Saturday, December 21, 2013

The Christmas . . . Swimsuit.

Yes, that's right. Now I know that swimming apparel is not exactly normal Christmas gifting material, but this was a case of necessity. The bigger girls get, the harder it is to find those nice "rash guard" swimsuits that actually offer good coverage. So I decided it was time to take the plunge and try making a swimsuit. We'll have some opportunities to swim in the spring, and I knew I'd better get it made before the baby comes or we'd be in a pickle! Hence, the Christmas deadline.
 
If you have difficulty keeping your paper in place when tracing from a multi size pattern,
always use Sea Salt to hold your paper down. It's healthier.
 
I've had the pattern on hand for a while. I wanted a one-piece with actual straps, not string, a modest neckline and a cut that looks more like shorts and less like underwear. When I saw this one, sized for girls through ladies, I knew I needed it for my stash!


I was a little nervous about making a swimsuit, especially as my serger has been acting up. But I needed to change the thread color anyway, and decided to try out the stretch knit setting. Lo and behold, as I started to reset the various dials, I discovered the problem - my serger wasn't broken after all! Some of my settings had been, well, re-adjusted by certain little people. No wonder the thread had been breaking!
 
 
With the serger up and running properly, the suit itself was a breeze! I added an inch to the legs. I would have loved to have made a cute skirt to go with it, but I simply didn't have enough fabric. (I'd purchased the fabric a while back, when Sugar Muffin was a smaller size, but we'd managed to get another summer out of her old suit.) And yes, it is sewn with the wrong side of the fabric out! I showed Sugar Muffin the fabric a while back, and she liked the pink side best.
 
 
I'm not sure if you can see it, but I reinforced the neck and arm holes with some plastic elastic. It feels nice and secure, but still has a little stretch. Now, I just hope it fits well! I went off the measurements, but you never can tell if it will run large or something.
 
 
Anyway, I've finished my other Christmas sewing project. And it's not even Christmas Eve yet! ;-)

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