Ch-ch-ch-Cherry Bomb!

 Happy Summer!! I realize I haven't written a blog post in months,  since last year even.  I have been  super busy with lessons this year! And sewing when I get a chance.  There hasn't been much spare time for blogging. :)
I had to write a post  about my most recent project. I made a swimsuit!!!  YES!!  And I love it! It is the most wonderful thing ever!  I wore it for the first time on our family vacation in Nags Head, NC.  I played in the sand, splashed in the freezing ocean,  swam in the pool, chased kids and dogs and it was fantastic!
 I have been obsessing over this pattern for about a month now.  Testing for fit,  altering,  ordering fabrics, sewing and   trying to find a support solutions.  It was all worth it as it is perfect!

 That's my Sophie playing in the water. She is my furry kid. :) 

This pattern popped up on the Sewaholic blog  one morning.   The Bombshell Swimsuit by Closet Case Files.  I followed the links,  checked it out and  then flipped out completely!  A retro styled one piece! So cute!!!!   Exactly what I have been searching for! I bought it about 45 seconds later.  And it's only $10!!!

 I made  a test  suit in black spandex to test the fit. See lower in this post for info on that one.


I ordered the fabric from Spandex House.   I love this cherry print!  It is so fun! I also ordered  a black with hot pink polka dots as I plan to make another suit before the end of summer. :)

Changes I made to the pattern:

•  I lengthened the pattern by one inch.   When I was wearing the test suit, I kept tugging it up.  One inch was all it took to fix that! 
•  I changed the  halter top to over the shoulder straps.   When  I wore the black test suit,  the halter cut into the back of my neck. It was incredibly  painful.  To get the suit to hold up my girls, I had to really tie that halter tight.  It felt like  a constant karate chop at the base of my neck! OW!!   I  found an old strapless bra  with optional straps that didn't quite fit great,  but would work for swimming in a couple of times a year. I thought I would sew it into the suit  and that would hold the girls up on it's own, taking the pressure off the halter on my neck. When I tried it on, I found that I  still needed the  bra straps attached to the bra to hold everything up. So I made 2  long straight straps  out of the cherry fabric and sewed them on  to cover the bra straps.  This is SO much more comfortable!! As I am wearing a bra with the suit, I did not sew bra cups into this  suit. 

A bra is hiding underneath the suit straps!!!

I am wearing a bra and you can't see it!!! :)

Sophie had so much fun  playing in the water! She loves the ocean!

. 
• I stretched the elastic  when I inserted it around the top of the bodice. The instructions say to sew it in at a 1:1 ratio, I stretched it just a little.  I discovered in making my test suit, that not stretching it results in  a wavy, curled up edge.   I cut off about 3 inches from the top front  bodice length of  elastic.  

 I used a zig zag to top stitch the straps . 

• I cut a 14 at the top, 10 on the bottom sides , and the back seam center seam cut to a 14 at the top tapering to a 6  at my bum.     No droopy fabric hanging down over my pale booty cheeks!! Woohoo!!!!   

   I have read each blog post  that every  gal who has made this before me has posted. So far, it seems like  most gals could either make one size all over or they made a bigger size on the bottom. I had to do the opposite- make more room on top and take in the bottom. So if anyone out there reads this  who has no junk in their trunk,  and the  fabric on the butt  of the suit just hangs  off ya, you can fix it by taking in that back center seam. Don't touch the sides.

Hello Internet!  Behold!    My  derriere!

This is the back piece all gathered and basted to the lining in before it was sewn . 

•  I  changed the center tie a  little bit. I lengthened it by two inches.    Then I  sewed it closed on one end, before I turned it right side out.  It means you see the top stitching where it is sewn down, but I liked it better then the instructions said: sewing it and flipping it over.  On my black test muslin, I could see the  little bit of fabric underneath and I thought I could neaten that up a bit. 

 So here is where I tell you about how awesome this bathing suit is.  OMG it is AWESOME!!!  I loved wearing it and I have never said that about a bathing suit before!    I have had a hard time over the past few years finding suits that fit.    I found my self desperate for anything to wear on vacation  and resorting to buying  "mom suits". You know, the dress swimsuit that tries to hide everything  and kinda does but you feel like a giant whale wearing it.  They are not fun. They are not flattering.   This swimsuit is FUN! And flattering! I didn't feel like a whale, I felt like the bomb! Ch-ch-ch-Cherry Bomb!!

This suit is also great for lounging on a float in the pool.  Someone get me  frosty, fruity,  umbrella topped beverage please...

I know I have funny lips in this photo. :)
I think I was  mid word when non-furry kid took  pictures for me. 

Other info about this pattern:

• It is as  smooth as butter to sew!!   While sewing it I had the Kindle open with the pattern instructions on it and my phone open to the Sewalong.  I had no problems at all with the pattern! Everything was clear. The instructions are fantastic!  When I first read the pattern, I could not see the "bombshell sandwich" step in my head.  But when I got to that step, it was clear as could be. 

• I bought a brand new pack of stretch needles  just for this project. I had no skipped stitches at all. 

• The gathering of the sides of each piece seems like it takes fooorrrreeevvveeerrrrrrr.   Both sides of both back pieces are gathered and both sides of the front.   It is totally worth it in the end!

 Here is  a tip on sewing the gathering stitches:    Set the machine at the longest length stitch.  Place the   fabric with the RIGHT SIDE DOWN.  This puts the bobbin stitches  on the  right side of the fabric. When you are gathering the front   or back pieces of the  suit  and attaching them to the lining,  this makes it so that the bobbin stitches are up  on top and easy to get to.    :)

The (Wearable) Test 

  I bought some plain black spandex 50% off  from Hancock's to test out the pattern. I knew I was going to have to do some specialized fitting so I wanted to make one out of something cheap. I had to do a test run  to resolve my fitting issues:     1. I have no bootay.  Baby's got no back.  2.   I have an  amazing rack! Seriously, these girls are huge.  I never fit into one piece bathing suits  due to these issues. If it fits the top of me, it hangs on the back of me.

I cut a 14 on the top tapering down to a 10 at the hips.  I found that the top fit well but    I still had fabric hanging down  over the hemmed back edges. I tried to go back in and just sew a larger seam allowance  just in the butt area but I could only take it in so much.  When I made the cherry suit, I tapered down to a 6  on that center back seam instead of a 10 just in the booty area and that took care of all the fabric  droopiness. 

This photo is a picture of the excess fabric on my bum. 

The suit has swim bra cups sewn in. I cut them out of an old bathing suit. I also went back in and sewed a line of elastic under the bust  to create a sort of shelf bra.   I don't know that that did anything but I thought it couldn't hurt.

 In this test run, I also tried out something that is in another bathing suit of mine. I sewed a band of powernet into the suit, onto the lining. This was supposed to just pull in my middle, making it look like I have some kind of shape.   I thought it worked great until I saw this next picture.  The powernet did pull in my middle,  that part worked, but it just squished it up over the  top and under bottom of the band , so you can see right where the powernet is!!!  My back looks lumpy!!  Not good! Not attractive!! So I skipped the power net in the cherry version. 

My powernet idea totally backfired.   It was supposed to smooth everything out
but instead it created weird lumpiness. 

 The test  suit is wearable around the house, watering the garden, washing the dog, etc. I won't wear it out in public,  but it will do  in a pinch!

 This next picture is the top of the bodice with the elastic sewn in at a 1:1 ratio.    When I tried it on, it looked like I had  "clam shell boobs". It was super wavy on the top edge.  On the cherry suit, I  stretched the elastic as I sewed it in. That solved the  clam shell boobs problem. On this suit, I  ended up unpicking all the  stitching and sewing  the elastic back in, stretching it  as I sewed it. 

So that's it.   My amazing swimsuit.  I love it!   Happiness on the beach! If  anyone is on the fence about this pattern, just  do it!!!   :) :) :)