Hi everyone,
I took a short hiatus from working in my room and cleaning my house, to find a little bit of time for making a dolly swimsuit. A few weeks ago, my hubby and I were at Renew (a thift shop in another town) and it was 2 days before the 4th! All of their swimsuits, no matter the size, were on sale for 90% off! That’s ten cents on the dollar!! Several I got for FORTY CENTS! I saw some cute prints in some smaller sizes and thought if I were going to try and make swimsuits for the dolls, it would be better to try on cheap fabric rather than expensive stuff. So I bought several I liked and was pretty happy with them. I’ve been so busy I haven’t even had a chance to really look at them, but this evening, I decided to take a peek.
Several of the prints have little dots of silver that sparkle in real life, but it’s hard to see from my pictures…
This is the print I decided to try and it does have the sparkles! :o)
I had looked on Pixie Faire for a doll pattern and found the one for the Ruby Red Fashion Friends was FREE! I like FREE! So I downloaded it and decided to give it a try!
When sewing on spandex or any kind of knit, you need to use a stretch needle in your machine and set it to do a stretch stitch for best results. I really wanted to make the suit on my Featherweight, because it’s so nice sewing tiny doll clothes on it, but it just does a basic stitch… no stretch stitch. I could use a stretch needle but it needs that stretch stitch too!
So I decided to use one of my other machines and use a tiny narrow zigzag along with a stretch needle. It was quite tricky because the fabric was slippery, it had stretch to it, and it was hard to get the fold over elastic to stay in place. It was actually pretty much a fight the whole time I was making it! (Just being honest!)
I had a piece of red stretchy fabric and thought I’d cut it out first from this fabric just to see the fit.
It seemed pretty close but I thought the leg openings might be a bit skimpy so I added a bit to the pattern. You can see where I drew the lines just a bit wider…
Well, I shouldn’t have… you’ll see in a minute…
Violette volunteered to be the “Swimsuit Model” and she did a good job of looking pretty! :o)
Here is the swimsuit close up…
I thought it would take a reasonably short amount of time to make this tiny little thing… WRONG! It took me a couple hours!
But… it was mostly because of the ruffled fold over elastic I used. Most fold over elastic is stretchy and has a sort of crease in the middle of it, making it just naturally fold in half and is fairly easy to sew on. Well, the fold over elastic I had in my stash, and wanted to use, had this little ruffle that made it almost impossible to baste it onto the suit and hold it in place because the sewing machine needle kept catching it! THERE IS NOTHING QUITE SO FRUSTRATING AS SEWING STRETCHY SWIMSUIT FABRIC AND TRYING TO PICK OUT TINY ZIG ZAG STITCHES THAT WERE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE SEWN WHERE YOU SEWED THEM! Seriously it was pretty insane trying to pick out each single stitch with a straight pin so you didn’t snag something else.
I think if I had used the fold over elastic that is just 5/8″ wide with NO RUFFLE, it would have gone faster.
Okay, back to the suit… the top part looks pretty nice and is very pretty in person… it’s a very sweet blue!
But, the bottom area, is a bit too wide… see, that’s where I should have left well enough alone, because my fold over elastic had the extra bit of ruffle which made the crotch area a bit too wide. BOO HOO! :o(
The back point where the elastic joined, turned out so nice… but the crotch… not so much! RATS!
Maybe if Violette sits on the beach, no one will notice her ill-fitted swimsuit…
Maybe I could make her some shorts to wear over it! :o)
Well, that’s my attempt at making a swimsuit for the Ruby Reds. I’ll keep tweaking my Swimsuit skills!
Come back tomorrow to see a sweet “something” a friend brought for Mae tomorrow!
Blessings, Jeanne
Hi All
First Jeanne the swimsuit is lovely, though I agree it is a little big in the crotch. What a good idea buying swimsuits from a thrift store.
Sorry I haven’t been in touch lately, whatever I had was exhausting. Mainly congestion, this is the fourth week and I am still coughing but not as much. I do seem to have laryngitis so sound like a frog!
I tried to send some pictures the other day and Google said I had exceeded my storage and they didn’t send. I will try again but slept in this morning so need to get a move on and start my day. Will try on the photos again
Have a good day
Hi Anne,
Just a quick note to let you know I DID receive your pictures! No need to send them again… I’ll use them very soon… maybe even tomorrow…
Thanks, Jeanne
That’s great Jeanne, I didn’t think you would have received them as they didn’t show up in my sent folder.
So sorry that you are still having coughing etc. I’m wondering if you too may have had Covid? Did you test for it? It sounds a lot like what both of us are experiencing here. Had no idea that what we started getting last week was actually Covid. One of the sofa sisters suggested testing, so I pulled out the most recent test kit and yep, it was positive. Looking forward to seeing your pics. 🙂
Anne, I hope you get better every day. Coughs are so tiring and hurtful, I know. Take care, and keep us posted. Looking forward for your photos.
Welllll…..I have made swimsuits–for ME!!–and also taught swimsuit making at Stretch & Sew back in the day (I was a certified S&S instructor), so maybe I can help. Adult swimsuits also have only 1/4″ seam allowance, so it’s really not so different from dolly swimsuits in that regard.
First of all, swimsuits have negative ease, which means, they are a little Smaller than your body measurements. Otherwise they will sag and bag in a most unattractive way! (And that’s why you don’t want to add to the leg openings until you’ve made a sample to see how it fits. 😁)
Secondly, yes, a stretch needle, and yes, a zigzag stitch, so you are on the right track there, although I would make the zigzag longer and wider. Try some samples on scraps to see what looks and works best for your machine.
Any fitting samples should be made from fabric that has the Same Amount of Stretch as your chosen swimsuit fabric–in other words, it almost has to be swimsuit fabric. It simply will not fit the same otherwise.
The ruffled FOE (fold-over elastic) is so cute (JEALOUS!!!) but definitely not a good thing to use for your fitting sample, as it obscures how the garment fits.
Okay, now, I have to say, I’ve never used FOE on any swimsuit (although I’ve used it elsewhere)–when I was making swimsuits, we didn’t have FOE, we used regular elastic (3/8″ wide) and folded the fabric over it and used a triple zigzag stitch to sew it down, so the technique is slightly different than what you’re using here. That said, with the elastic, we applied it to the Front legs at a 1:1 ratio, and then stretched it like the dickens onto the back legs–so the back legs would “cup” under the back side and stay where it’s supposed to! I have not tried this pattern for my own dolls yet, so I’m not sure if that will be the case for dolls or not. I might have to try it. I know I still have some swim fabric somewhere (if the Lycra in it hasn’t died already!).
I do feel your pain on picking out those tiny zigzag stitches! I always use a triple zigzag (that’s 3 stitches zigging to the left and three stitches zagging to the right–also called a stretch zigzag stitch, for those who aren’t familiar with it), but not all machines had that back in the day when swimsuit patterns first became available to home sewers, so a standard plain zigzag is perfectly acceptable. In fact, when S&S first came out with their swim patterns, a lot of women still only had straight stitch machines, and made their swimsuits on those! They did have to stretch the fabric quite a lot to build stretch into the seams, though. After all, if your seams don’t stretch, and your suit is made (as it should be) with negative ease, Somebody’s gonna pop a seam eventually!!
I’m sorry this has gotten so long, and some of you non-sewers are probably bored to tears right now, so, Jeanne, if you have any questions about sewing swimwear, feel free to contact me via email. I’ll be happy to help.
In writing this, I dug into my drawer and pulled out the one remaining swimsuit I have that I made (which would never fit any more….). I noticed the bra cups have died rather dramatically (haha), too, so it is time to give the thing a decent burial and make room for something else!!
Charlotte, you are amazing. I always enjoy reading your expansive adventures. Always a whiz!! ❤️
Thank you, Rosemary. I LOVE sewing on knits, and have for years. So easy (usually!) and so much fun!!
Loved reading every word about swimwear and stretch. Clueless here. Definitely all makes sense. Thanks so much for the great information. 🙂
You’re welcome, Joy, and thanks for your comments.
Jeanne, the last thing I was expecting when I opened the blog this morning, was a swimming suit for a RRFF doll, but there it was! You surprise me sometimes! I just had a scene with my dolls wearing swimsuits and standing around the ice cream cart! Since Sara was new to me, coming last fall, she did not have a swim suit yet. Betsy had one, which she was wearing, and Emmy had one that she came in, but she was not in that scene, so I tried that on Sara. It fit for the most part, since they are both 14 inches, but RRFF dolls have a strange crotch area, where their legs are attached to the body, and that part did not look good with that particular swimsuit, mainly because it was a solid color. I thought maybe a ruffle around that area would look better, so I found one, just one, on EBay. It is not as pretty as the one you made, but the ruffle part does the job. I’ll send a picture along to show you what I mean. Maybe you could somehow incorporate a ruffle with another swimsuit.
I am looking forward to seeing Anne’s photos! I have been wondering if you got home safe and sound, Anne. Also I hope Joy and other person are recovering from their bout with Covid!
Stay cool everyone, this heat is dangerous!
Linda, Hoping to see your dolls in their swimsuits soon!
Hang on, Sissy, I sent one to Jeanne, so maybe she will show it.
Not home yet Linda, not till the end of August (not spring till September where I come from). Off to stay with my sister for the rest of my trip, tomorrow,
Happy Monday dear friends,
I hope every one of you have a delightful week-end.
Jeanne, this suit is so cute, very adorable, I love the collection you picked up at the sale.
I can envision many bathing suit ideas for all of the dolls! Your first attempt is enormously successful, really. Stretchy fabric is a challenge for me, I am impressed!
Charlotte, I bet you could give a lot of confidence with your history and skills.
This suit looks really fiddly to make, I am amazed at the neatness!
It is gloomy here and this week promises to be “cooler”
I am getting panicky about my Mr, Lincoln roses, and need to bring them to the new house for more attention and doting. They have fungus now from being potted too long and all of the pouring rains. I have to go to the old house and do laundry, and the more we bring over here, the more I realize that we indeed do have a lot of stuff.
We have a little storage room upstairs, not so climate controlled but not terrible with the ventilation. Still, it is filling up fast. Then again. some things we are moving because we need to think about them more…. only some things, Most we have freely given away or tossed.
Happy beginning of a week of adventures for all of you. Stay cool and comfy!!
The last thing I thought I’d see this morning, a cute swimsuit. And wow, it is cute. Personally, I really didn’t notice any ill fitting at all. Definitely see about making another and adding a skirt would be very cute too. The swimsuit fabric is a great color and so glad that Jeanne was able to get such a bargain and be able to reuse swimsuits. One question? Do you wash the suits first? Personally, I don’t think I would want to handle the fabric without giving it a wash. You know, the ick factor. That way you would be able to see if there is any dye transfer from the fabric as well and toss that fabric. I couldn’t figure out why I liked Jeanne’s suit so much better than the pattern samples. But, I think it is because of the cute fold over ruffled elastic. Sorry it was a pain, but it is so sweet on a swimsuit. Thanks so much for sharing this this morning. Really fun to see even though we’ll be lucky to even hit 70 today.
As to the, “now, we know it’s Covid”, we’re getting better. I should be ahead of other person in the game, but not. He got it after I did and is now ahead of me in recovery. It’s strange, you can get up feeling okay, but as the day goes on, you get dragged down. The cough and sinus is the worst for me, but definitely getting better. Everyone tells me that they would have tested for Covid right away, but after all of this time, we have never had it. We figured it was just a cold as we hadn’t heard of anyone who has had it recently. Kind of came as a shock to see that positive result. And nothing has been getting done around here. Definitely need to pick up more cat food. Can’t run out of that. 🙂
The zucchini has been piling up in the refrigerator. Maybe today will be the day to do something with it. No not toss it. 🙂 We’ll see how the day goes. 🙂
Keep well everyone.
Joy, so sorry Y’all are still having Covid, especially you! Prayers for you both to get all well soon.
Thanks Sissy. I a ever so much better today. So, that’s a plus. 🙂
I think adding a skirt to that swimsuit would be a cute idea, Joy!
As far as washing swim fabric, yes, I have washed it before cutting/sewing. Since you don’t normally put swimsuits in the dryer, it’s better to let the fabric air dry, too. Otherwise the Lycra can start to slip out (it’s knit in as a separate fiber along with the nylon).
My daughter had a few swimsuits over her childhood years that had those metallic sparkles. We usually looked for that type along with wide ruffles on the leg opening or cute double ruffled skirts. She called them her mermaid suits.
Yes, I have that pattern as well as the AG sized one. Grabbed all the freebies I liked at one point.
Lovely respite from the heat this morning. Still sunny, but only 74!
I’m sorry the foldover elastic was such a pain, but it certainly adds appeal to the suit. Would it work to attach a very short straight skirt, possibly with a side front slit, to the suit to cover the imperfect area?
I have this swimsuit pattern, but I must confess when I did the swimsuits for my pool party photo shoot I bought some of the suits. I made a lot of them but was running out of time because, as Jeanne found out, they can be difficult to make. I followed the instructions of the pattern I bought but gave up on the stretch stitch thing and went to a longer regular stitch. And using the zigzag made my fabric move around too much since the suit was so small. I looked at the suits I bought for my Wellies and a couple other dolls and they were made so perfectly using a zigzag stitch. Maybe I’m just all thumbs. I have a swimsuit pattern for my 10″ Tonner Sophie that I’m going to try to use for my 11″ L’il Dreamers. I’m hoping their extra height will make up for the roundness of Sophie. We shall see. I’ll make one and make the necessary adjustments, but I can’t find a swimsuit pattern for my L’il Dreamers. I think Jeanne’s swimsuit is adorable and I love the ruffled FOE. I have a lot of FOE but never saw a ruffled version. Must get some of that.
I’ve been away from the blog for a few days. Last Wednesday Sean’s family and I went to Splashway for the day. Because Azure is still too small for most of the rides/slides I spent my day in the kiddie pool with him. I really didn’t mind. There is a place where I could sit with my feet in the water and watch him go down the slides. They have several in different configurations and he was having a ball. Last year he would not go down the slides without his mom but this year he was fine just having Nanna watching him. Which is good because I did not want to look the fool trying to sit down on the slides. Being flexible is not my strong suit these days. As for swimsuits, well I saw so many configurations of swimsuits on all ages and sizes and I must confess there was a lot I would like to unsee. I saw way too much skin on little girls and way too many backsides on older people. Jaiden had on a darling short sleeved rash guard swim shirt and matching swim shorts. Wished I had seen more like that but I did notice that parents are putting more of their little ones in long-sleeved rash guard shirts. The sun here is so strong and years of being out in it can be troublesome for skin. I would never take my kids to the pool till late afternoon. while they were growing up and we were never beach people. Up north we may have been but Galveston beach is so dirty getting the silt, etc., from the mouth of the Mississippi that I always felt it was a dangerous place to swim. It is known for flesh-eating bacteria and other things I’m sure.
Jaiden was with me Thursday getting the final things she needed for her week at camp next week. The church camp they used to go to took pictures and posted them on Facebook but this one doesn’t so I bought them both cameras to add to their fun. Fortunately their camp is not on a river. I’m still having trouble getting over the Hill Country floods. The little Bellville girl’s body was found along the Guadalupe and brought home last week. Our Chorale will be dedicating our Fall concert to the victims of the flood. We are doing a song called “You Do Not Walk Alone” by Elaine Hagenberg. Her songs are so beautiful. If you get a chance visit YouTube and listen to it. You might want to have a box of tissues handy. I’m hoping that the weeks of rehearsing the song will lessen my emotional reaction to it but so many who knew the young girl and possibly some of her family will be at the concert so it will be difficult to sing the song. We perform at the school she attended so there will most likely be many who knew her there.
Week of misery ahead for us here. Heat indexes above 100 expected and no rain or clouds till at least Friday. Ugh!!
Ug, I can imagine the bodies you had to see at the pool, etc. Nice to hear that some of the kids are wearing longer sleeves. I lived on the beach or went to the pool all summer and had to wear a t-shirt over my suit. The only thing we had to hide the sun was stuff on our noses, then go home to cover us with Noxema (spelling). I am amazed that having been in the sun so much growing up, and being a red-head, that I am not covering in cancer places. The dermatologist said I must have good genes!
My niece’s aunt passed away from skin cancer as did her father so she has to go to the dermatologist regularly for checkups. Fortunately she is doing well, especially since she lives in Florida and is out in the sun a lot. With you being a red-head I am surprised you don’t have problems. No substitute for good genes.
I wonder how a little pair of shorts with gathered waist would work for a L’ il Dreamer swimsuit? And then a simple bandeau top with some straps? Might be cute and would be an easy fit. 🙂
You just gave me an idea for swimsuits for the L’il Dreamers. Mulberry Street on Pixie Faire has what they call Gotchies. They are supposed to be underwear but actually look like a two-piece swimsuit. They have several sizes but not for L’il Dreamers but they do have one for Siblies that could be reduced in size.
Can’t wait to see this pattern. Sounds perfect. 🙂
Sounds like Azure had a great time at the pool. You’re such a wonderful GM. 🙂
He did enjoy himself. I took him to the lazy river/wave pool too but that didn’t work as well. The tube was too big for him and I ended up carrying him around the lazy river. When we were leaving the area two grandmotherly women were sitting in beach chairs at the edge enjoying the water leisurely. They laughed and mentioned that even though I was worn out, my grandson was having the time of his life. Oh to be young again.
I guess they enjoyed your lazy river adventure. 🙂
Using a longer stretch stitch on knit fabrics works perfectly fine, Barbara–as I’m sure you found out. When these patterns first came out (the Stretch & Sew ones for women), a lot of people had machines that only did straight stitch!! How times have changed!
Oh, my, that will doubtless be a very emotional number in your concert. Praying that you will all be able to get thru the singing of that song, and that it will bless those who are mourning.
Well, y’all, the back shot for the pinched nerve has helped a little. I am told it takes time. I have to rest for 30 or 40 minutes then I can get up and do something and then rest some more. I have so much to do to get ready for the convention next month, then after that the wedding. I sure hope I can make it.
Jeanne I made bathing suits for 10″, 14″, and Riley. I am not sure they would have been up to your standards, it was long ago. I love the one you made, and like, Joy, I can’t see anything wrong with it. I do like to add ruffles to the one I made. I liked to wear suits with ruffles when I was a teen! Looking forward to seeing more of yours.
Wow, 40 minutes up and then back down. It almost sounds as bad as having a detached retina. Sure hope that you are back in the pink soon. 🙂
I had a horrible pinched nerve in my back once. I couldn’t even lay down to sleep. Sitting in a chair didn’t help much either. It was awful. Sean had something similar and he gave me one of his Doan’s Nighttime pills. The next morning it was gone. Hope you start feeling better soon. You have a lot of plans awaiting you and I want you to have the best time ever.
It turned out very cute Jeanne. I made the 18-inch version of this suit, and I thought it was challenging. Actually, now that I think about it, I think I also made one for one of my granddaughters’ Wellie Wisher dolls. I’ve never seen “ruffled FOE” – it’s very pretty!