Tuesday, August 15, 2017

Swimwear: For My Little Fish

In the Craft Lounge, I'm already transitioning to autumn by putting away the light fabrics and plotting out my projects for the cooler weather ahead. However, I'm still trying to catch up on posting all of the summer clothing that I sewed. And I've had a very productive summer.  Instead of taking a big vacation, I decided this summer to make every weekend a long weekend by taking Mondays off.

So today it's more swimwear. This time for Taco.


At his cousin's pool party


At the snack bar at our community pool (with ice cream)


Two of my favorite makes for Taco that have been getting non-stop use are these little, one piece rash guard swimmies. The pattern is an altered version of KwikSew 3730, which I sewed last summer (here) in seersucker.






The pattern is designed for woven fabrics. Sewing it in a knit and getting the more trim fit of a rash guard required slimming the whole thing down - side seams, armscyes and sleeves.



Wow, washed out color in this shot.

And in swimsuit fabric

To give the pattern a more rash guard/wet suit-like look, I altered the center front from a button closure to an exposed zipper and altered the collar to a rounded mandarin-style.

The proto-type - the blue version - was sewn with a poly knit remnant that I had in my stash.  You probably don't remember waaaaaaay back when I sewed a top in this fabric for myself (here). It's  not 100% perfect as swimwear, but Taco likes it. The zipper is a closed-end, plastic tooth number I picked up at Panda Zippers, a store I often overlook.  Closed end plastic zippers are somewhat challenging to come by, even in the NY Garment District.






Anyway, I futzed around with the pattern a bit more based on the changes I had to make as I sewed the proto-type version. This second version is in actual swimwear fabric. It's a bit of an eye popping fabric.





It's a bit of a bummer that photography is not allowed at our community pool. Taco has taken to the water with such delight. You'll have to make do with snack bar photos.







We are planning on starting swim lessons in the fall. Taco really discovered his inner little fish. So, our need for swimwear will outlast the summer.






Two and a half is a charming little age; our days are punctuated by squeals of delight, peels of laughter, and moments of surprise. Not that there aren't struggles, but there are far more happy moments and there is much to be grateful for when I think of life in Clio-and-Phinland these days. More time at home was a great call for this summer!



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