So, my girlfriend and I are in the process of moving from the Pacific Northwest to Guam and trading our 7 mm wetsuits and drysuits in for spandex dive skins (55 degree water to 85). I decided that instead of paying for skins with huge advertisements on them, I would try my hand at making them. A few yards of spandex and some hours later, it seems to have been successful!
I used a pattern from the Green Pepper company (#408, the Willamette Racing Suit PDF of info) and about 1.5 yards for each skin of spandex I picked up from ebay for about $16. The first two I made for my girlfriend, and they seem to work great for her. They're plenty comfortable for dives to about 30-40 feet, just right for the coral reefs around the island, and give UV protection on the surface. Donning a wetsuit becomes a lot easier, too.
The only modifications I really needed to do was to add elastic thumb loops (so she can wear to don a wetsuit easily), a nylon mesh reinforcement for the knees, and customizing the sizing to fit better. I think on the next go around I'm going to merge a bunch of the pieces so there aren't as many seams and it's easier to cut out.
Total time to make one of these was around 6 hours (including cutting and sewing, but I got faster the second time), and probably cost $12-15 US (fabric + zipper and elastic). I used a serger with wooly nylon in both loopers and polyester thread for nearly the entire thing, which made very quick work of it. All in all, I'd say it's a pretty easy project and well worth it. I'm not a very experienced tailor, but this is a keeper. I'll be making a few more for both of us. Good times!
In the pictures, the purple one is the first I made (it's in front of my drysuit), and the fuschia and stripes one is the second. Both are for the girlfriend; mine is still a work in progress.
I used a pattern from the Green Pepper company (#408, the Willamette Racing Suit PDF of info) and about 1.5 yards for each skin of spandex I picked up from ebay for about $16. The first two I made for my girlfriend, and they seem to work great for her. They're plenty comfortable for dives to about 30-40 feet, just right for the coral reefs around the island, and give UV protection on the surface. Donning a wetsuit becomes a lot easier, too.
The only modifications I really needed to do was to add elastic thumb loops (so she can wear to don a wetsuit easily), a nylon mesh reinforcement for the knees, and customizing the sizing to fit better. I think on the next go around I'm going to merge a bunch of the pieces so there aren't as many seams and it's easier to cut out.
Total time to make one of these was around 6 hours (including cutting and sewing, but I got faster the second time), and probably cost $12-15 US (fabric + zipper and elastic). I used a serger with wooly nylon in both loopers and polyester thread for nearly the entire thing, which made very quick work of it. All in all, I'd say it's a pretty easy project and well worth it. I'm not a very experienced tailor, but this is a keeper. I'll be making a few more for both of us. Good times!
In the pictures, the purple one is the first I made (it's in front of my drysuit), and the fuschia and stripes one is the second. Both are for the girlfriend; mine is still a work in progress.
