Form meets Function with Seabright Swimmer

We are on our annual vacation at Northern Pine Lodge this year and the cabins, lodge, lake, loons, and woods are reassuringly the same.  But this year, I MADE MY SWIMSUIT!  I was absolutely thrilled when I saw the Seabright Swimmer by Friday Pattern Company.  I have been swimming in makeshift swimsuits consisting of ready to wear long sleeve rash-guards and athletic bottoms for water sports with sun protection.  But the Seabright offered long-sleeves in a true swimsuit.  My ideal swimsuit- and it is so glamourous.  This is a swim suit where form- (cuteness) meets function- sun protection and suitable for all water activities.

I appreciated the sweet positivity statements included in the downloaded pattern pieces.  The instructions were very clear with tips for first time swim wear construction- I used a serger for the side seams and for attaching the top to the bottoms.  But I mainly used my regular machine following the stitch recommendations in the instructions.  I used a three step stitch for all the elastic edges.

Fit-wise, the suit was pretty true to the stated measurements in the size guide- but I had a bit of trouble with the bottom fit and ended up having to trim the front crotch and leg openings (significantly) tapering to the side.

The beautiful green swim fabric is from Blackbird fabrics.  It is super stable and a great sturdy weight.   I lined the front and bottoms with a nude tricot.  I considered power-mesh- suggested by many for swim suit lining- but the tricot was soft and handy and on sale at JoAnn Fabrics.

The pattern suggests hand-sewing foam bra cups to the lining which I did.  I also overlapped the front sections for modesty.  But maybe it would be better to simply include a short center seam, because I had to fiddle quite a bit to get the gathering to look right.

So, I couldn’t resist this shot in lovely wildflower crown (hand-woven by daughter!) and Inspired by the pattern styling.