I thought I had timed things pretty well for this one, heading out to the beach on the first day of school term, a day when I knew it would be utterly deserted. Instead I royally stuffed up by rocking up boom in the bloomin’ middle of the school holidays!!… doh! This is what happens when you are out of the system, people; you forget all that school-related info previously of paramount importance, like exactly when the holidays start and end.
Ah yes… you forget…
hmmm, where was I?
Oh, yes, I’ve made my new bathers for the new summer season đ
Actually I exaggerate, I was pretty lucky the beach was not crowded at all; enabling me to set up in a discreet pozzie for a few incognito piccies with the faithful doggie.
My new bathers are made using an old faithful pattern, McCalls 2772, modified to make the bikini top a tankini instead. This is the sixth time I have made bathers using this patten, and my third iteration of that same tankini modification to this pattern; so it has been such a goodie. That is not even counting the times the bikini bottom pieces have been used to make undies, for which it has been pressed into service stacks more times!
I know it seems terribly boring, that I keep using the same pattern over and over again, and I briefly considered trying out something new. Briefly. You see, I’m kinda content with being repetitive. Happy to be boring. This pattern really does work for me; it suits me, both my tastes and my body type. And, bathers are pretty important, y’know, since you spend such an huge amount of time in them over the long long summers we get here, you really want them to turn out as perfect-for-you as possible. Road-tested, and check!
A secondary consideration is that I have worked out the past coupla times I’ve made these that a 2m packet of swimwear elastic is fair dinkum exactly the right quantity for my tankini version, and I mean down to the last 1-2cm. It’s a sign! If I wanted to make up the bikini; and I did actually pause for a few days before cutting to consider going that route this time round, then I would have to buy a second roll of 2m.
The tankini won.
I used a denim-look swimwear fabric; bought from the Fabric Store in Melbourne during our recent visit. The roll was marked “tiger lily” so I am really pretty curious as to how tiger lily used this in their own collection. I suspect they probably did not use quite as much fabric per set as I did here. I’m imagining three or maybe even four, tiny weeny little triangles each? đ
Playing on the denim theme, I added topstitching in burnt orange, and also a mini patch pocket on the front hip, topstitched to look like a jeans back pocket. It is functional, but probably won’t ever have anything actually put in it. Can you imagine… oh, I’ll just put the house key (or something else reeeal important) here in my little pocket to keep it safe while I am swimming over in that churning rough and tumble surf….
Yeaah, bad idea. But still c’est tres cute, non?
Details:
Bathers; McCalls 2772, the bikini top modified to make it a tankini, of denim-look swimwear fabric
Hat; Country Road
