Suit Up for Summer Blog Tour: Boo! Ultimate Swimsuit

Ahhhh – the joys of Summer!

While we aren’t quite there yet, Memorial Day is right around the corner – which means trips to the swimming pool and sprinkler pads will become a much more regular part of our routine!  When Tami of Sew Sophie Lynn and Karly of Paisley Roots created this blog tour, I KNEW it would give me just the push I needed to try out a new skill – swimwear!

I have been wanting to make a swimsuit for the last year (ever since I saw the Patterns for Pirates Siren and Hello Sailor swim set released) – but I have been SOOOO intimidated!  Like what is swimwear elastic?  Why is swimsuit fabric so expensive?  How will I ever make sure it fits?  I’ve sewn plenty of knits, but swimwear is a whole different ball game (or so I thought)…

 

 

I am thankful to Boo! Designs for allowing me to try out the Boo! Ultimate Swimsuit for this tour.  I learned a ton along the way, and thought I would use this post to share my “nuggets” for anyone else feeling too intimidated inspired to give it a try!

Lesson 1:  Check that stretch percentage!

Not all swimwear knit is created equal!  I learned this the hard way after I finally cut into this pink and black polka dot fabric I have had in my stash forever!  I thought that because it was swimwear knit, it would automatically fall into the 70-75% stretch category – but I found out it did not!  It only stretched about 50% in one direction and 60% in the other!

Lesson 2:  Measure, Measure, and Measure again!

I wasn’t terribly certain of how to take a trunk measurement on a toddler – I mean, those bellies make the cutest curves, but also make it a little hard to measure!  She kept wiggling around, and although I think I held the tape with a little room, I think I ended up with a measurement that makes the swimsuit fit with little room for error.  When I make another, I will likely size up the length so she is able to wear it through any growth spurts.

I also made the mistake of not adding seam allowance on my trial version to accommodate the skirt.  I thought that because she had ~1/4-1/2″ of room in my measurement, that she would be ok – but that was NOT the case!  If you are adding a skirt – remember to add in a seam allowance.

Lesson 3: It isn’t much more difficult than sewing brushed poly!

If you have a serger, and/or have been sewing other knits, you may be pleasantly surprised at how easy it is!  The instructions in the Ultimate Suit are pretty in-depth.  She thinks of all the things you need to know about fitting, serger/sewing machine tension, and finishing.  One thing I had a bit of trouble with was adding the elastic and topstitching.  But, I did get better with each incremental seam, so I think I see some fun swimwear in my own future (coordinating mommy and me set, anyone?).  Believe it or not, this pink paisley fabric is from Jo-Ann’s and I bought all they had in the store!  It makes a lovely (and colorful) swimsuit!

Thanks for reading!  If you are interested in potentially winning an awesome prize pack of patterns, check out the So Sophie Lynn page to find the link up (link below).  I mean seriously – look at all these designers who were willing to participate:

Ready to see what others have been up to on the tour? Below you can find links to the other seamstresses on the tour – let’s just say that my mind has been blown by the possibilities! I will definitely be trying some new to me pattern designers soon!

Hosted by Sew Sophie Lynn & Paisley Roots

Monday (5/22): Pear Berry Lane / Inspinration / It’s Liesel / Sewing For Four

Tuesday (5/23): Harper Lu / Call Ajaire / Stylin Stacy / Skirt Fixation

Wednesday (5/24): Sewing By Ti / Sewing With Sarah / Sew & Tell /  Me Made

Thursday (5/25): Made By Melli / Life Sew Savory / That’s What She Crafted / Auschick

Friday(5/26): Rebel & Malice / EYMM / Stitching & Making / Lilliepawillie