Sophie Swimsuit; the next big step!

My next big project for the summer was always going to be a swimsuit. I do find shopping for swimsuits hard, because I am bigger up top and want sufficient support, plus coverage on the lower half. In the past I have just kind of avoided shopping for bikinis in particular. I currently own one RTW bikini, which I adore but took me a lot of effort to find and which I have had for years.

Enter the Sophie swimsuit  This is my perfect silhouette - plenty of support up top and a gorgeous high waisted lower half. I earmarked it as soon as it came out to make at some point. Then I began to gather supplies. But the real reasons it took me so long to make were twofold: firstly that it was another new skill (and that’s scary), but also because I suffered from some extreme fabric indecisiveness - firstly over the fabric colours, then over the fabric placements! There are just so many possibilities, and I really wanted this first suit to be actually wearable and not just a toile.

I bought 3 lengths of swimsuit fabric from Blackbird Fabrics  thinking they would all coordinate well to make a tri-colour fun asymmetrical suit. The mint and navy stripe, you see here - I also bought a solid “port” colour which I didn't use and will be for another swimsuit instead (I’m thinking a Cottesloe . All my other supplies I got from Emerald Erin in a kit, as I didn't know what I was really looking for and wanted to make sure I got the right things. There is actually quite a lot left over (of lining fabric as well as other supplies), I'm sure I can make more with them down the track!

I measured myself up using the size chart and actually came up bigger than the size 5 cup, so I did a test cup in foam. It was also a good test of my needle, and actually, size 5 was perfect! So I went ahead with that and a size 8 everywhere else. Such a good system for fitting and means that you don’t have to do a toile of the whole garment.

The instructions were really good too. I ummed and ahhhed over buying the online class to help me out, but then decided to just start and buy it later if I needed it. There were a few steps where I had to ask the Husband his advice (and sleep on it to make sure I was doing the right thing), but I didn’t need the help of the class thanks to the comprehensive instruction booklet. I was also nervous about the actual sewing of it - using a new pattern, type of fabirc, notions, so many new things! But I did a little testing (and used a lot of wonder tape on the seams!) and it all went just fine.

Wearing it was also an intimidating experience. I find bikini’s self conscious at the best of times, and even though nothing else I’ve ever sewed has fallen apart, I was paranoid that this would be the time! In the end, I actually wore it to the spa in our hotel before we went to the beach. This served to make sure all the wonder tape had dissolved, and reassured me that in fact, it wouldn’t fall apart at the beach in front of everyone.

So this is me! Finally I made, took photos, and here is me in my swimsuit! Thank you to all the other ladies who have made this and posted pictures, and I’m glad to be joining their ranks!