Vogue 9192 - Swimwear Sewathon Part 1

So it happened again, I found myself sewing a bunch of new swimwear just before we set off on holiday.

We're back home now, and back to school and work, so it's time to relive the awesomeness of summer holidays and share the awkwardness of photographing swimsuits.

When in doubt, look away and pretend you're somewhere, or someone, else.

So this Tarzan-esque number is Vogue 9192, which has an impressive number of different garments in the one pattern. I've made View C, one of two one-piece costume options included in the pattern.

I'd initially envisaged making this swimsuit in black, just like the pattern cover version. I set off for Jimmy's Buttons and, of course, found the perfect circular, dark steel O ring. But as I was talking to Jimmy about what I was making he also found a bamboo ring for me. Well that really appealed to my swinging-from-vines-into-the-river holiday fantasies and the black suit would obviously have to wait...

I had some khaki green lycra but thought that might be taking my Tarzan fantasy a bit far , so settled instead on this nice wine-y purple-y red.  - appropriately called Merlot on the  Aussie version of the Carvico VITA swatch book.

This is some of the wonderful VITA Xtra Life lycra that I got via Eclipse textiles and a friendly, anonymous, intermediary retailer (you rock!). Made by Carvico in Italy, the fabric is knitted from Econyl, a 100% recycled post waste nylon filament. This is swimsuit fabric made from old industrial carpets and discarded fishing nets collected off beaches, and it's fabulous. Matte, suitably thick, perfectly coloured, UV proof, chlorine resistant etc etc. It's the bees knees of swimsuit lycra, so long as you can cope with solid colours only (or are able to buy the base substrate and do your own dye sublimation - anyone wanna go shares in a sublimation printer? ;) )

Back to the pattern.... I cut a straight size 14 as per my measurements, and for this first go at the pattern, I made no changes.

I think I might be a bit stuck in the eighties when it comes to swimsuit styles as I'm finding these leg holes too low for my liking. Now I'm not suggesting going the full 80's Brian Rochford, but when I searched for images to try and explain what that might mean to an international audience I found this reference for early-mid nineties Brian Rochford and there's my leg hole height right there, please.

Especially when it comes to the back view. I'm pleased that I'll never get a wedgie in this swimsuit, but it's definitely a bit too conservatively low for my liking. Oh, and the back view is really evocative of a Tarzan suit! (must remember NOT to make this up in stripes for fear of looking like an olden days circus strongman)

Those few wrinkles in the mid back section are all that results of the gathering for the right side seam. It seems like quite a bit of gathering as you sew it, but once on, the side seam doesn't look gathered, just a bit puckered. I'd be tempted to either shorten that side and straighten the seam out altogether, or lengthen it at least half as much again so that the little wrinkles turn into some proper ruching.

The swimsuit is fully lined, front and back and then there's a shelf bra which is finished with elastic under the bust. I had very little left of that nice, cotton touch, self striped lining fabric (like this), so mostly lined with a mesh knit as I knew that self lining with the VITA would make it way too thick.

The mesh knit is a bit synthetic feeling and quite a bit more stretchy, but has so far stayed on the inside and not wandered out under the elastic and into view. I did have enough of the nice lining for the shelf bra, and a little gusset bit - that open ended crotch pocket that always just filled with sand when you were a kid at the beach! Can't believe I elected to add that to my swimsuit after all those years of wondering why swimmers always came with a sand pocket just where you didn't want one!

No fear about the one shoulder leading to wardrobe malfunctions, it stayed put nicely even when I was being silly.

I'm not thinking of making another one of this swimsuit straight away, but I'd be tempted to make the other one-piece view and raise the leg openings at least an inch. But then I'm just about to say that about another swimsuit pattern in another blog post....