Monday, August 19, 2013

Making new Swimsuits {Ones that cover a little more}


 This summer one of our projects was to make new swimming suits for the girls. We aren't very fond of the normal swimming attire as we feel it is a bit to near like going out in your underwear (which we just don't do!) and so just going shopping for swimsuits doesn't work to well for us. Though I know there are places that do make swimsuits that actually cover - I just happen to like sewing, am rather "cheap" and am trying to use what we have rather than buying anything.

  I had some swimsuit fabric on hand that had come from my Grandma. There wasn't a lot of selection but Megan found a blue flowered piece that she thought was beautiful (Mara thought it looked like something for a Grandma but I think it turned out perfect for Megan).
 To make her swimsuit I simply made a raglan sleeve top and then attached a skirt to it. I then made a matching pair of shorts to wear underneath. It was a pretty fast project and quite fun. The material I had was already in various pieces so I had to make that work for what I needed and work around the very big pattern at the same time. It was a fun puzzle. For binding around the neck I simply used a strip of the fabric and pulled it a little while sewing it on so that it would gather the neckline up. It worked beautifully. I sewed using a variety of stretch stitch, zig-zag stitch and even just straight stitch sometimes when it wouldn't be getting stretched.

When we looked in our swimsuit material box Mara wasn't very happy with the selection except for a small piece of plaid which was primarily pink and white. Unfortunately that wasn't enough to make a modest swimsuit with. However God's timing is perfect. We are regularly given hand-me-downs from a few different sources and at the time of trying to figure the swimsuits out what should appear in the hand-me-down bag but a black sleeveless dress that was made from something very similar to swimsuit fabric. Mara was quite happy with the idea of black and we decided to use the plaid fabric as an accent. Having it already being a sleeveless dress made sewing very easy for us. We simply slit open the side a big to add a pleat of plaid fabric in so that it would be easier to move in it. We also made her some shorts and something like a sports bra out of the swimsuit fabric for her to wear underneath.  This swimsuit and the one that I made for me aren't really as covering as we like for our normal wear but since we try to mostly be in the water while wearing them, we prefer to swim in private spots when possible and we don't want something that is very bulky for swimming, and because we were working with what material we had, we have decided they will work.

  Do you prefer to have swimsuits that cover more than the normal? Have you ever tried sewing you own?

8 comments:

Melissa Graham said...

I love that my family and I are not the only ones who like to be covered when going swimming. I got lucky this year and found a swim dress at walmart that came to my knees. The woman that checked me out wanted to know what in the world it was and when I told her it was a swim suit she couldn't believe it. I informed her i liked to be covered up when I was swimming. I don't like all of my parts hanging out. My daughter who is 14 feels the same way. Thanks for sharing this and I love the suits you made for the girls.

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Jackie said...

These are great. You are always so creative. :)

Nola said...

This is so great. When I go swimming, I wear one of those 1 or two piece normal suits with a quick dry t-shirt (that has a high neckline) and quick dry shorts (that aren't too short) over top. It does mean that there are two layers...but at least it works. For my children so far I have been able to buy those "sun protection" swim suits...they are like shorts and a t-shirt but all one piece. So they work for covering up. I have found them some second hand and some we have paid for them (but then pass them down to our other children). But I have never seen them above the size my oldest is in right now. I have seen modest swimwear websites but they are very costly. However there are some that sell the patterns and fabric so I might try that sometime. I have heard of people using a bikini top under a swim shirt and that works. I would have to experiment with cheap fabric because I am still learning how to sew.

Lydia said...

Impressive, Abbi! I agree with being cheap and not finding something that you like. I should try to make something on my own.

Wearing a bikini underneath is a great idea. Provides protection and then enjoyment for your husband in privacy :)

Amy and Mark said...

I love these! I have followed your blog for years and I am so thankful to your wonderful commitment to modesty, mommyhood, creativity, and above all our Lord. You give much such great ideas and encouragement as a young Mama and a woman of the Lord. Thank you!!

Shawn said...

I made a swim dress once when we lived in Hawaii. It worked alright, but the waves would pull on it. I think it was too long. Next time, I would make it a little more above the knee. Or maybe the material was too thick or too stretchy. Anyway, it was great. I wore it to a ladies retreat we had on the beach and everyone was loving it. Plus, it was a nice aqua blue. Perfect for Hawaii. If only I lived there now!

Unknown said...

Thank you so much Abbi. This is a wonderful project. The swimming suits look fantastic.

Wayne. | http://www.brigitewear.com

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