Closet Case Files Sophie Swim Suit

I am going to start by saying I read this very good article the other day about accepting how our bodies look in swimwear and how the lumps bumps and wrinkles that come with middle age tell the story of our lives.  There is a lot of fun time had while swimming and hiding from it we miss out.  I don't intend to miss out so what you see here is my story.

My Sophie Closet Case Files Sophie bikini was not all pain sailing. This is why I chose to start with a bikini.  They are easier to fit.

I had some left over fabric in my stash and this became my starting point.  I did have to buy sheet foam, bra channeling and a clasp.  These all came from Elle-Joans.  The wires were rescued from an old bra.

The pants were up first.  I chose to add navy sides to my pale blue floral fabric for a slimming effect and to add interest.  But after finishing them I realised that these do not suit my shape.  They were cut way too low in the leg and way above my belly button.  Shortening the rise was easy but I also wanted to raise the leg openings.  I did this using my tnt bikini pant pattern, McCall's 5400.  While I am relatively happy with the final pants, they aren't my favourite, but more on that later!

After spending quite a bit of time deciding on my top sizing, I made a rookie mistake and overlapped my foam.  I then wondered why it didn't fit.  After up sizing my cup considerably, I read the instructions and worked out my mistake.  I then went back to my original cup size and hey presto, I had a top that fits, phew!  It was becoming a little tense there for a while.

I still wasn't 100% happy with the look of the bikini though.  In theory on my middle aged body, high waisted pants seemed lit a good idea, on me I wasn't so sure!  I still had enough fabric for another pair of bottoms so made a pair of lower McCall's 5400.

So, while I am owning my body, lumps and bumps and all, for the purpose of this exercise I will only show you the photos of my wearing my favourite bottoms because I doubt the others will see much use, although you can catch a glimpse in the above photo!

Will I make this pattern again?  Definitely yes!  While I am not convinced by the pants, I love the top and a wired cupped suit is something I have wanted for a few seasons now.  I am sure with the collection of patterns I have I can certainly turn this pattern into something that works for me.