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Thursday, July 26, 2012

I Made Swimsuits!

Ok, so this post is a little picture heavy but I am so proud of these swimsuits! 

I was really apprehensive about making a swimsuit for a whole platitude of reasons... the biggest was sewing on the swimsuit/spandex material. I imagined the warping seams from being stretched when I sewed, I couldn't gasp how the fabric would still stretch when the thread itself wasn't stretchy and frankly the swim elastic intimidated me because it looks like you only have one shot at sewing on it and the holes are there, weakening the elastic, forever. But I read and reread a ton of swimsuit tutorials and after getting all the supplies I tried it out.

And here is how they came out:

Swimsuit from Simplicity 4203

I absolutly love them! I got the top material on the clearance aisle at Joanne's (didn't want to spend too much in case this didn't work out!) and the bottom material for $1 a yard at walmart last year (that is how long it took me to get up the nerve to try this).

Swimsuit from Simplicity 4203

 I decided on tankinis because of bathroom reasons and at the last minute I thought of this pattern, Simplicity 4203.

Simplicity 4203

I have made the top before for both the girls and thought that it would work for the tankinis if the bottom part of the top wasn't so full and more a-line with no gathering.

Swimsuit from Simplicity 4203

I worked out great! The back has the elastic pulling through the casting and so it was really to get a good fit.

Swimsuit from Simplicity 4203

I cut up an old pair of their underwear to use as a pattern for the bottoms. By using the underwear as the pattern the swimsuit has a wider bottom so it has better coverage than other swimsuits they own.

Swimsuit from Simplicity 4203

I also made the tops a little longer because 1. I don't like it when their little tummies are peaking out from under their shirts and 2. I am hoping that they will be able to wear these next year since summer is half over now.

Swimsuit from Simplicity 4203

I fully lined the bottoms but only lined the top bodice piece on the tankini (just like the pattern called for).

Swimsuit from Simplicity 4203

For the leg and waist holes on the bottoms I wrapped the elastic and sewed with the largest zig zag stitch I could while stretching the elastic to match the lenght of the fabric. Confused? Here is a illustration:

The pattern worked great as a swim top, it is tight enough to stay where it suppose to in the water and has great coverage in the bodice area.

Swimsuit from Simplicity 4203

The size is pretty true to store sizes but I increased the length of the top over 2 inches on both suits. i would suggest to anyone making this top to use an existing shirt in the size you are making to insure that you aren't cutting it too short.

Swimsuit from Simplicity 4203

Now, with my confidence renewed I am ready to make a self designed swimsuit I have had on my mind for a while, so stay tuned!

Swimsuit from Simplicity 4203

Linking here:

 

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7 comments:

  1. They're gorgeous! I love how the tops don't even look like swim tops, the girls could just wear these tankinis with a skirt and look fully dressed but be ready to jump in the pool at a moments notice :-)

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  2. Wow! They look great! You give me courage to overcome my own swimsuit-intimidation!

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  3. Fantastic! We've talked about swimsuits for a while now...but haven't gotten up the nerve to try them. LOVE the style AND modesty of yours. Thank you for the detailed post, including the picture heavy portion of it!!

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  4. Very cute! I haven't tried this top, but I did make the dress in this pattern, without the cutout v-front, for my granddaughter who is almost two. Maybe my granddaughter has very narrow shoulders, but this dress swallowed her. I'm the hoping top won't run as big as the dress.

    Thanks for the tips on swimsuit elastic. I've yet to try that. I've used tank top patterns for my girls' swim tops.

    I was intimidated by lycra at first too, but I've found it bounces back wonderfully. Sewing a hem on lycra with the sewing machine works out way better than other stretch fabrics. Lycra doesn't 'wave' and stretch out like knits. It has become one of favorite materials to sew on;)

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  5. Adorable swim suits! Thank you for sharing.

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  6. Very admirable back up by her smile

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