Okay, so that was probably a little abrupt, but seriously. I just cut out the front piece of the bikini bottom to
McCall's 6569, and the crotch measures nearly 6 inches wide. Take away seam allowances, and that's still 5 inches! Granted, I'm trying to sew size 20, but who the hell is this bottom designed for?! Rhinos???
Actually, I think even they have a narrower crotch. And yes, this picture is especially for all of the creeps who flocked here because of the 'crotch' buzzword. RHINO BUTT FOR YOU. (Although lets be honest, rhino butts are cute.)
For context, here's piece overlaid by both the McCall's pattern piece and the pattern I traced off for me-made undies. You can see how the smallest size in this pattern is much closer (and probably about the same once you remove seam allowances) to the crotch width I use in my pantie pattern, and that the largest size is more than an inch wider. I don't know about other people, but I'm pretty sure that part of my body stayed pretty close to the same when I gained weight.
Herein lies my issue with a lot of pattern companies in general, and the Big 5 in particular: it's like they have no idea how a body changes with weight! My shoulders didn't get wider in proportion to my waist, so why does the pattern have linebacker shoulders? The bones in my arms didn't get longer when my arms got wider, so why am I having to sometimes hack 6 inches off the sleeves?
And my crotch certainly didn't get fat when my tights did, so
wtf McCall's?!
With this lovely revelation, I think I'll refrain from attempting the one piece bathing suit. I just don't have time to deal with stupid sizing issues.
*sigh*
Yikes! I'd love to hear someone at the Big 4 explain the rationale behind that grading decision. I get that no pattern will fit everyone out of the envelope, but what's the point of a size that fits no one? I'm pretty sure that crotch is too wide even for the average pair of men's briefs...
ReplyDeleteI'd love to hear from McCalls about this pattern in particular - this is just, I mean, just look at that photo!! How the heck do you put out a pattern with something as blatantly wrong as that?!
DeleteI really wish that these companies would test sew ALL SIZES and try to fit them on real people. Sure, a pattern probably fits the smaller sizes just fine - but if you don't test the larger sizes after proportionally grading the pattern, you don't know where the grading failed.
ARGH. This just means that I don't trust the rest of the pattern, and I certainly don't know how to narrow up the crotch while leaving the width on the rest of the one-piece bathing suit.
This made me laugh... I mean, seriously. I've struck the same thing. Maybe Jalie or Ottobre have a better pattern. You're right, if one part is useless, then you do worry about the rest, and you can't really do flat pattern measurements with a bathing suit.
ReplyDeleteAnd this is why I tend to avoid the Big 4 patterns. I'd love to be able to sew them, but they're usually so off on proportions and scaling, I just don't want to deal with everything I'd have to do to make them work. And here in Canada, we (or at least, I) usually wind up paying the same amount for them as Indie patterns, so there's no price advantage at all. ARGH. Sorry, this totally just threw off my sewing mojo, which was just starting to poke its' head out of whatever hidey-hole it'd hid in.
DeleteI promise, they rarely fit smaller people either. Thin ladies can still have hips guys!
ReplyDeleteHeh, that's good to know. And by good I mean 'UGH'.
DeleteI loved everything about this post - and agree with everything your said. Just went and measured my husbands undies at the crotch - 3 and 1/8 inch - and of course, there is a little pouchy thing sewn above that, so crotches have to accomodate different anatomical bits here and there, which would take a bit extra fabric. Got me beat who needs a 5 inch crotch.
ReplyDeleteAHAHAHAHA! Thanks for taking the measurements, it made my morning!
DeleteHeh. I thought it was skinny people who had thigh gap and therefore needed wider crotches to cover the distance.
ReplyDeleteMaybe they were expecting a really wide thigh gap in larger sizes? I have no idea, this is just weird.
DeleteEee! That's almost frightening! Is it supposed to double as some kind of weird crotch pocket? I've accepted that there are a lot of things that I need to modify to get a good fit, but that is ridiculous.
ReplyDeleteHEHEHE. We could add a pocket down there and hide all of our valuables there while on the beach! It's the new thing! 'No wait, I know that key is in here somewhere! Maybe it's in the back...'
DeleteOh, jeez. I really do hate sewing Big 4 knit patterns. (I think it's the 5/8" seam allowances :P. Though I do have an OOP McCalls bikini pattern I've used to make perfectly good undies. (But yes, in a small size. :P) though I have found some pretty wide crotches in other patterns (the one KwikSew underwear pattern I made, for one...) Even in "small" sizes.
ReplyDeleteDerp!
I know you need a bit more width on a bathing suit (as I learned...), but this was sort of ridiculous. lol
DeleteI'm alright with the 5/8" seam allowances, but I don't have a serger and my machine likes to eat fabric while zigzagging if there's not enough seam allowance. I can see how it's be really annoying with sergers though.
Hehe, RhinoButtLovre is really getting his kicks now!
ReplyDeleteI aim to please!
DeleteRhino butt... *snicker* Why does that strike me as freakin' hilarious?
ReplyDeleteBecause it is. :D
DeleteI have wide hips, short rise, and a massive thigh gap and anything with a "normal" width crotch will end up shifting to one side and leaving me half-in-half-out with normal movement if I don't constantly adjust.
ReplyDeleteI found this webpage while searching for swimwear with really wide crotches.
The more you know! LOL