"She Wore An Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny...."

Okay, so it is not exactly yellow and polka dot but none the less does not require much fabric.  In fact, a mere 40cm of lycra went into this bikini.

 

 

This project started as new pants to replace last years ailing pair.  It needed to match a aqua, pink, red and turquoise Roxy bikini top.  I was really pleased with my pair of bikini pants made using McCall's 5400 so this was my starting point.  Because this bikini belongs to my daughter, I made a size 10 in the bottom.  The fabric I picked up in a recent Lyncraft 30% off sale.  Good job too because at $35 per metre full price, even at a mere 40cm, this project was going to be costly.

 

After completing the pants, I realised that I still had quite a large piece left over so decided to make the matching top.  This is where I came unstuck.  I drafted up a size 8, but after laying the Roxy top on my pattern, found that the shape was quite different.  The Roxy top was a triangle whereas the pattern had convex sides.  After weighing up the pros and cons, I opted to make the top exactly to the pattern.  Big Mistake!  After completing the top, I realised that the elasticated convex sides did not sit flat and stuck out revealing the elastic edge.   If I could have neatly unpicked the stitching, I could have quite easily fixed the problem, but this stuff does not unpick anything like neatly, so it was back to the drawing board.

 

 

 

It was at this point that I took the remaining fabric and cut a pattern off the Roxy top and made it up exactly the same.  I double lined the top using some nylon knit fabric that was gifted to me.  The first lining is completely stitched in and the second is a little pocket which enables bra liners to be inserted (see far right hand side of the top). 

 

 

We were a little concerned that a plain aqua bikini may be a little boring so we dressed it up with a few plastic craft beads.

We are really pleased with the results.  The new bikini is exactly the same fit as the original and cost a fraction of the cost of a replacement rtw.  I think I may well be called on again for future bikinis.