ETA: You can get the Bombshell swimsuit right now as part of Perfect Pattern Parcel #3! Pick your own price for a fabulous bundle of patterns, and do some good for charity!
And what was I waiting for?? This suit is so much better than anything I could have bought in the stores. And it was just as easy as the ones I made for Myra.
I used the new Bombshell Swimsuit pattern from Closet Case Files, and boy is that name right on the money! I totally feel like a pinup in this thing! Which is pretty amazing for a 30-something mother of three, let me tell you. I warn you now - the photos got a little campy...
If you've seen the pattern, you can see I sewed view A. The suit has nice low cut leg openings, with a ruched overlay in front, making it a swim dress, sort of. The leg openings in front under the panel are more of a mid-cut opening, so they allow for a good range of movement, but the overlay gives the look of a lower cut front leg. There is a full lining, and the option to insert bra cups.
ETA:
In the back, ooh, la la! Y'all, my tooshie has never had it so good! Full coverage leg openings are comfortable and cover the assets, while the ruching gives the appearance of lift and smooths over any -ahem- rough patches.
The instructions were really great. I loved that Heather included instructions for both regular sewing machine and serger. The only thing I did differently was to use my coverstitch to topstitch the elastic, rather than a zigzag stitch. If you have that option, I'd go for it. The suit looks seriously professional, but I think a zigzag would have been fine, too.
Although the ruching takes some time and precision to do, I think the completeness of the instructions more than makes up for the relative complexity and this would be a great suit for a beginner to swimwear sewing.
And lest you think I spend all day swanning about my backyard teasing cabana boys - here's what the suit really did today. And it was awesome. I haven't had a suit that fit me in a couple of years, so the kids were beyond thrilled that mom could play in the water and run through the sprinkler with them. If the truth be told, I was darn thrilled, too.
ETA:
Country Girl Couture asked about support in the suit, and I meant to tell you about it, so here it is! I added bra cups and a band of 3/8 inch elastic to support the girls. This won't be enough for say, swimming in a Triathlon, but it held the girls up while running in the sprinkler and jumping in the kiddie pool. In order to place the cups and elastic, I sewed the darts in the lining as the first step, then basted the lining pieces together and tried on the suit. Pin it to your bra, since it doesn't have any straps. I pinned the cups in place over the girls, then used a washable marker to draw a line under the bust. I zigzagged on the cups, then attached the elastic, making sure it just abutted the bottom edge of the cup. Once they are on, trim away the lining under the curve of the cup.
