Tag: 5 out of 4

Suit Up for Summer with Raspberry Creek Fabrics Day Three- New Favorite Swim Patterns for men, boys, and girls

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We’re halfway through the Suit Up for Summer Blog Tour.  Do you have a favorite suit you’ve seen yet?  Are you making plans for your own swimsuit sewing?  I don’t know about you but my list of patterns to try continues to grow with each post!

Today I want to share a few of my favorite suit patterns.  I sewed suits up for my four youngest kids this tour (I have the fabric ready to go for my oldest but with limited sewing time he’ll get his a bit later).  In sewing so many suits, I had a few patterns jump out as favorites.

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First, I want to talk about the Men’s Swim Trunks by 5 out of 4.  I sewed these up last year for my oldest and he loved them so when looking for a pattern for this growing boy I turned to them again.  He’s now sized out of most boy patterns and is on the small end of men’s patterns.  I used a size small and made a couple of adjustments.

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He requested this checker fabric but really wanted a plain black waistband.  This pattern has you sew on a separate inner waistband piece that gets flipped all the way to the inside.  To meet his request I took length off the front and back rise and doubled the width of the waistband piece to make a separate waistband casing.  I then sewed it on like a band and left an opening for the elastic.  I skipped grommet holes and added a faux drawstring.  This pattern calls for 1.5″ elastic in the waist and I think it was perfect.  I think after sewing all the board shorts for this tour I need to stock up on that size elastic!

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I skipped all of the pockets and kept these nice and simple.  I did chop three inches off of the length to get this length on him.  The pattern doesn’t have height measurements but instead has finished inseam measurements to help you get the look you want.

If you are looking for a men’s swim trunk pattern, this is a great pattern to work with.  It’s a nice base if you want to play around with it too.

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These two patterns are new to me this year and I am absolutely smitten (as are these two!).  It’s no surprise to me that many of the other bloggers on the tour also sewed these patterns up- they’re just so cute! I’m talking about the Lowland Kids Swim Briefs and Sofiona Designs Narwhal Swimsuit.  I shared another pair of swim briefs yesterday and I’m pretty sure he’ll have at least one more pair come summertime.

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The swim briefs are unlike most boy patterns in that they are sewn with regular stretch swim fabric.  My little guy LOVES how comfy they are!

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This is a size 7/8 in the wider width (the upper sizes have both a regular and wide fit).  I skipped the real drawstring and sewed my signature faux drawstring (nothing worse than loose drawstrings falling out).  These are not lined- they were my tester for yesterdays pair and RCF swim fabric is nice and opaque so I knew they’d still be wearable.  I did line the next pair with sport mesh and he loves them either way.

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I was nervous he’d miss the brief-type of liner but he really prefers these over them.  He’s a boxer brief kinda kid so this feels natural and comfortable to him.

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Let’s talk about the Narwhal.  It’s so full of options and with each new version I see I now feel the need to sew them ALL.  She’s declared this her favorite suit I’ve ever made her!  That makes this momma over the moon!

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I sewed the one-piece version with the pieced front and criss-cross detailing.  This is a size 8 chest blended to a 10 in hips, waist, and trunk.  I loved all the measurements included, with loads of finished garment measurements.  This makes it so much easier to get a good fit on kiddos that don’t fall into one size.

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I skipped the criss-cross back detail and simply sewed my straps right onto the back binding.  Believe it or not, I’m not sure I’ve sewn a swimsuit with binding since my very first suit years and years ago.  I’ve been avoiding them like the plague!  Turns out- they’re not so scary!  I used my twin needle on my sewing machine and they really were pretty easy.  Not perfect but still good.

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For these suits I sewed up the lemons (paired with the solid yellow swim).  I think navy, yellow, and kelly green are one of my favorite combos.  So preppy and classic!  This is right up there as one of my favorite RCF swim prints ever.

Make sure to head to the other blogs sharing all their cute makes today.

Made By Kates Sewing and Things Desert Blooms Sweet Mama Life Paisley Roots

Follow along all week for so much sunny inspiration!
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Suit Up for Summer with Raspberry Creek Fabrics Day Two- Boy Swimwear PDF Comparison

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It’s Day Two and I’m feeling so uplifted already.  Yesterday’s posts were so enlightening and relatable.  I loved the creativity and it’s so heartwarming knowing that we’re all in this crazy situation together.  Sending you all lots of love from my little corner of the internet.
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For today’s post I’m doing my own ‘comparison’ post of four different boy swimsuit patterns.  The comparison is in quotes because these are not all sewn straight per the pattern.  I shortened two of the patterns and did a different waistband elastic on one as well.  These were personal preference but shouldn’t affect the overall fit of each suit.  I sewed up the Sew A Little Seam Linden Shorts with the liner-added, 5 out of 4 Boys Kids Swim Trunks, Peek A Boo Patterns School’s Out Shorts, and the new Lowland Kids Swim Briefs.  For reference his waist and hip measurements are 23.5″ and 26.5″ and he’s 52 inches tall.
He picked all of these fabrics.  My kids are lucky to get to see the previews and they all end up with lists of their favorite prints.  This guy was adamant that he get Sharks, Surfboards, Pirates, and Checkers (to match big brother of course!).  I’m always happy to sew up as much swim as possible!

This is the Linden Shorts.  This is a size 8 cut at the skirt ruffle hemline and I used the full elastic waistband and added the swimsuit liner from the add-on pack.  I used 1-inch elastic in the waistband although it calls for 1.5″ (I highly recommend sticking with the 1.5″).  The fit on these is good.  The rise is a little shorter than the others so if your little one tend to need more room I would recommend adding a bit of height to the rise.  I like that these are a little slimmer through the leg too.

These are the 5 out of 4 Kids Swim Trunks.  This is a straight size 8 shorter length with inseam pockets.  His biggest complaint with these is that the hole for the pocket opening is so small he can’t fit his hand in.  I’m also not a big fan of the 2″ elastic waistband, I think it’s a bit too wide for his size and he complained about it too but that’s an easy thing to switch out next time.  Overall, the fit of these is good.  The rise is better on him than the Linden’s and with those little tweaks this will be a great pattern for his body.

These are the Peek-A-Boo School’s Out Shorts.  For these I sewed a size 7 and cut them at the 6 mos. knee length line (it’s about an inch longer than the short cut line).  I sewed up the Lowland Kids Swim Boardies last year for him and just love this style.  He said the Boardies were too short so I wanted to give the PAB pattern a try again (he had this pair from two years ago).  These might be my favorite!  I think this style in the Surfboard print is just perfection! They sew up super quick (no hemming, yay!) and I love the look of the bias trim.  He did complain that the elastic around the thighs of the liner was too tight but that’s something I can fix in the future as well.

The Lowland Kids Swim Briefs are different from the other patterns in that it uses regular stretch swim fabric.  I’ve always loved the Sew Like My Mom Palm Euros and this pattern is a great alternative as he gets older and has a strong opinion on what he wears (no tight suits for him!).  The pattern comes with a regular (slim) option and a wider option for sizes 6/7-9/10.  This is a 7/8 in the wider option.  I did a pocket band instead of binding and skipped the drawstring holes in the waistband.  I love this pattern but did really struggle with the waistband- like unpicking it a million times and setting it in time out so I could pour me a stiff drink (Coke on the rocks with a little Coconut creamer for good measure).  It was a lot of slippery layers and it was tricky to stretch the elastic to fit but not impossible and it does leave a nice clean finish at the waist.  He declared this suit his favorite and definitely the most comfortable.  The soft swim fabric I’m sure is so much softer against the skin than board short fabric and that’s a huge plus for this kid that lives in sweatpants everyday.

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Are you sewing for boys?  Is there any other patterns we should test out?  I’m pretty sure we found some keepers with this group and I’m sure he’ll be asking for more come summer time.

Today’s other bloggers are sure to inspire you.  Head over to the Raspberry Creek blog for the latest post and don’t forget to hit up IG for today’s giveaway!

 

 

Suit Up For Summer Day Three

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Day three of the Suit Up For Summer Tour is here!  I’ve got a little blog miracle happening today- you get to see a rarity around these parts.  My oldest is joining in the fun!

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He’s headed to the sun for spring break this year so he was happy to get a new swimsuit.  I love this classic Leaf Outline boardshort print.  It’s a print that works great for everyone and looks fantastic with a little pop of color.

I used the 5 out of 4 Men’s Swim Trunks with a couple easy modifications.  He wears a mens medium in ready-to-wear and fell right into the size medium for these too.  I always think that’s helpful especially when sewing for others.  I added grommets to the outside so we could see the functioning drawstring.  I also shortened the length per his request.  The pattern is a fairly quick sew and the tutorial was very straightforward.  I needed a sewing win and these delivered!

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These fit just like he was hoping.  I’ve gotten to the point with him that I don’t dare buy him clothes anymore since he’s extremely picky.  To get his approval on this suit is a MAJOR mom win! (Cue the confetti cannons!)

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These trunks will work so great for him.  They can go from the pool to the hamburger joint no problemo!

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That’s five kiddos in mama-made swimsuits!  We better hit the pool stat!  I’m so grateful for RCF that I could get fabrics that speak to each of their personalities and tastes.  I love that they can coordinate without being too matchy matchy (they would die of embarrassment at this point!).

Have you been speechless at the amazing suits this week?  I can’t get over the incredibly cute looks each and every day.  Today is no exception!

Make sure to check out the other bloggers on the tour today!

 

 

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