The fact that we have no big trips planned for this summer didn't stop me from making my annual swimsuit. This has been a yearly tradition of mine since I started sewing. It's actually more of a rule than a tradition - if I allowed myself to sew up all the swimsuits I could dream up I'd have many more than I could use!
Fabric: 1 yd nylon spandex knit and lining
Cost: $12
I do need to adjust the sizing for making this suit again. The pattern has a great size range (from XXS to 3XL). I cut the bottoms as M and top as XS based on my measurements. I adjusted the underbust band so it was tighter and will size the bottoms down to a S next time.
This year I tried out the North Shore Swimsuit by Greenstyle Creations. I've been obsessed with their leggings and am becoming a big fan of their patterns overall. I love the range of options included in this pattern - there are five different tops plus different closure options and two different bottoms with three rise options, plus a one-piece. Right now it's on sale for just under $12.
As with their leggings, the one thing I wish they did was more clearly indicate which pieces to cut for which view. I just ended up printing and tracing the whole thing since I plan to use this pattern again and color-coding the pieces as I went. But I love how the pieces are drafted - they're a great shape!
Usually when I make bathing suits I prefer some negative ease in the swimsuit and to lightly stretch my elastic for additional stability. However, this pattern instructs you to cut elastic that is much smaller than the suit, using the elastic to create much of the negative ease in the pattern. I find that creates too much bunching in the fabric for my liking, so that's why next time I will size down, especially for the bottoms. This may also be helpful for the people online who I saw had a lot of trouble with their elastic insertion - less stretching makes it less fiddly!
We saw my parents a few counties over for the first time since quarantine at the start of July. It was so nice to spend time together and enjoy the conversation without the filter of a video call. We also got amazing weather and a chance to walk down to the beach and take a dip - socially distanced of course! I'm hoping for a few more outings like this this summer but we'll see!
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