We’re almost to the end of our week ‘o fun! I’m pretty sure I’ll go into swimsuit withdrawals when the tour ends. Good thing for you, you can still pick up Raspberry Creek Fabrics swim fabrics at 15% off with code SWIMTOUR.
Every year my girls and I go swimsuit shopping and every year we leave empty handed. We struggle so much trying to find suits that both fit their personalities and just plain FIT! My oldest daughter is now in junior sizing and somehow that means that their are even less options that work for her. It makes me so happy that I can sew both of my girls suits that really work for them.
This year I tried a few new to us patterns. The first is the Hibiscus pattern from Honeydew Kisses.
I think my girls have been a part of the design process for so long that when I asked for swimsuit ideas this year, I should not have been surprised to get this drawing from Payton. She really wanted the cutouts on the side and a fun strappy back. She was thrilled when I pulled up the Hibiscus pattern and it matched up with her vision!
I sewed up view B in a 9/10 with added length. We skipped all the ruffles to get as close to her inspiration as possible.
When I was her age, I had a very similar suit that I thought was THE COOLEST! My mom loved it because it was a one-piece and I loved it because the little cutouts seemed so grown up to me. This tie dye print just ups the rad factor!
For her second suit I used the Little Lizard King Sanibel. She loves all the little tie front tops in the shops and the Sanibel is absolutely adorable! I love all of the Little Lizard King swim line and plan to work our way through them all.
We used another fun tie dye and paired it with the light blue and yellow swim solids. The colors are just so cheerful and scream summer to me!
I sewed up a size 10 classic neck tankini length top with tie and the gathered side panel bottoms. This pattern had multiple options for the top and you can add lots of little extras like flutters and ruffles too. It’s no surprise that we skipped most of those. I love that this suit feels sporty but also a little feminine with the side gathers on the bottoms and tie on the top.
Big sis picked out fabrics and had ideas too but I steered her towards the Xfactor top after sewing my own. She was super easy to persuade and picked out the long sleeves for her version.
I added the same bra cups and shelf bra lining to hers that I did to mine and it gives just the right support for her.
She picked out this Dash Dot Abstract print and then we struggled with what to pair it with. It looked great with the black and white micro stripe as well as the bright yellow solid we had too. We settled on this vibrant lipstick pink and I love the pop of color it brings. We used the Calypso bottoms (they’re her most worn from previous years) and I did the same modification from the past, cutting them at the non-banded line but still adding the band. This gives them a little more height and she likes that her top and bottoms just meet.
Sophie has had this inspiration pic saved and wanted to recreate it. The Viridian from Jennuine Design was perfect with it’s separate panel pieces.
She loved this bold leopard print and then pairing it with black really made it suitable for her. She loves fashion but doesn’t like to draw too much attention to herself so this is the perfect way to wear a bold print like this.
For her top, I lined it in a lightweight techno scuba fabric instead of adding cups. This added a bit of smoothness and was a great solution. I sewed up a straight size 12 with the racer-back and she has a teeny bit of growing room so hopefully this will last all summer.
While getting ideas this year we came across this unique top from Albion Fit. She loved it and I immediately started looking for ways to recreate it. It’s a simple peasant style and searched my pattern stash to no luck. I asked in our swim tour group and they were so helpful and I landed on the Gypsy Top from Striped Swallow Designs.
I sewed up a size 12 crop length with short sleeves. We made it so she can wear her Viridian top underneath so this is just like a little coverup top. I made casings instead of following the pattern instructions since she wanted it to look more like the inspiration.
I like the higher neckline but could see her wanting a wider, lower neck in the future. This was a fun, creative make that isn’t your typical swim top and that’s what we love about sewing our own swimwear! It allows you to dream big and try new things.
My girls are loving their new suits and we’re dying for warm weather to break them in! Sewing for tweens and teens can be tricky but I love the collaborative process with my girls. It’s so fun to bring an idea to live and to create suits that fit them so perfectly!
Make sure to check out the other amazing blogger this week! Today’s sewists are bringing it big time!
Made by Kates Violet and Jewels Sweet Mama Life All Things Katy!
Intensely Distracted Pins & Pinot My Heart Will Sew On The Petite Sewist
All My Spare Time Kara Metta Handcrafted by RED Sincerely, Shantelle
Replicate Then Deviate That’s Sew Kari Desert Blooms Boo + Lu
A huge thank you to our sponsors and don’t forget to check out today’s giveaway!!
Again, you can find the tour on Instagram with the hashtag: #suitupforsummer2021
Lowland Kids Gingham Hive Striped Swallow Designs Honeydew Kisses Little Lizard King
Jennuine Designs Greenstyle Creations Made for Mermaids Call Ajaire Hey June Boo Designs!
Sofiona Designs Love Notions Lil Luxe Collection Jalie Sweet Red Poppy
SewSophieLynn 