One of my favorite things about sewing will always be the ability to make unique things for my family.  In this case I knew I needed some new swimwear for this summer, and I wanted to coordinate with baby boy without being too matchy.

Last summer when I was pregnant, I almost made myself a Made for Mermaids Alexandria suit but I am so glad I didn’t!  Because now I am able to wear this one instead of ending up with a maternity swimsuit. 🙂  The fabric is this stunningly beautiful abstract watercolor seaweed print (which spoke to my Pisces heart immediately) and solid navy swim from Raspberry Creek Fabric. I made the crossback, sewn-in straps version…I usually do prefer halter ties just to customize the fit over time but the stability of the sewn-in straps is super nice here.

The front ruffle is what sold me!  Seems like it will be small enough to not float up in the water.  I’ve made that mistake before!

Clearly the cross front is very nursing friendly, which is a must.  The easy access did not escape baby’s notice as I was carrying him in the ring sling.  Ha!

For L, I made the Made for Mermaids Reagan rash guard.  We are planning to just use one of his pocket cloth diaper covers as a swim diaper, and since they are cute I see no need to cover them up.  But he definitely needs some kind of sun protection for those shoulders, so I thought a rash guard would be perfect.

For the neckband, I used the same fabric as my suit but I thought it still needed something more to coordinate.  So I used one of the fish motifs from the print and cut it out with my Silhouette Cameo.  Perfection!  Love how it goes with mine in a nice subtle way.  Also helps to make it look more like RTW in my opinion.

I tried a new technique with this one: flat lock seams on my serger!  I don’t have a coverstitch machine yet, and I wanted to do some contrast stitching that wasn’t just zigzag, so I needed to get creative.  I’ve been meaning to try this for a while and I really am impressed with how it turned out.  Definitely will be doing this more on other things like athletic wear.

So excited to hit the pool and splash pad this summer, especially since L is old enough to enjoy it.  He LOVES water so this will be fun to watch. 🙂

Elisabeth

Fabric: Raspberry Creek Fabric – Abstract watercolor seaweed print, Solid navy | Patterns: Made for Mermaids – Alexandria, Reagan