DIY: Retro Swimsuit

Retro swimsuits are so in style right now. I've actually been wanting one for years. Every time I see  a high-waisted bikini in a vintage fashion book or calendar I want to climb  right into the photo and slip into the swimsuit myself. Modcloth has adorable retro swimwear, and I love looking at their website. I've thought about ordering a swimsuit from them, but their suits are usually about $100 and I hate to spend that much when I know I could make something similar for about half the price. So, when I found pink gingham swimwear fabric at Hancock Fabric I decided to go ahead and try making my own retro swimsuit.

I wasn't afraid to try sewing swimwear; I've sewed one suit before and it's really not that much different than sewing anything else. For me the biggest challenge was finding a retro pattern. Original vintage patterns are harder to find, can be more expensive, and don't come with detailed instructions and multiple sizing like the more user-friendly patterns of today. Most pattern companies do offer a variety of vintage reproduction patterns, but I haven't been able to find any  swimsuit patterns. So, I decided to combine two different patterns(which I got on sale for $1 each!) and tweak them. This is the pattern I used for the top:

This is the pattern I used for the bottom- I chose it for the higher waist and lower cut leg.

After choosing my patterns, I began purchasing supplies. The pattern called for a few things I hadn't used before: polylaminate foam, cotton swimwear elastic, and featherlite swimwear boning. I bought my fabric and lining at Hancock Fabric, but their notions stock is AWFUL. They didn't have any of the other things I needed. Joann's(yes, I drove all the way to Spartanburg) has a great notions stock(but interestingly, not a great fabric selection/ store layout). There I found the elastic and boning. Apparently polylaminate foam is not to be found in Greenville. You can order it from a website called sewsassy.com but I found it a little bit cheaper on Etsy.

After finally tracking down all the materials I needed, I finally began sewing. Warning: this was NOT an easy project. I've done a lot of sewing, and I still found it challenging. Frustrating. Tear jerking. But worth all the hard work in the end. This is the final product:

I added a ruched panel to the front of the bottoms(it is so figure flattering!).

Now that I've finished this project, I'm off to start working on a 60's blouse!

-Sarah