Hi everyone,
I’m switching some posts around, so they flow together better. I’ll get to YOUR pictures this week!
YAY for me! I did it! I fixed the swimsuit and now Violette can show it off without having to be embarrassed by the bunchy crotch area.
I’m not new to sewing swimsuits… and can remember I had 7 swimsuits one summer… and I had made them all. It’s just been a while since I sewed Spandex and lycra fabrics. I had watched a couple videos of “ladies” swimsuits being made to refresh my memory on a few things. One video in particular was very good. Her adult swimsuits were all lined and my doll ones probably won’t be, but I saw how she put her elastic around the edges. It was using the stitch that Charlotte referred to in her description. A zigzag with three short stitches to each zig and zag. In adult swimwear this would be my choice, but with a doll swimsuit, I think it would be too hard to do because of the small area that’s being sewn.
So I did it my way… you’ll see…
Let’s see how the swimsuit looked last time you saw it…the top was cute and thank you for several of you who emailed me and told me your really liked it…
The bottom part of the suit; especially the crotch area… not so great. Too bunchy!
For an overall grade of a C+… maybe!
But this is what I did today…
When I went into my sewing room today, I saw Violette laying on the table, and the first thing I saw what that disaster of a crotch! Not a great topic for a blog post, but let’s see if I can fix it to make everyone happy!
Generally, I’m not one to have something get the best of me when it comes to sewing… so I did what you guessed I did… I started taking it apart..
It was NOT easy… using a seam ripper and picking out every single zig and zag and trying not to snag the suit fabric. It look over an hour to get the 2 pink pieces of pink ruffled fold over elastic from the legs area… and the crotch seam taken out. Here is a look at how tiny the zigzag stitches were.
One down, one to go…
Both off and not a snag in the suit at all! Hallelujah!
So this is what I decided to do. I left the suit the way I had cut it out with the wider area… because… I wouldn’t be adding any width, but turning it UNDER… I tried to figure which elastic would work best…
I decided on the 1/8″ width and basted it in by hand at first just to hold it in place. I made it about an inch shorter than the actual length of the leg opening. Just like Charlotte suggested, and the lady in the video I watched, I stretched the back section of the elastic just a little bit tighter than the section on the front of the leg. It hugs the hips better.
I basted the elastic just along the edges… here is the right side.
With the basting stitches holding things pretty much in place, I was able to zigzag close to the edge of the suit and the elastic. I pulled it slightly from the front and back as I sewed, very slowly.
When it was zigzagged on the edge, I folded the elastic under just a little bit and the elastic edge made a nice fold for me to guide my zigzag stitch on top close to the edge.
I tried it on Violette and just about screamed! It was going to work… so I took it off and finished the crotch seam.
Violette was very happy with me and said, “Let’s show everyone now!”
Here was the before…
…and here it is now!
Violette looks much more comfortable with it fixed like this…
Here are a few closeup pictures…
What a cute little bum she has… don’t you agree?
I did a blog post back in 2021 about a Swim Suit Story from the 1970’s. Rather than make you click on the link, I just copied and pasted the part of the blog telling this story. Here goes…
When I was in 8th grade, the big class trip at the end of the year was a swimming party down at Horseshoe Lake in Kentucky. Being the seamstress I was, even in 8th grade, I began to plan on making a new bathing suit. It had to be perfect for the class trip. I found this pattern and decided to make it out of a pretty light pink floral print. It was going to be beautiful…it had a little apron on it and it would be so cute!
I found the pattern I used in my vintage 70’s pattern book…
I was this skinny little thing and wasn’t “well endowed” at all in the 8th grade…in fact, if I turned sideways and stuck out my tongue, I sort of resembled a zipper! I decided to line the bra part of my bathing suit with (again…) whatever I had that would work for some padding. I had some red and white houndstooth check bonded double knit…anyone remember that stuff? It looked like this…I turned the red and white part to the back and used the white “bonded” side facing outward.
So I got my bathing suit all finished and was feeling pretty stylish in it. I thought it looked pretty cute on me and I had a little bit of extra “padding” up at the top which helped my confidence tremendously.
Then I got in the water… well, who’s already beat me to the punch line? That red and white fabric didn’t seem to matter that it was facing inward; once it got wet, it was red and white through and through. I had this nice pink floral swimsuit…apron, shoulder straps and bottoms, but the bust area was this awful mix of red and white checks with a muted pink floral design in the mix. Needless to say, I was mortified and stayed under water most of the time!
So my sister, Cindy, and I had a good laugh over it when I told her. Then she said, “Did I ever tell you about MY swimsuit story?” I told her I didn’t think so. She said she had made a swim suit for something she went to and guess what she made hers out of? TERRYCLOTH! Then she said, “You’ve never seen anything so awful as a terrycloth bikini bathing suit when it got wet!” I guess not!
Maybe everyone has a funny bathing suit story… Do you?
Blessings, Jeanne
Well, that might just be about my most embarrassing moment… I do have a few more… but that was up at the top for now…
Hope you smiled, but I hope no one was as stupid as I was to do a thing like that… Where was the towel when I needed one?
See you tomorrow,
Blessings, Jeanne
Jeanne, this was an incredible “save”! You did a beautiful job on that swimsuit. I’m glad to see you lengthened your zigzag stitch just a bit, too; it really makes a difference (and is easier to pick out, if it comes to that!). I’m glad you were able to make use of some of my advice, and that you also watched a video, which helps give you a better idea of how it all works.
It’s funny, because at sewing guild this afternoon, one of our younger/newer members mentioned making a swimsuit, and I was able to give her a couple of pointers, also.
Well, your swimsuit story was certainly a learning experience for you! Reminds me of the line from “Yellow Polka Dot Bikini”–“she was afraid to come out of the water…” (smile)
But….a swimsuit of terrycloth?!! Wouldn’t that just soak up the water like crazy?!
The terrycloth swimsuit reminded me of the time I made Jaiden a cute short set out of t-shirt fabric and the shorts had a yoga-style waistband. Skyy and she were playing with the hose and the wetter she got the more the shorts slid down. Her mother was not a happy camper and blamed it on me. I told her the problem was her getting the shorts soaking wet. It was not a bathing suit it was a short set.
Oh yes, definitely your fault that the set got saggy baggy. Kidding of course. 🙂
silly mommies😂
That was certainly a “save” for the swim suit! I just don’t understand how you got it to look like you changed her figure! The crotch area looks so much flatter now! Well, I guess that’s what a good seamstress can do, which certainly I am not! I really like it better now without the contrasting ruffle around the legs too. It looks more like a swimsuit!, and less like lingerie!
Your stories about your and Cindy’s swimsuits had me laughing! Who didn’t want to be bigger on top as an 8th grader? Did you ever redo your suit? And Cindy! Yes, she is better off sticking with decorating, not sewing, but we all learn, don’t we? At least we can all laugh about it now!
Really a perfect fix for the swimsuit, In my humble opinion. No contrasting elastic on the bottom looks so much better. Brings the eye up to top and the face and that cute “V” back. I’m not sure about the light pink bow, but could be how the light hits it in the pix. Wonderful job.
Wow, Jeanne, what a great turnover! She looks so slick in it now! I can’t wait to see what you add to it.
And, yes, Jeanne, I have several swimsuit stories. When I was teaching and sharing a place with 2 other gals I got engaged and decided to start sewing a few things for my trousseau, I got some very expensive fabrics for a swimsuit and jacket. It was in a bag in the rental. One of the gals was a cleaning freak and threw it away, thinking it was trash. I was so furious and it was too late to start over, so that one never happened. A few years later when we moved to FL several of us gals got together a made bikinis for our selves. I added a skirt to tie over mine so I could just take it off and jump in the water. I was very shy about showing so much skin.
However, when i was about 8 years old, I was not that shy about it. One of my mom’s friends and her 2 daughters took us swimming in the ocean outside my house. In those days, we were usually the only ones on that end of the beach, so the three of us girls took our suits off, they were all 2 piece their mother had made them for us. We threw them up on the beach and jumped in the water, naked as jay birds. After having our fun we got out to put on our suits and my top was missing, the waves had taken it away and we couldn’t find it. I made the younger girl give me hers, because I was not going to walk down the beach to go home in just the bottom of my suit. (I guess we didn’t have enough towels for all of us). She took a towel and has never let me forget that day.
Joy and Barbara,
thank you both so much for your kind words about my back problems. I will let you know if and when it improves.
I love your story about your swimsuit. I doubt you had much to hide at 8 years old but modesty has no age range I guess. I’ve heard of tops coming off in the water but never thought of one being snagged of the beach by the waves. You didn’t mention how your family reacted. That must have been hilarious.
Loved the lost top swim story. You had such a fun childhood. 🙂
What a difference a day makes, as they say. The new improved swimsuit looks great. Can’t believe your extremely acute eyesight. What no snags? At first, I missed the pink trim, but now, I don’t. The suit is very sweet and ready for a plunge. The girls here have all decided that they want one. I told them, don’t look at me! Will you be trying another suit any time soon? I’m still curious if you wash the used swimsuit fabric? Hope so. What about making a little wrap long skirt to go with the outfit? That would be cute for a luau. 🙂
Another day started off with a problem around here. Right before I was about to wash my hair in the shower, I heard the familiar gurgle and the water started backing up. Managed to get the suds off barely, but no time to wash my hair. Horrors. Not the way I wanted to begin my day at all. So, other person decided to dig up the pipe where it always clogs along the back line. It isn’t down very deep as it runs downhill along the back of the house. After I raked back gravel and found a tarp to put dirt/rock on,, other person started in. Neither of us happy campers in our still recovering state. But, the pipe was found. The connection where the two pipe sections meet, not yet. We think that it is right under one of the support posts for the deck. Of course. So, other person stopped and called our plumber. He knows the routine well. Across the lawn with his huge heavy machine, up some steps, into the house through the living room. Out the back slider and across the deck to the pipe cleanout. Kind of crazy, but we don’t have enough access on the closest side of the house and the other side is way too far to haul the heavy machine across the hillside and steps. So, I put down old bath towels, move furniture for a walkway and the machine rolls right through the house. Anyway, quick work and the clog was gone. Then, a reverse on the equipment. Now, I have a couple of huge loads of towels to wash today. Got to go. My turn in the shower. 🙂
You totally have my sympathy, both for the problem in the shower and having to work on the problem while still recovering. Hope you had a rest after you took your shower and that your full recovery comes quickly.
Well, today we’re debating what to do about the pipe. So far. Nothing. No walk in sight either. We’re kind of lagging.
I forgot to tell about my very awkward swimsuit episode. I was a young teen and borrowed some falsies from my mother. Jumped into the local pool and was swimming around when the lifeguard tapped me with the net. He had retrieved the floating falsies in the net. The most embarrassing moment of my life as I had to pick them off the net and disappear from the pool. Can’t forget that one for sure.
Oh, Yes, the old floating falsies time. I have seen it happen more than once and when it happened to me I was in the ocean so not easily seen, but harder to catch from a wave!
I am so sorry about your pipe and water problem, especially when Y’all are still not well. I hope you have had a chance to get some rest!
My goodness your swimsuit save is amazing. The suit looks perfect on Violette now. I like the idea of adding a pareo to the outfit. I think they look so pretty as cover-ups while still allowing the top of a pretty swimsuit to be seen. I have this pattern and I think I’ll give it a try.
I love your swimsuit story. It was hilarious, but not to you I’m sure. I loved the pattern. I made several swimsuits when I was in high school but none with stretch fabrics. I doubt there were any back then. But our swim team’s tank suits must have been made from something stretchy but I’m not sure what. Most of our store-bought suits were made from cotton or a material they called sharkskin (not sure what the equivalent is today). I had one suit that was white sharkskin with purple piping around the top and purple flowers embroidered on the front. It had a tiny pleated skirt. It was so pretty. I hated when I outgrew that suit. I can definitely imagine the problem Cindy had with her suit. Probably a good suit for just sunbathing on the beach. LOL
I can remember white lifeguard suits made from that fabric. Stuff wore like iron.
I remember that it did seem indestructible.
Good afternoon dear ones. I read this update early this morning and then quickly scooted out of the house to get some stuff at the old house and also to run a sanitize cycle on the washer, so I was not there so long.
Jeanne, this swim suit reversion is perfect. Excellent diagnosis and treatment!
Now you are on to something great with the rest of these.
Cutest swim suit ideas too.
Your story about your fancy suit and the disappointing result when it got wet is
tragic. I got myself into many of those silly situations.
I never had a swim suit story failure but I had many others. I used to wear blouses and jumpers all the time and it was great to pull off my jumper and have shorts underneath for gym class but one time I pulled off my jumper and I had my slip on!!!!. I was so embarrassed I tucked my slip very messily into my shorts and I looked ridiculous. That was in 6th grade and all of the cool girls laughed at me. we had just moved to the US from France and I did not know about “cliques” and popularity so it was all a shock.
I have truly loved reading all of your stories above,. haha very funny
Joy your house problem sounds like a huge headache and just awful!! I hope that gets resolved soon. I loved your story about your floating falsies situation. That is embarrassing.
I am sure all of you, jumping off of the high dive, always made your top fly up and you had to be prepared to adjust that before reaching the top of the water again…… — or was I the only one that was and still is pretty much shapeless?
Sissy, how funny your top disappeared into the ocean. Hopefully a dolphin found it attractive to wear.
A swim suit out of terry cloth, sounds kind of plausible, in concept…. so I understand/get the idea. It certainly is a disappointment and a shocking discovery to see how that thick cotton feels like rope when it is wet!!
We should be glad we never had to wear huge dresses like they did in the olden days. Gosh, I think most women did not swim in the ocean. It looks fun but if I had to dress up in all of that heavy- yes, probably cotton!, it would turn that happy diversion into a ridiculous and exhausting event never to be repeated.
Today it is 81º but it feels warm to me. Too warm.
I think this is the only “nice day” in northern Virginia, so over the next week we will be back into the 90’s
yay