Take The Plunge Swimsuit

 A few of my handmade swimsuits are starting to show signs of wear.  They tend to get a lot of wear but for the most part I am reluctant to part with them.  They are okay for swimming at home, but in public the inevitable fading and popped stitches just don't cut it.  

This year I decided I wanted to make a one piece.  I am not normally a fan but for tummy covering properties in public they are great.  They also cover more skin which means less sunscreen application which I am all for.

The week before Christmas I downloaded Patterns For Pirates, Take The Plunge Swimsuit.  Patterns For Pirates are a new to me company so this suit was a bit of a risk.  For this reason, I chose a sacrificial piece of fabric.  It has been in my stash for quite a few years and while I liked it, I didn't love it.  I originally bought the fabric to make jammers for my son when he was competitively swimming.  I did make him a training suit using this fabric, and also a bikini for my daughter but there was still a lot leftover.

I chose my size based in my measurements and while I read the reviews, I chose not to make any adjustments to this, my trial suit except to shave a small amount off the crotch curve and leg opening at the back.

Usually a swimsuit, is a fairly quick project, but this suit is quite heavily engineered.  It is fully lined and I chose to use swim cups as well.  The lining came from my stash and the cups were harvested from an old bra so other than my pattern and some swim elastic from Lincraft, the financial investment wasn't huge.  The time investment was quite a different story!

Once I finished the suit, I decided that I really like the fabric more made up than I originally thought.  Orange and yellow usually aren't good colours for me but somehow this works.  I love the finished suit, but it is a little snug.  This could be partially to do with my choice of swimsuit lining or the swimsuit fabric itself which may not have quite enough stretch.   If I was to make the pattern again, I would probably go up a size or at least add some to the rise of the suit.  There is however, no risk of wardrobe malfunction and once the suit is on, it really is lovely to swim in and that is the real test of a good suit.

Pattern $27.00
Lining $15.00
Pattern $28.44
Total $70.44