Saturday, July 17, 2010

Another Swimsuit.........Kwiksew 3503 Again!!!

                                                                  (Me and my Little One)
Well this is my second version of Kwiksew 3503 and I must admit that I love making this swimsuit. And I like the idea of making my own swimsuit in general. I think it's mainly because I just love, love, love sewing knits.  Secondly, I've had this swimsuit fabric in my stash for several years and dreamed of the day that I could find the right pattern for it. I absolutely love this swimsuit!!!! I have a yard of this fabric left over in case I want to make it into a cute tankini top with black boy shorts later on.

                                                                                                  
You may recall my first version from THIS POST.     Well I feel I got a better hang at sewing this swimsuit and the fit was superb the second time around. I made this swimsuit version the same as the first but with the following changes.

1. I used a swimsuit fabric that was somewhat thinner. This "comic strip" fabric wasn't as heavy as my last fabric but was slightly more difficult to handle since it was stretchier and thinner. I just had to pull it taut and make sure to use a new "sharps" needle.
2. I also added 1" length back into the bodice length. I removed 2" the first time I made it which made it a little snug, but when I added it back the fit on this swimsuit was just right.
3. I lined it in black.
4. I used firmer bra cups. They were perfect and didn't shift around at all and I never needed to adjust the bodice.

5. I added the lining to the leg bands 1:1, but stretched slightly when I serged it to the bum. This way my legbands weren't too tight and fit very comfortably.

On a Side Note: One thing I noticed this time around that I didn't catch the first time was that I sewed the bodice pieces opposite of what was suggested in the pattern. If you have this pattern, just look at the pics I took of my last swimsuit bodice and your guide sheet. You'll see, let's just say, that the inner part of the right bodice should really be located on the left side of the left bust.  I like the way I sewed it differently than the pattern instructions because it meant that I had more bust side coverage:)



My camera batteries died so my Hubby was only able to get one good beach shot. Here's some more from my backyard.....

(a front view and close up!!!)
(An even closer view!)

I think that's it for swimsuit sewing for now. I have 2 I made and one I bought, so I think I have enough for the summer. But I do plan on collecting some more swimsuit fabric. The really cute fabrics are hard to come by. Now on to finishing up my Simplicity 3503 maxi dress.......

32 comments:

  1. Super cute! I absolutely adore the fabric!

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  2. OMG, that is so cute! You are skilled lady!

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  3. Victoria it turned out great and you look absolutely amazing in it!!! You inspired me and I just purchased my first swimsuit pattern yesterday. I can't wait to start on it! Don't know if I'll have the courage to model it for my blog though!! We'll see :)

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  4. Holy Moly Batman! That is a great swimsuit you made there and you look great in it too.

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  5. Love it! You are rocking that suit!

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  6. It's great! You look totally fantastic and I love the halter. And I love sewing the knits too. PS: Your daughter is so cute...

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  7. Adorable fabric, amazing suit, and you look GREAT!! Nice work!

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  8. Both of your swimsuits are lovely! I've sewn swimsuits for my daughter, but never myself. I think I'm gonna try this one for me!

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  9. You did a great job on the swimsuit! The fit is very good.

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  10. You did a great job on your swimsuit . It fits you perfectly and the fabric is cool !

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  11. What a wonderful job you did. I love the shape and the fabric looks great on you!

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  12. It looks great!!! I enjoyed making swimwear this year lol.

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  13. It's perfect! I had a problem with this bodice pattern telling the difference between the left and right because of the shape of it and the pictures didn't quite match up, but yours turned out so nice!

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  14. Gorgeous suit! The fit is great and I love that print!

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  15. I love the fabric, it's very cute. I'm definitely going to try my own swimsuit come summer.

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  16. Victoria, you look so good in that suit! And I love the print you chose.

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  17. Wow, that swimsuit is awesome! It's a great style for your figure. And I just LOVE that fabric... so superwoman!

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  18. Another lovely swimsuit and love the print.

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  19. Gurl you did an fantastic job!! Loving that fabric also.

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  20. Looking good! Super fun fabric :) And it's great that you were able to fine-tune a few little details for your second version.

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  21. Too cute!! I love making my own suit too! Great job!

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  22. Love it! Two great swimsuits. Thanks for the excellent review.

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  23. I'm going to have to add that to my list (though I think I'll try several less challenging things first!), but I'm totally inspired!

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  24. What great fabric! I just made this suit, but the strapless version. It is a great pattern.

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  25. That is the best homemade swimsuit I've seen online since I started searching. I cannot find the exact suit I want so decided to see about making one. You look dang good, too! Teresa

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Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment and for following me on my 10,000 Hour Sewing Challenge:)

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