Ballerina swimmers

I enjoyed a lot of selfish sewing during summer, but I also managed to make a few things for my daughter.

At the end of last year Little Monkey went through a significant growth spurt. It felt like overnight at least half of her wardrobe got too small! One of the things that needed to be replaced was her swimsuit. Little Monkeys goes to swimming lessons every week, so a new swimsuit was a top priority.

So, While she was sleeping, I made a new Cosi swimsuit by Sewpony Vintage for my daughter.

I used the same fabric as for her first swimsuit I made a few months ago. I offered to buy something different, but Little Monkey insisted I used her 'favourite' fabric. Swimsuits don't require much fabric. When I bought this brightly coloured polyseter knit fabric I bought about 1 1/2 metres as I was worried I would ruin a few swimsuits before I got one sewn right. Well, I only ruined one, so I probably still have enough of this fabric for two or three more swimsuits.

The Cosi swimsuit pattern offers seven various views. Little Monkey's original swimsuit was view C (minus leg ruffles). I have always loved view D and was keen to give it a go. My daughter however is not a fan of change. She wanted the same swimsuit as before, just bigger. I literally had to convince her to let me make her swimmers with a little skirt!

Did she like her new swimsuit? No. She loved it! Her eyes widened and began to sparkle as she looked at her new swimsuit and said, "Ballerina swimmers!" I cannot even begin to describe the feeling I get when she loves something I make for her so much!

This new swimsuit is fully lined. When I was sewing it I kept on thinking about Heidi's words that lining a swimsuit makes it legit :) It sure does! I cannot believe the difference in quality between this swimsuit and the first one! Practice makes (closer to) perfect indeed!

I used regular elastic for Little Monkey's original swimmers. While it did a good job it felt a little bulky. Since I was giving myself a challenge of lining a swimsuit I thought I would also use clear elastic. It was much easier to sew and I think the finished product looks nicer too.

I cheated a little and reused straps from Little Monkey's original swimmers.

I am a slow sewist and I tend to rush things when I get frustrated. That's when I make silly mistakes or ruin things. Sewing stretchy fabrics is still in a frustrating category for me. To avoid getting frustrated I divided sewing process into manageable parts. First night I traced the pattern and cut the fabric. Second night I made the outer layer. Third night was dedicated to the lining and sewing elastic. I was planning to leave topstitching for the following night, but since my frustration levels were low I finished sewing the same night.

Both Little Monkey and are are very pleased with her new ballerina swimmers. I am wondering which view I can try next time!