Suit Up for Summer Blogtour!

Thank you for joining me on my stop of the Suit up for Summer blogtour, hosted by Tami at Sew Sophie Lynn and Karly at Paisley Roots, do go and check out their blogs and enter the giveaways for some great prizes from our generous sponsors! 

I originally signed up with just my kids in mind as I felt very nervous posting photos of myself in swimsuits on the internet but the encouragement of the other bloggers on the tour has led me to making myself a suit too! We'll start with talking about the boys though!

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I wanted to go for a mix and match almost mini swim capsule for my boys this year as the weather here in the UK and locations for swimming vary greatly from the beach to public swimming pools both indoor and outdoor, splash parks and more! So by co-ordinating everything they would always have an option which they love and which would be suitable! 

So to start with I got some cute swim lycra from Kelanas Kreations and found some co-ord bright orange lycra at my local fabric shop, perfect for spotting them in a crowd and great for a little sun protection too.  

The first make was their rash vests, for this, I used the Streamline Tee from New Horizons sized down a little so the finished measurements matched their actual measurements so they fit pretty snug but should last the Summer but that's all it took to turn the tee pattern into a swim tee! 

​Then I used the Made by Jacks Mum Speedy pants to make some swimming trunks, I had to colour block the smallest pair a little as my youngest is very particular about seams so I made the liner in his with fully enclosed seams both ends but otherwise made them as per their measurements. The best bit about this pattern is it's FREE if you subscribe to their newsletter!

Next up, we have some slim fitted shorts to go over the trunks when a little more coverage is needed but they'll still want to be in the water. I used the Sew by Pattern Pieces Basics Leggings in Knee length for these, sizing down so their measurements matched the finished measurements, I could have gone a little smaller so there was more negative ease but I wanted them to last the Summer! Sew by Pattern Pieces have several patterns suitable for swimwear, for a unique discount, enter my affiliate code SBPPAffiliate004

and finally, the New Horizons Long Beach Board Shorts make the perfect shorts for playing on the beach when they don't want to go in the sea or for wearing when walking to or from wherever we're going! Despite the piping and colourblocking, these actually go together way easier than I was expecting! They have an elasticated back and a flat front for a neat look and the way the ties are connected is so clever! These ones are made in polycotton as boardshort fabric is hard to find in the UK but I'll definitely be making more as soon as I can get some! 

Now we're onto my suit! I had the chance to try a pattern from Jalie, a designer I've seen recommended a lot but not yet tried myself! I have to say I'm super impressed! The instructions are more similar to paper patterns than what we expect from PDF ones so they probably aren't the best for beginners but if you have a little experience with sewing or paper patterns, you should be fine! There are lots of notches included which are actually marked outwards so as not to compromise the integrity of the fabric and everything goes together just perfect! The swim lycra I chose for mine also came from Kelanas Kreations.

​I wanted something modest whilst not dragging me down when in the water so I made the Skirtini from pattern number 3023, making size 'R' as per my measurements. I decided to ruche the side seams with a little clear elastic rather than as per the pattern as for me, chasing my boys around, it will be more practical. It has a shelf bra included, which next time I'll tighten the elastic on just a little but overall fits really well straight from the pattern, I'll definitely be trying out some more Jalie patterns soon! 

I hope you enjoyed my stop on the tour, please go and check out all the other lovely talented bloggers involved in the tour! Get inspired, sew up some swimwear of your own, and link up below for some fantastic prizes! And don't forget to visit our hosts for the amazing rafflecopter giveaway too! Happy sewing!

Hosted by Sew Sophie Lynn & Paisley Roots
Pear Berry Lane / Inspinration / It's Liesel / Sewing For Four
Harper Lu / Call Ajaire / Stylin Stacy / Skirt Fixation
Sewing By Ti / Sewing With Sarah / Sew & Tell /  Me Made
Made By Melli /Life Sew Savory / That's What She Crafted / Auschick
Rebel & Malice / EYMM / Stitching & Making / Lilliepawillie

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​Affiliate links are included throughout this post marked with GREEN TEXT it costs you nothing extra but means I get a few cents if you buy the pattern after clicking through.  I would love it if you could use them if this post has inspired you but feel free to navigate there yourself if you prefer! All opinions expressed on my blog are entirely my own. Thanks, Sarah