Hello everyone! I am today’s stop of the Raspberry Creek Suit Up for Summer Blog Tour, and I am so excited to show you what I have made! I made swimsuits for my three daughters as well as myself and am going to tell you all about them in today’s post. Hopefully it brings some inspiration and joy to your day!

Spring has just begun in my area of the world, and it feels so nice to be a little closer to summer and to be looking forward to warmer weather, days by the pool, and time to stop and relax. I really enjoy sewing swimsuits, and I remember before I sewed my first one several years ago, I was so intimidated by swim fabric! 

Don’t let the slipperiness of swim intimidate you. It is not that much different than sewing with a knit fabric. You need to sew using a stretch stitch and to remember that when a step in the pattern calls for basting, don’t skip it! Also, you can construct most swimsuits using only your sewing machine. If you don’t have a coverstitch machine, a good ole zig zag is the best way to topstitch. I have a coverstitch machine but still find myself doing this when I sew swim. 

As far as fabric, I have several suits I have made using Raspberry Creek swim fabric over the last 2 years, and it has held up wonderfully to chlorine, sun, salt, and all the hard things I and my kids seem to put swimsuits through. We have a pool in my backyard, so you better believe we put this fabric to the test during the summer of 2020. It seemed to be a huge part of our everyday life!

Let’s get into all the little details of each suit I made. I will chat about my suit first, and then go from oldest to youngest. Read to the end because I have a discount code for you.

My Swimsuit – The Pattern and Details 

I used the Greenstyle North Shore Swimsuit pattern to make my swimsuit in the Tropical Floral print from Raspberry Creek. This fabric has aqua blue, magenta, yellow, and green in it. It is so beachy and makes me so excited for summer! The print is matte and the fabric base is a polyester spandex.

For my top, I used the full cup deep V option on the front with the halter on the back. Even though I do not have a large bust, I still like the full cup option better because it covers my full breast, and I can run about and not feel like I may expose myself. 

I changed up the halter by making my halter straps about 30 inches longer than the pattern piece so that I created super long ties rather than one short one that ties at the back of my neck. I wanted a channel for the ties to go through so instead of adding a hook to my back piece, I folded the ends under to create a casing for my extra long ties.

I played around with how to wrap and tie them and settled on in the front. I actually thought tied in the back looked cuter in the mirror, but I had the hardest time getting it even so I just tied it in front. I still did not quite get it as even as I wished for photos, but it is functional and comfortable so I am happy!

For my bottoms, I did the high rise bottoms included in the North Shore swimsuit pattern. I ran out of fabric to do my waistband so I created a casing and attached my elastic inside. It worked! It is not as high as it would have been if I had done it correctly but it is still high enough to hold in my squishiest parts.

I have a sew along for this swimsuit pattern if you want to make one with me. You can find it here. 

Isn’t this floral fabric so pretty!!! We will talk about the fabric some more, but first… let’s get into my girls suits!

My Oldest Daughter’s Swimsuit – The Pattern and Details

For my oldest daughter, I used the Honeydew Kisses Patterns Hibiscus Swimsuit in Style B. I used this adorable lemon swimsuit fabric. The lemons have yellow, orange, and mint and unlike the other swim fabrics I used in this post, this particular print is available on swim, jersey, french terry, and double brushed poly. 

I paired the lemons with the grey and white gingham swim at Raspberry Creek Fabrics, and I love this combo!

I have made several of this suit pattern for my girls, and it is one they each have loved so much. My daughter is growing out of kids sizes and wanted one last suit out of this pattern before I can’t make it for her anymore. Based on measurements, she perfectly fit the size 14, but her trunk length was over the biggest size in the pattern. So, I added length and thankfully got a perfect fit for her!

If you want to sew this pattern with me, I have a sew along for it here. This pattern is just so cute for mixing and matching swim fabrics. My daughter picked the leg flounce for this suit. You can also choose from a waist ruffle, side ruffle, and neckline flounce. 

My favorite part of this suit (besides all the fun flounces and ruffles!) is the back. It is so pretty!

My Middle Daughter’s Swimsuit – The Pattern and Details

My middle daughter knew exactly what she wanted when I told her I was making her a swimsuit to get ready for summer. She ran and grabbed this Striped Swallow Designs Into the Blue suit I made her on the blog tour last year and said she wanted this same pattern again. She picked this Navy Pin Stripe Tropical Floral for her fabric. I love the colors in this and the stripe and floral combo. 

The first few times I made this pattern for her, I made the option for a peekaboo opening between the top and bottom on the back, but this time she asked for a solid back so that she did not have any extra tan lines or places to remember sun screen. 

I love how modest this suit is and still so cute on her! The front bodice has different tie options. I chose the rounded tie.

My Youngest Daughter’s Swimsuit – The Pattern and Details 

For my youngest daughter, I used bits and pieces from other swimsuits – the lemons from my oldest daughter and the tropical floral from mine. I think these two fabrics are so pretty together. She kept calling them oranges and wanted her entire suit to be oranges!

The pattern I used for her swimsuit is the Made for Mermaids Calypso. This suit has high waisted bikini bottoms and a halter top. The halter has the option for one or two flounces. These flounces took up much more fabric than I expected, but they were worth every bit of it. They are so cute!

Her little belly likes to push the bottoms down, but if I pull them up over her belly, it looks like she is wearing a one piece.

The only thing she did not like about this suit is the elastic in the top. I made sure that it was not too tight, but I think the next time I will leave the elastic out since the top is tight enough without it and the halter keeps it up. I hope I don’t regret that! She didn’t seem to be bothered by the elastic in the bottoms at all thankfully!

I am so glad I got the chance to take part in the Raspberry Creeks 2021 Swim Tour. If you want to get ready for summer, take 15% off Raspberry Creek’s swim fabric this week using the discount code “SWIMTOUR.”

Resources

• Tropical Swim Fabric, Pattern, and Sew Along for my swimsuit
• Lemon Swim Fabric, Gingham Swim Fabric, Pattern, and Sew Along for my oldest daughter’s swimsuit
• Navy Stripe Tropical Floral and Pattern for my middle daughter’s swimsuit
• Lemon Swim Fabric, Tropical Swim Fabric, and Pattern for my youngest daughter’s swimsuit
• Swim lining used in all the suits

I hope I have inspired you in today’s post!  I would love to stay connected with you. You can find me on Instagram. You can subscribe to my YouTube channel HERE. If you want to take a look into the things that inspire me, you can follow me on Pinterest. You may also follow my blog with Bloglovin.

Disclosures

This post may contain affiliate links, which means I receive a small compensation when you purchase via my link. This does not cost you anything, and I genuinely appreciate the support. Any and all opinions expressed are still my own.

Visit all the other wonderful bloggers on the tour:

Sew Mary Mac  Merritts Makes  Wild + Wanderful  Call Ajaire

Made by Kates  Violet and Jewels  Sweet Mama Life  All Things Katy!

Intensely Distracted  Pins & Pinot  My Heart Will Sew On  The Petite Sewist

All My Spare Time  Kara Metta  Handcrafted by RED  Sincerely, Shantelle

Replicate Then Deviate  That’s Sew Kari  Desert Blooms  Boo + Lu

Titchy Threads  Sew A Little Seam  Simple Life Pattern Co.  Pattern for Pirates  Ellie and Mac

Lowland Kids  Gingham Hive  Striped Swallow Designs  Honeydew Kisses  Little Lizard King

Jennuine Designs  Greenstyle Creations  Made for Mermaids  Call Ajaire  Hey June  Boo Designs!

  Sofiona Designs  Love Notions  Lil Luxe Collection  Jalie  Sweet Red Poppy

Here is a schedule of how I plan for our days to go so that you can plan accordingly:

Day 1: Select Size, Cut Out Your Pattern, and Cut Out Your Fabric

Day 2: Sew Your Bottoms

Day 3: Sew Your Top

Day 4: Catch Up Day

Day 5: Show Me What You Made and Enter to Win Prizes!

The Pattern Discount, Updates, and Options

If you do not own the North Shore Swimsuit pattern, you can purchase it HERE for 25% off using code “NSSAL”. The code will be valid through June 1st.

If you already own the North Shore Swimsuit pattern, make sure you have downloaded the most recent version. The pattern was recently updated to include a trunk length measurement, and some minor adjustments were made in the elastic measurement chart.

Before you start gathering supplies, you will want to decide which options on the suit you plan to sew. The North Shore has two views: View A is a one piece swimsuit with side cut outs or a scoop back, while View B is a two piece bikini with 4 bottom options and more top options than you can sew through in a summer.

The back of the top of your swimsuit can have a U Back or halter back that can be a pullover, tie back, or a back that is closed with a swim hook. The front of the top can have full coverage or a Full Cup Deep V or a Deep Plunging V. The Front also has the option to include ties or a strappy middle. I will have some collages for you in next week’s Day 1 post to compare the different options if you are still on the fence of what to make!

Prizes and Fabric Discounts

Our generous sponsors for this sew along are Raspberry Creek Fabric, Made Whimsy, and Greenstyle Creations! All sponsors are offering discounts as well as prizes to our winner!! One special winner will win a $25 Gift Card to Raspberry Creek, a $25 Gift Card to Made Whimsy, and one free Greenstyle Creations pattern! To be eligible to win, you just need to participate by commenting on each day’s thread in the Greenstyle Creations Facebook Group and comment on the Day 5 post with your final suit (or suits for additional entries). You can join the Greenstyle Facebook group here. Each day of the sew along, I will make a post in the Greenstyle Facebook group with that day’s steps as well as a blog post with help and video tutorials for that day’s tasks.

Use code “Greenstyle” for 10% off all swim knits at Made Whimsy through May 25th.

For 15% off at Raspberry Creek Fabric, use code “GREENSTYLESWIM” through May 25th.

Fabric and Supplies

I have a full video showing all the supplies you will need. You can watch the supply video HERE.

Here is a list of supplies you will need that I discuss in the video, including links to my recommendations:

1. Swim Fabric and Swim Lining. Of course, I recommend taking a look at our fabric sponsors’ shops. I was sooo impressed with the quality of both of their swim. The navy and white check gingham and blue floral swimsuit fabric that I am wearing is from Raspberry Creek. The solid swim fabrics and striped florals that I am wearing all came from Made Whimsy! I also loved the quality of the swim lining that I received from both of them.
2. Thread, Stretch Needles, Scissors (Optional: Rotary Cutter), Clips, and a Sewing Machine (Optional: Serger and/or Coverstitch)
3. Swim elastic. You will need 3 yards of 3/8 inch swim elastic and 2.5 yards of the 1 inch swim elastic. So Sew English carries 3/8 inch rubber elastic, but I have only seen it in bundles. You can see what they have in stock here. Sew Sassy carries 3/8 inch rubber elastic here. I would suggest the thicker one of those available. Etsy also has several shops with great reviews on their rubber elastic. You can find those here. If you do not like rubber elastic, Joann’s fabric carries cotton swim elastic that does not have nearly as firm of a stretch as rubber. You can find that here. Also, a wonderful option is the rubber elastic that has been wrapped in polyester. It sews very much like a traditional braided elastic. You can find both the 3/8 inch and 1 inch of this type at Wazoodle here and at Fabric Fairy here.
4. Bra Cups. I purchased mine on Amazon here. I also have to tell you that I struggled finding bra cups because they only come in cup sizes without reference to band. A 30D cup is definitely different size wise than a 40D so if both people bought a D bra cup, it would be huge on one and small on the other, and yet both of them wear a D cup. I have since learned that the “D cup” in a bra cup is based on a 34D. So, by using sister sizing, you learn that a 32D is actually in need of a C cup when buying a bra cup for a swimsuit/sports bra. This has worked well for me since finding this out! Also, reading Amazon reviews is very helpful!
5. A 1 inch Swim Hook if you do the hook back closure. I found mine at Joann here, and they are also available at several stores online like Sew Sassy.
6. A 1/2-3/4″ bra ring. I bought the 3/4 ring from Simply by Ti. You can find them at Sew Sassy, Wawak, or Etsy.

I had so much fun mixing and matching all my swim bottoms and tops. I tried make them in a true capsule fashion so that they all went together in some way. I think gingham is my new neutral. haha!

I made so many suits for this sew along that I am ready for a beach vacation!

Don’t forget to grab your pattern HERE using code “NSSAL” for 25% off. I will see you next week!

Thanks for reading today! I hope you are able to join me and that I have inspired you! You may follow me on Instagram or receive updates by liking my page on Facebook. If you want to take a look into the things that inspire me, you can follow me on Pinterest. You may also follow my blog with Bloglovin.

Disclosures: I received some of this fabric for free to use in the sew along. Some of it was already in my stash, though. This post also may contain affiliate links, which means I receive a small compensation when you purchase via my link. This does not cost you anything, and I genuinely appreciate the support. Any and all opinions expressed are still my own.