Elise and I are so excited to be a part of this year’s Raspberry Creek Fabrics swim tour! The timing of this fabric release is perfect for us to get new swimsuits for Spring Break and Summer Vacation. Elise was happy that this necessitated a visit to our local community Monon Center’s indoor pool to take photos.
Elise knew instantly that she wanted a swimsuit with this Zebra Print. She goes to Middle School next year and is really developing her own sense of style. I agree that it is very stylish especially with the navy and white colors instead of the expected black with the white.
I have got to admit that I was a little concerned, because I’ve seen white swimsuits become see through when wet. I trusted in the high quality of Raspberry Creek Fabrics. I made this with a white lining and it is not one bit see through. This was taken after she had been swimming for a while.
The pattern that I used is the Zoe Rashguard Swimsuit by Jalie. Elise prefers to keep her chest completely covered. She doesn’t like v-necks or scoop necks. Only turtlenecks and crew necks will do. That is why this swimsuit was perfect for her! I made some of their bottoms last year that came together easily. It is definitely time consuming and takes a lot of steps to complete. However, there wasn’t much ripping out due to not understanding the instructions, and a swimsuit is one of the more complicated garments you can make.
Speaking of swimsuit sewing being a bit complicated, I compiled a list of helpful tips for swimwear sewing.
Tips for Sewing Swimwear
- Wash and dry fabric once before sewing, in case you accidentally throw it in the dryer later. I usually hang dry my suits, but sometimes one gets hidden in a towel in the washer.
- Change the needles in your machine(s) so they are nice and sharp. You will need stretch needles.
- If you are using a serger, bulky/wooly nylon really helps in the loopers.
- Change your rotary cutter blade, or it might not be sharp enough.
- Use a rotary cutter as much as you can, because it helps you cut swim fabric straight.
- Baste by hand sewing if you need to. It helps prevent the fabric from shifting, while you are sewing it on the machine.
- I often use a glue stick to help on corners or places that are hard to pin/clip. But a little square of wash away wondertape is very helpful here, especially to ensure the corners stay together while sewing.
- Anchor your elastic for legs and arms at the quarter points with a few back and forth sewing machine stitches or hand baste. That makes it a bit easier to stretch on the serger or machine when attaching.
- You can iron swim fabric. Just test a swatch to get your correct heat setting, so it won’t cause damage. Then, iron as you usually would. When I was first sewing swim, I didn’t think you could iron at all and that made things unnecessarily difficult for me.
We appreciate your dropping by to see Elise’s new suit. We have some more swimsuits picked out for us when our swim fabric arrives. I would love to connect with you at Sew Hard of Hearing on Instagram. I share all my makes there and would love to see what you are doing and/or creating.
Thank you to all of our amazing sewists who are joining us this week!
Hosted by SewSophieLynn and Paisley Roots
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3 responses to “Raspberry Creek Fabrics Swim Tour 2022”
This is such a cute swimsuit and Elise looks absolutely darling in it! Nicole, thank you for all of your helpful tips about sewing swim fabric.
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What a perfect suit for Elise. She loves it and the fit is great! I’m going to need to try a zipper in swim.
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I love this, Nicole! Elise looks adorable in her new suit!
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