Recently, I had the opportunity to test for Peek-a-Boo Pattern Shop. I’ve wanted to do a swimsuit for a while, and I have a collection of swim fabrics built up, but I was nervous since swim fabric can be  a challenge. When I was offered the chance to test a swimsuit, I jumped at it. Not only would it mean that I would get to make a new swimsuit, but it meant I’d have a deadline to do so.

Getting started with the Bahama Mama Swimsuit

Getting to sewing was a challenge. We had a mishap in the kitchen, Wining Husband was swamped with work, Baby Girl decided that sleep is something that toddlers just don’t do, and Tiger Boy was a giant ball of pre-spring break stress. Add to that indecision about fabric to order from Fabric Fairy (I never did) and forgetting to order the bra cups form Wawak sewing supply…and well… sigh I was a mess.  A mombie mess.  But, I knew I had that stash of swimsuit fabrics, so I gathered them together and looked at them.

None of them “went” with each other. My best bet was to choose one and then go with that. I picked out this gorgeous blue fabric I had, and figured I would pair it with brown and do white facings and straps. The fabric was one of those great thrift store finds – and it is definitely vintage. The swimsuit doesn’t use up a whole lot of fabric, so I figured I’d go with that and be able to use the fabric to make something else. I cut everything out, and I was ready to go. I was a bit nervous, since my measurements are 50-44-53 and I wasn’t sure whether the shorts would fit okay or not. I just cut and kept my fingers crossed.  After all, it was a pattern test, and well…yeah.

Working with swimsuit knit

So, my sewing machine wanted to eat the lining fabric. I used power mesh to line the suit. Let me tell you – sewing machines think that this is like a delicacy. Soooo instead of just using my usual crepe streamer under the knit fabric trick to stabilize it, I had to turn to regular paper – because yeah. The fabric is thin and veeeery stretchy. 

I finished the shorts in a very short time – yay! They were easy. Well, once I got my fabric to work with me, they were easy. Then I started on the top. The top also goes together really simply. I changed out my needle to be sure I had a fresh ballpoint in there since the thread was breaking….I had perfect, beautiful seams… when DOH!

Have I told you how much I hate ripping out seams?

So, there I was, staring at my top, thinking, gosh…I know I’m big but I’m not THAT big. It was really big. It took me about 5 minutes before a wave of panic came over me. Did I cut the side panels right? I checked the PDF instructions. 13 centimeters, 5 inches wide. Crap. Crap, crap, crap. I cut 13 inches across. I checked the pattern to be sure that it was in fact a user error and not in the pattern. Nope. This is what happens when I’m cutting quickly in between play time with Baby Girl and serving dinner. I cut the darned thing waaaaay too big. So…I ripped out the beautiful seams.

I hate ripping out seams – particularly on knit fabric. It takes so long. Plus, I think I need a better seam ripper. Do you have a recommendation? Please! Share it with me in the comments. Mine seems to be dull…and it tears fabric terribly. There *has* to be a better way. And yes, I’ve seen the ball-down video. I’ve tried it.  Doesn’t work with my ripper.

I made it work, Andre

Sorry, I can’t help but refer to my favorite season of Project Runway when I think about making do. I ripped the seams out, cried over it. Pulled out the gathering stitch, cut the pieces down to five inches wide, got the seam stuck in the machine, because at this point I was sewing frustrated, yelled at the machine, put the swimsuit top on time out, pouted, finished it, and tried it on. It was perfect. I put it to the side so I could get photographs in the morning outside. You know…with the sun and all.

Tragedy strikes

The next morning, I grabbed my camera and my teenager (Wining Husband was out of town). I went to change while he got things set up. I put on the top. Then, it happened. From the hem, extending upward to the neck through the chest, I got runs in my beautiful blue fabric. It wasn’t as though the suit were too tight and that happened, The top fit pretty well. Perfectly, in fact. And I’d used a ball-point needle sewing, so it wasn’t like a sharp had pierced it. And, well I used zig-zag stitching, went slower than I otherwise would, and I had a fresh needle. So, I don’t know. My only guess is that when I was cutting the pattern out, I’d managed to catch some of the weft in it with my scissors and that’s what sparked it. As it was, the top was completely unwearable. It could also have been that the fabric is an older fabric, and so it just didn’t want to cooperate with being swimwear. I’ll salvage what I can from it, and upcycle it into something for Baby Girl.

Swimsuit top redux

So, I was looking again at my fabrics. When it dawned on me. I had this really cool orange and brown patterned swimsuit fabric I bought from JoAnn’s a couple of years ago thinking I’d turn it into a tank top to wear with denim. I never got around to it, and I’d had it freshly washed from thinking I might use it in a different project. Well, it got used in the suit – and I have to say, I think it came out even better than the blue and brown suit did. 

The verdict on the Bahama Mama Color Block Tankini and Boy Shorts

This was my first swimsuit that I’ve ever made. That said, I think it’s a great project for someone who hasn’t done a swimsuit before – particularly for getting used to sewing with swim fabric. The fit on both the shorts and the top are great. I think it looks awesome on. The XXXL fit perfectly. Ann at Peek-a-Boo Patterns did a great job designing it.

Both patterns are marked down 15% and you can save another $3 with the code “BAHAMA” at checkout http://www.peekaboopatternshop.com/bahama-mama