Rubberband girl: sewing more leotards, unitards and biketard

Well, after my first blog post about sewing with stretch fabric, I have continued to experiment with getting  a professional look on my leotards.
I had been using a variety of lycras (nylon lycra, milliskin, cotton lycra), meshes and lace and different pattern styles. Besides using patterns made by Suzanne Dieckman (SD square neck #6000 and sweetheart neck leotards #6006), Claudia Folts (CF camisole leotard and CF unitard) and Kwik Sew (biketard) I have been making my own minor changes to them.

I have been very happy with how Suzannes' leotards have turned out. While they are not the simplest ones for a novice to start with due to the many pieces, the pattern works very well. The dancer's I've made the leotards for have commented that they especially like that they do not bunch or ride up in the back.

SD # 6000, nylon lycra, front lined with light weight nylon powernet

I experimented with leaving the leotard unlined, adding a bandeau lining, a lining using the same fabric, and two different types of lycra lining. I also tried leaving the mesh unfinished and finished using a bias cut facing.

SD #6006, milliskin & mesh, unlined

finished leotard, unfinished mesh

leotard with the mesh finished

back view of SD #6006

I probably should have made the CF camisole leotard as the pattern showed first before deciding to change things. I found making the straps tricky as the arm holes seemed to come out very small and making the straps lie flat and neatly stitched did not work well for me. It probably is just a matter of grading the seams more, and practice.

Claudia Folts camisole front
bandeau lining

CF camisole back

The CF unitard went together like a dream. Maybe it was the amount of practice I had already had, maybe just a different pattern or fabric but I did not have as many issues with it.
I used cotton lycra for this unitard and washed all the fabric to prevent it shrinking. This unitard is also fully lined in the front.

CF unitard in cotton lycra, adult petite/sm

Back view CF unitard

Next I used a Kwik Sew biketard pattern but changed the neckline for this as it was to be used for worship dance. I also added the long sleeves from CF pattern as the Kwik Sew pattern was sleevless.
I was very happy how this turned out. I did not like the instructions on how to finish the elastic though as it lead to a gap at the shoulder. It is a good idea to sew the seams and add the elastic as one piece. The biketard was made of a white cotton lycra and I lined the whole leotard to make sure that it would not "show through".

Kwik Sew 2722 front view

Kwik sew 2722 biketard back view

All the patterns have good sizing, i.e. they do not run small or large but as indicated on the pattern. All have good instructions. I have decided that lining at least the front with a nylon tricot or light weight powernet for extra support works well (better than self fabric). It works best to line each piece individually, trim away as much fabric from the seams as possible and then sew together.
I think that I am now ready to start trying to change necklines, sleeves and accents.
I'll keep you posted!