Hello all! I’ve just returned from a beautiful holiday in Sicily and today I’m going to tell you all about the swimsuit I made for the trip. Swimming is something I do once in a blue moon, and it normally involves the sand and sea, but every couple of years I like to make something fresh. I’ve always plumped for bikinis before but this year I decided that I was in the mood for a onepiece.
I used the same leotard pattern that I used as a base for my phoenix costume, squaring off the front neckline, and creating a low scoop in the back. The lycra I bought from Mood Fabrics when I was in New York a couple months ago. I love the vibrant print and I was quite happy to stick with a simple design to show it off with.
After sewing up the side seams and trying it on, the back was quite gapey so I pinched about 10cm out of the back neckline and recut the back piece of the swimsuit. In hindsight 10cm was a bit much, and 6 would probably have been better as I forgot to account for the elastic drawing the fabric in for a closer fit as well.
The swimsuit was fully lined with nude swim lining picked up from Spandex House (also in New York). I sandwiched another piece of swim lining between the lining and the outer fabric where the gusset would normally be, just for another layer in that area. I also sewed some cups into the lining for a bit more shape and coverage in that area.
I used rubber swim elastic to finish all of the edges, with a 3 step zigzag to topstitch. The side and crotch seams were overlocked. Evaluation wise, the whole swimsuit is really quite tight. I know that negative ease is fine, but I think just adding a cm or two would make it much less of a pain to squeeze in and out of. Next time I’d also pinch just a little out of the centre front of the neckline and/or stretch the elastic a little tighter in that area because it’s a little bit gapey. All in all though, I love it. It’s just so much fun! I’d quite like a red baywatch style one now.
Thank you very much for reading!
Lauren xx