Sew Americana Tour 2018

The Sew Americana Tour by Katy from Wild and Wanderful is always a favorite of ours. It’s just the perfect kickoff to all our summer fun and we love capturing these cute girl cousins together. It’s also a great reminder, even in these troubling times, of just how lucky we are to live in this country.

It’s been fun to see how much these girls have grown. We loved our first year of dresses and last year we did easy to wear playtime looks. A palate of red, white, and blue is just so classic and lends itself to so many different interpretations. We’ll never grow tired of it!

We were so lucky to get to pick from some amazing Sly Fox Fabrics for this post. I’m always up for sewing swimsuits and these swim knits were the perfect place to start. Those polka dots just screamed to be made into a cute retro swimsuit and my red loving daughter needed a sophisticated solid suit that feels more 70’S swimwear model and less Baywatch, if you know what I mean. These fabrics were just what I had in mind.

We combined these fabrics with a couple from Raspberry Creek Fabrics- the navy gingham and navy solid. My sister sewed up these two darling suits and I love how they coordinate with my girls.

Can I talk about this look for a minute?!! When did my little girl get so old?! She’s always had a bit more mature taste in everything from clothes to books to how she spends her free time (crafting or organizing things usually). This suit is such a great reflection of that while still being modest and girly.

The Camila Swimsuit from Made for Mermaids has solidified it’s spot at the top of my swimsuit pattern list. It’s quick, easy to alter for her slim frame, and so cute on! I love the coverage on the bottom and the different options with the flounce (either over the shoulder or under the shoulder like on the gingham suit). I am dying to make me another version too!

This little cutie is rocking her Camila as well. With the flounce under her arms she’s ready to play! There are multiple strap options too so she can swim to her heart’s content.

I knew I had to do the new Catalina Swimsuit from Violette Fields Threads with this fabric. It’s just such a sweet throwback look and too perfect for this tour. I love, love the ruffles and that front tie!

I’ve got to be honest and say I struggled with this suit. I think to get a properly fitting suit you need lots of measurements in the pattern especially trunk measurements and that’s missing from this pattern. I graded the pattern according to her measurements and matching the pattern then added an extra inch in the trunk just to be safe (I was thinking I could do a side gather similar to the Camila if it ended up too long). It actually turned out too short and she’s constantly pulling it up in the front. I also think it’s hard to sew the straps in place before it can be tried on and they turned out a little too long exacerbating the low neck problem. I think part of sewing our own swimsuits is getting a better fit than you can buy and that just isn’t the case with this one. It really did turn out darling though and I know she’ll still get plenty of wear out of it.

Now this little miss has stolen our hearts and is rocking a Mairin Swimsuit from Sew A Little Seam. This is the halter neck boyshort option with leg ruffles- a combo I need to try for myself!

Isn’t it just sweet and classic? The options with the Mairin are endless and a little daunting at first. A quick look on Instagram and you’ll be wanting to sew ALL the variations and may be like me- paralyzed with fear of picking the wrong one! This has convinced me that there is no wrong one. Must. Sew. All. The. Mairins.

Thanks so much for stopping by our little stop on the tour. Make sure you check out all the other fantastic bloggers this year. There is always so much inspiration and I love all the stories everyone shares.