattern can be obtained in 3 ways:

• Take the finished drawing. Semi-girth of the chest and semi-girth of the waist - measurements that will help determine the pattern of the desired size.
• The drawing can be obtained if you outline the old swimsuit. (after turning it inside out). This method of obtaining a pattern has its drawbacks: the seams interfere with the correct drawing up of the scheme.
• Exact drawing the swimsuit is obtained by self-construction of the pattern.

Legend for dimensions:

• О - girth;
• D - length;
• W - width;
• (O) Neck;
• (O) Chest;
• (O) Waist;
• (O) along the bottom edge of the swimsuit panties (not to be confused with the hips);
• (O) hands (the tailor's meter should go through the top point and the armpit area);
• (O) wrists;
• (About) the body. (The measure is taken without tensioning the tape).

• (D) shoulder. The measure ends where the shoulder ends;
• (D) sleeves. The measure is taken from the point where the shoulder ended;
• (W) front (measure exactly between the hands);
• (W) back (measure is taken in the same way as in front and add 3-4 cm);
• (W) panties in front. The line runs about 5-6 cm below the girth along the edge of the panties;
• (W) panties in the back;
• (D) front (measured from the high point of the shoulder to the waist);
• (D) backrest (measurement is reduced by 1 cm);
• (E) sides (from the armpit to the waist);
• (E) panties (measurement can be taken using regular high-waisted panties (not thongs));
• (W) shoulders (the tape passes through the lower level of one shoulder, the 7th cervical vertebra and the lower level of the second shoulder).

The photo shows how all measurements are taken.

• Put a mark on the paper on top. Draw two segments vertically downward, equal to 1.5 cm and 5 cm. Outline the neckline.
• Set aside the following measurement horizontally: (W) shoulder minus 2 shoulder lengths and divide by 2. From the resulting mark, lower the perpendicular (2-3 cm) and draw a line (we get the shoulder).

• Set aside measurement No. 7 from the top of the shoulder down. and draw a line.
• Set aside the following measurements on the resulting line: No. 7, 8. The waist lines for the main details are obtained.
• Divide the waist by 4. Postpone the result as a segment from the middle of the leotard through point 8.
• Set aside measurement No. 9 from mark 8 upwards (side length). Put measurement number 10 down from mark 8. An example of how the constructions should look is given in the photo.

• Next, the girth of the chest, divide the girth along the lower edge of the panties by 4. From the middle of the swimsuit through the points already obtained, postpone the results and draw horizontal lines. These will be the chest lines and the level of the panties. Outline the side line.
• From the girth line along the bottom edge of the panties, lower the perpendicular 5-6 cm down and draw a horizontal line. Set aside from the middle of the leotard to the right: (preliminarily divide the width of the panties in front and back by 2).
• Set aside a 2.5 cm segment through the bottom mark. This will be the gusset (an overlay in the panties for ease of movement and keeping the body clean). Draw a line of panties on the swimsuit.

Now it's time to start drawing the armhole:

1. (D) divide the shoulder into 2 equal segments and lower the perpendicular equal to 5-6 cm down and draw a horizontal line.
2. Formula: (W) front and back / 2. Set aside the results obtained as segments. Two marks should come out (the difference between them is about 1 cm). Draw two smooth lines.

Drawings of the main parts are ready.

The sleeve drawing includes 2 measurements: measurement (O) of the arm and (D) of the sleeve. A regular T-shirt will help you determine the height of the sleeves.

The pattern is quite simple to build. The photo below illustrates all the constructions. The sleeve drawing itself looks like an inverted trapezoid. The sleeve is built using the example of a photo.

A skirt for a bathing suit resembles a semi-sun-cut garment:

1. According to the ready-made template of the front and back, take the measurement of the half-girth of the place where the skirt will be sewn.
2. Draw a horizontal line on paper. Lay a perpendicular 2-3 cm down and make a semicircle with a compass (the radius of the skirt is equal to the length of the skirt).

The skirt pattern is ready.

There are certain rules and requirements for sewing a rhythmic gymnastics suit. One of the first requirements relates to the choice of material.

What fabric to choose as the main material and what to buy for finishing a swimsuit?

The base material should stretch well and be moisture resistant. Professional designers recommend taking a closer look at supplex.

Supplex is a knitted fabric that meets all the requirements. Supplex leotards fit well on the figure. The graceful figures of the gymnasts will be emphasized by the matte material.Shiny will add expressiveness and elegance to the costume. The fabric combines perfectly with other materials.

Guipure is a delicate and beautiful fabric with a pattern. He fulfills his special role. It is used as a trim on a swimsuit or cut out sleeves. Costumes with guipure trim are particularly chic and romantic.

Velvet is a noble material with a soft short pile. The swimsuit is sewn from dense iridescent fabric as well as combined with other materials. The velvet appliques on the swimsuit are a stunning decoration on the suit.

In any sport, there are always many performances and competitions. For such events, the gymnasts have a costume that is used only for performances. Swimwear is adorned with brighter and more expensive decorative elements, shiny fabrics are used.

To sew an outfit for performances, in addition to all of the above items at the beginning of the article, you will also need decorative trim (if provided) and sewing accessories. A detailed master class on making a swimsuit will be given below.

The master class includes all the detailed instructions based on the pattern that can be built from our first chapter:

• Prepare everything you need for cutting and sewing.
• Any swimsuit has one more irreplaceable detail - the gusset. Draw the groin (the bottom of the panties) along the main parts of the swimsuit. Glue the two parts of the gusset drawing. Cutting the gussets is done in one copy.
• Cut out the neckline separately main parts.
• The next step in sewing will be nesting. Fold the fabric along a shared thread. All patterns are pinned on the fabric. The drawing of the front, back and skirt should lie on the fold of the fabric. Cut out all parts of the leotard with seam allowances.

• Sweep the bottom of the swimsuit and sew on the machine. Now it's the turn of the gusset. The gusset is cut out in a single copy. Finish the width of the gusset with a "zigzag" stitch; open sections of the gusset length will go into the seam.
• Attach the gusset with the right side to the inside of the leotard. This is a very inconvenient place for machine stitching, so it is recommended to sweep the gusset to the swimsuit a little further from the open sections in addition.

Open cuts of the gusset can be processed in 2 ways:

1. Smear open sections on the seamy side of the leotard without hem and sew with a zigzag stitch or overlock.
2. Baste the edges of the gusset with a hem and machine stitch.

How to sew a gusset on a swimsuit? Watch the video tutorial.

Left:

• Seam the edges of the skirt with a closed hem. Next, sweep the skirt at the designated place on the swimsuit. Sew on the skirt on the machine.
• Combine the sides of the sleeves, sweep and sew. Tuck the bottom of the sleeves and sew with a seam with a closed cut.
• Stitch the shoulder sections of the swimsuit. In the armhole of the suit, sweep the sleeves. Fitting the entire swimsuit. After trying on, the sleeves are sewn on the machine.
• We process the neck with a facing.

The suit is ready.

If you strictly follow the step-by-step instructions, then sewing a leotard for rhythmic gymnastics will not be difficult even for beginners.Handicrafts, supported by a good mood, will create masterpieces for training and performances in rhythmic gymnastics. Good luck and success in all sewing operations.