#1 a one piece
(I'm a mom I need a top that cant be pulled down... while saving my children from drowning)
#2 wasn't black or brown
(Apparently if you must wear a one piece you are now boring where as two pieces just want to have fun)
#3 looked cute on
(I know this was asking for the impossible, but I do not look good with high cut legs or my other choice of the granny skirted bottom)
So after deciding plastic surgery, a hard core diet, and an extensive workout program weren't viable options... I decided to try to make a swimsuit myself... I mean really, it couldn't look any worse than the ones i tried on... I started with a 70's vintage pattern (because the style is more flattering for a real woman's body)... and of course some vintage knit... Now it has become a tradition that I make a new one every year for my annual trip to California, and my Mom(Katie) always has to take a picture. It is way out of my comfort zone to be posting pictures of me in a bathing suit... but... Here are they are... I will tell you right now I am sucking in my stomach in every picture...
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| The one that started it all... |
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| On this one (another 70's pattern) ...I lengthen the center panel so I could gather it... |
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| OK... so I have no idea what I'm doing with my arms in this one... I tried cropping them out, but that just looked even weirder... How bout we just focus on the suit, which is from the 60's... |
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| This one almost didn't come together... tried to ruche the sides... wound up with extra fabric at the waist, so put a seam up the middle (cut off the extra fabric), and covered over it with a ruffle... |
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| This years... Not quite vintage knit (early 90's I think)... The pattern is actually a new one McCall's 6569 (all of the others were vintage patterns)... I love all of the ruching... the skirted bottom was suppose to be a little more gathered, but I ran out of fabric... All in all I think it is my best one yet! |
I have learn a few tricks along the way...
***Always use a stretch stitch...
***Sew the elastic on with a zig zag stitch...
***Fit it to you at all of the major steps(i.e. sewing fronts and backs together... try it on)...
***When it says to use swim suit lining... do yourself a favor and use it (I used some poly knit scraps I had on the first two, and it gets baggy when it's wet... luckily you cant see it, but I can feel it)...
***If it calls for a two way stretch fabric... it must stretch on the grain line both vertically AND horizontally (although some vintage pattern don't require it)...
By showing you that I can be comfortable in my own skin (even if it's camouflaged with patterns and color)...I hope this post can help you see that by not settling and giving into the commercial view (i.e. Calvin Klein, Kennith Cole, DKNY... which was kind of a depressing)... I was able to create swimsuits that I'm not embarrassed to be in... Swimwear really isn't hard to sew... If it was I would have stopped at the first one! So come, and take a jump off the deep end with me... The water is just fine...
***Jennifer
P.S. If you would like to know which patterns I used... Just send me a comment...
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