You guys. I've sewn a swimsuit!
Inside-out front
The first time I saw the Bombshell Swimsuit pattern, I immediately liked it but was far too intimidated to buy it. I knew that stretchy fabrics were difficult, and someone had once told me that bathing suits are among the most difficult things to sew which made me think that I would never be able to sew one for myself. Fortunately, for my birthday in April, my parents gave me an overlock machine & the pattern so I knew I would eventually have to try my hand at something I was super afraid of.
Inside-out back
I thought it would be nice to try to sew it for the summer, but Mr. Domestique and I are on a pretty tight budget so I didn't want to buy a bunch of swimsuit fabric with the chance of messing the whole thing up and wasting all that money. Then, out of the blue and not long after my birthday, a friend gave me two huge bags of "practice fabric" that she wasn't going to use. As soon as I saw this blue fabric, I knew it was destined to become my first Bombshell.
(Warning: Awkward photos of me coming up...I'm still getting used to being in front of the camera but wanted to show you guys what it looks like on!)
A little more about the pattern: It is a downloadable pdf pattern made by Closet Case Files, and is listed as "intermediate" difficulty level. I think it must be listed as this difficulty because stretch fabric is tricky to sew with, but the pattern itself is pretty straightforward and easy to put together. They also have a handy dandy sew-along with very clear instructions here, which is really nice for visual learners like me because there are lots of step-by-step photos to refer to. You don't have to own a serger to make this pattern but it does make it easier than doing a bunch of zig-zagging, although that would totally work too and they have clear instructions for using either machine.
I haven't gone swimming in this suit yet, (and on Sunday we're going to the 'Jaws' 40th anniversary showing on the big screen so I may never venture in the water again after that) but the fit is super flattering and it's really comfortable to wear even just poolside. I think next time I would put in the optional cups for a little more support, but other than that I wouldn't change a thing! I hope this inspires you to try something new too, and let me know if you have any questions about making the swimsuit in the comments below!