Sew: Kwik Sew 3416 Swimmers

Mary over at Idle Fancy had a great discussion going recently on sewing, blogging, plus sizes and body image. I used to have great issues with my body image. I've always been taller and bigger than most girls, now women, around me. I used to struggle with this greatly. Shopping was a nightmare and enough to send me home in tears. Over the last few years, I've come a long way in accepting my body for what it is and most importantly, for what it can do. Looking back, a major turning point was starting to blog about my sewing. There's something about the sewing blogging community that is supportive, encouraging and ever so accepting of women (and men) of all shapes and sizes.  For that, I thank you all. 

Two years ago I never would have considered showing anyone photos of myself in a swimsuit. And here I am, showing you my latest swimsuit. Actually on my body!! 

There's something about a simple black swimsuit. Some would call it boring, but I think they are stylish, practical and oh so classic. I used Kwik Sew 3416, now out of print, and a matte black lycra from Rathdowne Remnants. Thanks must go to my Mum finding me a copy of this great basic pattern. 

The only alteration I made was to lengthen the body by 2.5cm. I lined the whole suit with a black mesh swimsuit lining. The straps were made as per the pattern and aren't really strong enough to support the weight of the suit, especially when wet. I will go back and re-do them to include elastic. Next time I will reduce the elastic length in the top back by 5cm. It is a touch too loose.

Project Details
Pattern: Kwik Sew 3416, view B, size L
Fabric: Black matte swimsuit lycra and mesh lining from Rathdowne Remnants
Alterations: Lengthened body by 2.5cm

I really like Kwik Sew swimsuit patterns. They do such simple but classic styles.

I have enough of this black matte lycra to make another suit. I'm thinking another bombshell swimsuit with the halter top. I also have a piece of the beach print swimsuit fabric from Tessuti which I think will be perfect in this simple style of swimsuit. I'm hoping to make it up before the end of summer.

L x

Sew: Kwik Sew 3609 Bathers

What do you call them? Bathers, togs, swimmers, swimsuits, bathing suit? As I grew up in Queensland, I'm inclined to call them togs. But whenever I sew them, I call them bathers.

We're off on a tropical island holiday soon, so it was time for a new set of bathers. I made the Alison Swimsuit by Burda Style last year for our beach holiday in Japan. It was ok if I stood straight up but was hopeless with two kids hanging off me. It was one step away from a wardrobe malfunction resulting in the ladies popping out!

There is not a huge range of swimsuit patterns available but Kwik Sew has a few. None really took my fancy but I liked the top of the Kwik Sew 3609 and thought I could merge it into a one-piece using my RTW and Alison bathers as guidance. I used the pants and top from Kwik Sew 3609, modifying the skirt section to merge it into the pants but retain the same shape to attach to the top. I added 20cm to the centre front and 14cm to the centre back of the pants pattern, shaping the top of the pattern piece to mimic the skirt pattern. I then just drew a curve extending the side of the pants up to meet the top of the skirt pattern. This all worked remarkably well.

Project Details
Pattern: Kwik Sew 3609 - modified
Fabric: 1m floral swimsuit material and 1m black swimsuit material (for lining) from Rathdowne Fabrics
Notions: 2m x 8mm wide swimsuit elastic & 2m x 12mm wide swimsuit elastic
Alterations: Modified to make one piece using Alison pattern as a guide

Excuse the excessive amount of photos, but I really found it helpful to study other people's pictures when sewing these up. I was zooming in on the stitching and trying to work out how they finish swimmers. So I thought I'd help my fellow sewists out and include lots of photos.

Previously, on my Alison bathers, I finished the leg seams with a double-stitch but this caused a bit of a ridge and they weren't very comfortable. The finish is nice but the comfort was not. This time I decided on a triple stitch zig-zag to do all the top stitching and securing the elastic.

If you haven't sewn a swimsuit before and are a bit hesitant I encourage you to give it a go. They are quite a quick project and really not as hard as you think!

Helpful Links

• Creative Chicks - Sew Your Own Swimsuits
• Sew Forth Now - Dive Into Swimsuits
• Sew Blooms - Chanel + Swimsuit

From woolen capes one week to bathers the next! Life's never boring around here. So this is my first photo from my WIP photos yesterday. Next up the black & beige pleats!

L x