I made another bikini ya’ll! And I have at least two more bathing suits planned so I hope you don’t get bored. I love swimming so much. Maybe it’s because I’m a pisces or maybe because it’s the most fun thing in the world? This one is made from McCall’s 5400. I made the lower cut panty (view F) and adjusted the tankini pattern (view E) into a bikini top.
I used some remnant swimsuit fabric purchased in the flat fold annex at the Mill End, my local fabric store is rad and like half a mile from my house (dangerous). I made a size 12 up top, and got honest with myself about my size and made a 14 on the bottom. This suit doesn’t do the nasty muffin-top-squishing-in-my-soft-bits that my last me-made suit does.
My serger is still in the shop getting worked on (I really busted it trying to “fix” it). This was made entirely on my sewing machine. Don’t be scared to make swimsuits if you don’t have a serger. It’s not necessary to make a secure, stretchy, comfortable swimsuit.
If you’d like to make this pattern for yourself, there are a couple of things to watch out for. The elastic guide that they give you is far too big. Just toss out those pieces and go by feel. On the front of the leg openings I didn’t stretch the elastic out at all, but you want to pull it fairly tight starting around your crotch and around your booty. You don’t want to flash your beaver at the pool when this gets wet, do you? Also the low cut panty is practically pube low, so keep that in mind depending on how modest you are.
To make the top into a bikini I had to make a back piece for the cups provided for the tankini top. For the size 12 I made a rectangle that measured 14.5 inches and was the same width as the bust piece. For extra support I inserted small pieces of boning into the side seam allowances. I also disregarded the directions by inserting elastic along the top of the bust piece. They don’t have you do that and it didn’t seem secure enough to me. I also inserted swim cups that I harvested out of an older swimsuit that has seen better days. This top is essentially a bandeau top, much like the suit I just made but it feels much more secure and supportive. The halter strap helps a lot!
I wore this yesterday to float the river. We drove upriver a few miles and rode the current back to my apartment. We even took the dogs (one of our tubes has a mesh bottom). Bacon looks so cute in his life jacket! The poor guy just sinks when he tries to swim #bulldogproblems. If you follow me on Instagram (my username is Cynbular) You may have seen that my sweet Spanky had to have an emergency surgery on his eye. We were able to remove the sutures and the dreaded “cone of shame” on Thursday and he’s feeling and doing much better as you can see how handsome he is in this photo.
xx, Cynthia
