Bathers!
Pattern; old fave McCalls 2772, with the halter neck bikini top modified to be a tankini.
Fabric; one-way stretch from Fabulous Fabrics. I just randomly fancied floral this year.
I was immediately attracted to the clarity of the print, the realistically drawn, intricately detailed flowers and foliage. However, despite its obvious gorgeousness and I was pretty sure it would look great as a pair of bathers, I agonised somewhat over the fabric in the store for ages. Why? well, there is actually something extremely annoying about it.
See how I have oriented the floral bit so that the flowers stand upright? which to my mind is the only logical orientation for the print… well, the stretch in the fabric is actually going up and down, parallel with that print; and not across, or perpendicular to it, like you would rightly expect it to.
I know, right? Annoying!
You want the direction of most stretch to be going around your body, obviously! and well, who would want the flowers positioned that way?? There is a leeetle bit of stretch the other way, but not very much, so to my mind the way the print was done is just all kinds of wrong.
So I umm-ed and aah-ed for like forever over whether or not to take a chance on it.
Well, clearly I did in the end. And put the flowers in going up and down, exactly the way I wanted them. Sheer pig-headed stubbornness determination told me I could make it work.
And I did, by putting an invisible zip in the left side seam. Problem solved! Swimsuit purists will no doubt be horrified at the zip but look at me, not caring like a boss. At least it can be put on and taken off with the greatest of ease, which it would absolutely NOT do without that zip. Don’t ask me how I know that. I may or may not have sewn up that seam first, just to see, and may or may not have then spent a good five minutes struggling to get it on and then another five struggling to get it off again. Picture Houdini furiously battling with a straitjacket. Not exactly the epitome of effortless chic, haha.
Some quality time with my seam ripper, whack in a zip, done! Effortless chic is once again within my grasp, mwahaha.
And I’m now totally ready for summer! Bring it!
Details:
Bathers; McCalls 2772 bikini modified to be a tankini
Hat; Country Road
Location; Bunkers Bay
Love that you put a zipper in the side!!! Nothing more frustrating than fighting with a bathing suit top to get it on and off!!!!! I will be adding a zipper to some of my tankini tops soon!!!
Forgot to say — the bathing suit is beautiful! Love the flowers standing up!! Love the halter top too!!!
Carolyn, your blog really resonates with me and its so excellent to be able to read about makes in my season – poor northern cousins all whinging about the cold and talking chunky knits! I grew up in Brisbane and moved to Sydney 30 years ago, my daughter is at school in Victoria so I often chuckle at the plethora of nouns used to name those things we swim in – bathers, cosies, togs, swimmers! Different in each state of course. I always enjoy your makes, your an inspiration.
Lesley
This is so beautiful! I think I would have done a zipper too if I was brave enough to sew swimwear to begin with!
Beautiful fabric. Clever use of a zipper…I think I would have made it a few sizes larger to make up for the lack of stretch. I like your idea better. 🙂
Beautiful work. And hooray for the fabulous zipper idea!
A zip! Brilliant!!!!!! Looks fabulous.
Well you made this work, it gorgeous!! Bit bizarre to print the design on its side but clever solution and now you have a lovely cossie for our Aussie summer. Your WA backdrop is stunning too.
You look fabulous!!! I enjoy reading how you choose the fabric and follow your thought process as you sew – always some lesson to be learned! thanks for sharing.
Beautiful fabric, even if it was really annoying! I'm glad you persevered too – your two-piece looks fabulous on! Oh how I wish we had some of that warmth now.
Good on you for going ahead despite limitations! They look fantastic. And the colour of the sea in your photos… Wow!
Beautiful (frustrating) fabric! I did laugh to think of you contorting in and out with pig headed determination as that is exactly what I would have done! Love the length of the tankini too – very Esther Williams.
"…look at me not caring like a boss." Today, you won the Internet!!!
Very clever……time well spent in thinking of a solution giving a pratical result and your tankini looks gorgeous.
Coloring outside the box! LOVE everything about it!!! the flowers, the zipper, the attitude…you go girl!
Gorgeous bathers. The zip was an inspiration, who would want a bunch of flowers wrapped around her waist, anyway. I could use a zip in my RTW tankini.
so pretty, what a great swimsuit. and lovely photos. I remember swimsuits my mom had when i was very small that were made of regular cotton fabric so they had zippers, do you recall those? the type with a bra-style top and then slightly boy-short high-waist bottoms. very cute in tropical prints. or maybe it was a California style. anyway – wish it was summer here 🙂
Tis an item of beauty and rock on with the zip what a great idea. Jo x
That is a classic modern tankini… I bet next summer zips will be all the rage in swimsuit stores!
This. Is. Epic.
Also, I love it when you go renegade and add zips. You are totes the rebel! 😉
This is a very pretty and set. I couldn't have stood the flowers any way but up either, I guess that's just how some of us are 😉 I am pretty sure swimsuits in the 1950's used to have zips sometimes because the fabrics weren't flexible like today's. Anyway it's beautifully concealed so it matters not!
Not sure I would have thought about a zip. Wonderful bathers, I shall look for you on the beach!
Swimsuit Purists…LOL! This is a seriously good looking swimsuit. I love that print hard! Nice job!
These bathers are so pretty. Very clever the way you overcame the stretch issue, and that zip is so invisible no one would ever know it's there.
Wow these are stunning, way to break the rules and make it work. I adore that fabric and would have found it hard to give up stretch going the wrong way or not. Just a perfect swimsuit!
Gorgeous! I love the band of florals and yes, I would have run them exactly as you have!
Love it! Well done with the zip solution to your problem. The result is stunning.
It's a gorgeous swimsuit, Carolyn. So what about the zip or what purists would think. The fabric manufacturer, however, prob'ly needs a smallish talking to…. It's just a beautiful suit.
Before knit fabrics were available to home sewers (when I was a little – sewing – girl) we made our suits with zippers. Plus my oldest daughter was a club synchronized swimmer and at times they chose a high neck suit design that required a zipper for entrance/exit. So I for one do not think a zipper in a swim suit to be an oddity. 🙂 Great job on making it what you wanted it to be!
Beautiful!!! I love how you used the design… even if it meant putting a zip in. Actually, that's pretty smart regardless of the direction of stretch—even the perfectly stretchy can be difficult to get out of!
Bathers are looking fabulous – my mother had bathers with a zip!! Before the time of 2 way stretch I believe. So important to allow ease and practicality of garment wear – especially with the putting on and taking off of said garment 🙂 Making things work is such an achievement – well done! Let stubborness prevail.
Brrr ! It's too cold here for this look ! I like it…for this summer !
Absolutely beautiful. I really appreciate all the effort you go through to share your projects. I really look forward to your inspiring creations.
That's really quite beautiful, even if they insisted on printing it the wrong way on the stretch.
Fabulous! And an excellent reminder to think outside the box….
I laughed outloud reading the part about getting in and out of it before the zip! I have been there but with a dress instead of a bathing suit. What a great idea with the zip. That is what I love about sewing…anything is possible. I LOVE this fabric print. It is so pretty and nothing I have ever seen in a bathing suit.
Brilliant solution to your stretch problem! Both the colour and print are gorgeous. Stylish swimsuit indeed!!!
How strange that they put the stretch in line with the upright flowers–I have to think that someone wasn't thinking. I'm glad you found a way to manage it. Also, though I do love that we have four full seasons here in spite of the difficulties (ice storm last night), I also love seeing that some people in the world have sunny beach and gorgeous ocean colors right now. It's so nice to see your great photos of your beautiful bathers.
Very strange about the direction of stretch (I hope you got a bargain on the fabric, since it's obviously made wrong!). You look fabulous, of course. There is something that makes me think 1940s about that suit – side zippers seem to have gone out around then or something. Brilliant construction.
Whoever designed that fabric clearly didn't think the design through to a finished garment. Love the way the zipper won the day though! Oriented the right (imo too!) way up, these bathers are awesome!
Nice bathing suit but what a bizarre story about the fabric! You would expect fabric manufacturers to match the design to type of fabric, right? And many types of lycra have four way stretch, in which case you wouldn't have had any problems. And of course: Don't worry about the purists. Before the triumph of lycra and similar stretch fibers, many bathing suits had zippers and most importantly: This way it works.
Stunning! and what is more, you may well find that the swimsuit is more comfortable that way. Haven't we all had the experience of getting a suit wet, only to find it stretches weirdly once it is wet?
Beautiful suit.
Beautiful! I'm still not game enough to sew with lycra, but being able to make a swimsuit that actually fits and suits my body would be a bonus! Well done on another gorgeous swimsuit!
Why oh why would someone design fabric like the? A zip, genius!
Your swimsuit looks fantastic and I love the flower placement like that! I can't imagine why they would not print it upright like that… I admire your problem solving skills, I don't think I'd have thought of putting a zipper into a swimsuit…
Oh my gosh!!!!!!! Love the fabric and the shape is beautifull!!!!!! Carolyn, what a nice weather…here´s raining and the temperature is around 7.
Perfect solution for your new bathers, you are all set for summer even though it has disappeared here in Sydney.
oh yeah, looove the accuracy and colours in that print. So what were they thinking placing it sideways? Kudos for making it work so well…. now its vintage as well as fabulous. Cejay
Pretty! Glad you made it work. That fabric is worth it.
I love this fabric! Who's the designer/ manufacturer??
Sorry Emily, I don't know! I bought it at Fabulous Fabrics in Balcatta (Western Australia)