Wardrobe By Me Swimwear Trio

It’s HERE!! I made one one-piece and 2 and a half bikinis (2 bottoms, 3 tops) in an effort to master the bare minimum of knowledge to put together something wearable. I also made the kimono and I LOVE it! Lessons learned?

Power mesh is WONDERFUL
But power mesh is also not for all the time, all the places. For instance- no good on bra cups if you’re trying to fit DDDs into a C-D cup. Also no good on low-rise bikini bottoms

Powermesh in the cups doesn’t let the swim knit “embrace” your curves. It’s more of a corralling and smushing. No good for the hips either, no pics necessary

Swim elastic is also wonderful- easy to work with, and definitely necessary for salt, chlorine, and dealing with how heavy fabric can get when wet
When in doubt, add more elastic (pretty much all openings, bands, and straps should be reinforced with elastic)
Even when your sewing machine is part cyborg, it still takes practice to master new stitches (3-step zigzag I’m looking at you)
I also learned a WHOLE NEW body measurement- vertical trunk. This is what you need to know to be sure that your one-piece is neither too long nor too short.

Layers?	Yes
No-trim pages?	Yes
Measurements for bands	Yes and no – template for width provided with chart for length
Print chart	No, but print layout is provided
Sizes	0-16 (bust 30-42; waist 23-35; hip 33-45)
Options	Marilyn Bikini: A-B or C-D cup; high or low waist bottom; elastic or leg bands Rita Swimsuit: A-B or C-D cup; high or low cut legs; elastic or leg bands; tankini top Norma Jean Kimono: Optional seam binding finish; pockets
Finishing	Swim elastic around bodice cups; interiors reinforced with clear elastic; optional leg bands
Pattern details	Sizing help including vertical trunk instructions for the one-piece. I’m 30DDD and the C-D cups worked just fine for me when I DIDN’T put power mesh in the cups.
Fabrics	Swimsuits: Nylon-based swim knit, swim lining or self lining; power mesh optional based on personal fit and preference. OPTIONAL: the bikini bottoms make awesomely comfy undies. I experimented with 95/5 cotton lycra and I loved the fit for every day wear. I also have a cotton lycra tankini/ tank in the works, but it’s not done yet Kimono: anything with reasonably good drape. I used a sturdy crochet-lace; other testers used chiffon, woven cotton, satin, etc. I’m going to make another one in a super soft knit for wearing around the house.

Marj Dee, @fotog.gal, did great work once again understanding my vision and making me look 1000x better than I hoped! I am mostly un-photoshopped here, though I’ll cop to some color correction and removing some beach debris and a sidewalk from going through my head. Otherwise, this is my body, and it is bikini-ready (see previous post)