A few days ago, I talked about modest on a budget.   I mentioned I had planned to make my oldest and myself swimsuits…well, guess what, THEY ARE DONE. 

There were times during the construction of these swim suits that the $120+ custom made price sounds really good, however really for the most part they were not that difficult.  I must admit though, I have been sewing for over 25 years…I made my first dress when I was eight.

I learned a few new things during this project…

• Serging in elastic…REALLY a great way to do it.
• The proper flipping and sewing of “between the legs” on a pair of pants or shorts.
• How to sew in a bra to a base…Used a not so great bra and tacked it into my suit, so I would have “proper” support, as I am a bit “larger” there.  

My daughter’s suit went together much easier then mine…I am not sure why, other then the pieces were smaller.  The other thing, is I lined both front and back on the top of mine…So, it took longer to sew, as I basted the pieces together.

Some things I changed from the pattern…

• rolled ruffle hem on the sleeves, bottom of the top, and bottom of the skirt.
• Full length lining for both tops in front
• FOE elastic for the waistband on the bottom.

I spent $34 on fabric for both of our suits.  I bought the patterns for $20, and notions were already on hand.  So, for $54 I made two modest swimsuits.  To buy them already made it would have been $200 for both.

I think there are better patterns for less experienced moms, honestly, this would have been quite a bit harder had I not had any experience. 

I will be posting pictures a little later…when we go swimming.  

As for a pattern, honestly, I am not sure that I would recommend the one I used…the sizes for women are limited, and I had to draw up from the last size, and the shipping was very slow, 

I may at some point draw up a pattern for larger women…maybe…