Suit Up For Summer – Blog Tour

It’s officially swimwear season and this year I couldn’t be more excited!  When I saw Karly and Tami were hosting a swim themed blog tour, I jumped at the chance to participate.  Thankfully there was a slot available the day after we got back (today!) from a trip to Punta Cana; I’m cutting it close getting this live but here we go!

So I’m one of those people who usually has one or maybe two swim suits to wear at a time…probably spanning multiple years.  I’m super picky and being pretty tall don’t usually like the way they tend to fit me.  I was very intimidated to start sewing one, but once I started I couldn’t stop.  There was no real reason for me to be scared, so if you are – don’t be!  They take so little fabric and really are decently quick to make, even for a slow sewer like me.  So since we had this trip coming up, I knew I wanted to sew a swim “capsule” of sorts.  This way I could mix and match suits all week and wear something new each day!  I also made two pairs of boardshorts for Brian so that he could also alternate if one was wet, etc.  Men don’t care about looking cute as much as utilitarian functionality, at least that’s true for my man. 😉

First, I made the 5 out of 4 Escapade Top in swim fabric from Zenith and Quasar black and white stripes and solid black.  I love the vintage vibe of this pattern and found it came together pretty easily.  I did change a bit of the finishing on the inside to be a little different.  And if I were to make it again I may add more width to the front but overall it fits well as my measured size.  Love it!

Second, I made the Patterns for Pirates Hello Sailor Swim Bottoms in the same solid and stripes fabric.  I chose to use the side accent version and added adorable anchor buttons which I fell in love with.  Brian is a Navy veteran and I always tease him about the cute anchor buttons they have on the peacoats so I thought this was extra fun. 🙂

The pattern also came together well (despite some stupid mistakes my brain was making due to sewing while extra stressed…not recommended).  I finished the leg holes with swim elastic as directed which liked to much I’m thinking I may also add elastic to the waistband as well since it does tend to roll down a bit when just finished with a band of swim fabric.  All said and done though, I just love the combination of these bottoms with the Escapade top!  Even more vintage-y and so comfortable.  A definite win!

Third, I made the Patterns for Pirates Siren Swim Top with more Zenith and Quasar solid.  I chose the pointed flounce for this one, which I really like since it adds a bit more coverage.

We went snorkeling the day I wore it and it was perfect not to have to worry about anything flying open, ties coming undone or anything like that.  If I had kids, I’d probably live in this all summer since it didn’t even budge at all when moving around.  I did add powermesh along with swim lining and soft cups too, so it has plenty of support.  The criss cross bands also contribute to this factor, so nothing slips out of place at all.  I did add about 1″ of length for each strap for my height.

Also!  If you want to grab this Siren Swim Top or the Hello Sailor bottoms, you can use the code SWIMTOUR for $2 off a P4P swim pattern! 😉

Fourth, I made the 5 out of 4 Ultimate Bikini Bottoms in a solid black from Zenith and Quasar.  These were a very quick sew for me (maybe an hour or so) and ended up fitting well.  They did come up a bit high on the back on me though, so I just added a small strip of elastic in the back and did a slight “butt scrunch” to even things out.  I figured having a nice and well-fitting pair of solid black bottoms is never a bad idea, since these will easily go with basically anything else, ready-to-wear or handmade.

Whew – that’s a lot of swim wear for me!  All of these pieces can mix and match to create four different looks, depending on activity and mood.  Also, I ended up with many different tan lines due to this as well.  Not sure if that is good or bad! 🙂  I’ll be posting another combo later but here’s a sneak for now. 😉

Now, on to the boardshorts!  I made Brian two pairs of the Jalie Boardshorts in print fabric from Zenith and Quasar and solid accents from Peekaboo Pattern Shop.  He picked out the prints and then I coordinated with the solids.  First, I made this lightning version with solid black.  I’d never sewed a Jalie pattern before and wasn’t sure what to expect.  Well, expect good things!

Since boardshort fabric has no stretch combined with the pulling and pushing of water activities I was nervous about fit.  I definitely shouldn’t have been!  These fit really well and he had no complaints about that after wearing these all week.  The assembly directions are bit…perplexing at times because they tend to be a little bit cut and dry, but they’re not too bad and I was able to figure everything out without assistance.

The finishing is top notch and no little detail is overlooked (there’s even an inside pocket with a grommet for water drainage!).  The fly is velcro and then the waistband is cinched tight with laces and more grommets.  Perfect touch.  I also made the shirt he’s wearing too, it’s a Thread Theory Strathcona Henley and Finlayson Sweater mashup.

Second, I made these again with more Zenith and Quasar prints and Peekaboo Pattern Shop solids.

The only modification I made to the pattern was to shorten it by about 4″ since Brian preferred these to hit at about knee length as opposed to the drafted below knee length.  For the second pair I made this change to the pattern piece as well instead just hemming more and it worked fine.

And…last suit!  A few days before we left I received my Zenith and Quasar pre-order roses/gingham swim fabric.  I had been dying for swimwear with this since last summer when they first ran this print.  I thought there was no way I could sew swim at the time so didn’t even buy it.  Then when they ran it this year I decided I was up for the challenge and I’m glad I did!

I made the P4P Siren Swim Top again, this time with the straight flounce and straight straps.  Paired with the 5 out of 4 Ultimate Bikini Bottoms (with “scrunch butt” again) this one ended up a little more sweet and simple.

I just love the print and couldn’t resist color blocking a bit of the gingham on the sides of the bottoms, too.  I finished this suit at 11pm the night before we left in the morning so it was perfect timing! 😉

For the very last thing, I also sewed up the free Peppermint Beach Coverup.  I found this awesome anchor open weave knit at my local fabric store (Vogue Fabrics) and just knew I needed it for a coverup.  The pattern was drafted for woven fabrics so I think mine fits slightly more relaxed than intended (I also had to shorten the back due to fabric restrictions) but I love how it turned out!

It’s a dolman with optional ties.  I usually tied it like this, crossing over the back and then around to the front, with the side slits towards the back.  I also randomly found these blue and white pom poms at the store as well and threw them on the edges.  I mean, can you get any cuter with a coverup?!?!

Well, that’s it for me!  So I went from being completely intimidated to sewing 8 individual pieces of swimwear in the course of 2 weeks.  If I can do it, anyone can!  Seriously.  A huge thanks for Karly and Tami for starting this tour and motivating me to get all of this done before our trip.  There’s definitely no way I could have done it without this.

Make sure to check out the awesome posts below from everyone else on this tour, as well as our generous sponsors!  Our hosts are holding giveaways so definitely check out those as well.  I’m thrilled to have been a part of this fun swim-filled week!

Elisabeth

Hosted by Sew Sophie Lynn & Paisley Roots

Pear Berry Lane / Inspinration / It’s Liesel / Sewing For Four

Harper Lu / Call Ajaire / Stylin Stacy / Skirt Fixation

Sewing By Ti / Sewing With Sarah / Sew & Tell /  Me Made

Made By Melli / Life Sew Savory / That’s What She Crafted / Auschick

Rebel & Malice / EYMM / Stitching & Making / Lilliepawillie