Plan for a Retro Inspired Bikini

Inspirations

I have been obsessively researching the web for inspiration to sew a retro inspired bikini since my last panties sewing last month... Here is my Pinterest board : inspiration for sewing swimwear and lingerie.

And a few of my favorites :

swimsuitsforall.com

Black and Floral by PettiBear

  

Key hole by Halia Mia Swimwear

 

Fabric

My husband, tired of seeing me obsess over this hypothetical project, sent me fabric shopping yesterday. I went shopping for nylon lycra in the Chabanel Fabric District. I bought some super wide black nylon lycra for a little less than 8$/m at Globe Text for muslin. Then, I bought lovely fabric : 1m of solid magenta (12.50$/m), 2m of black/white/magenta floral (13.50$/m) and 2m of black power mesh (9.50$/m) at StretchText on 9320 St-Laurent. Then, I went to Trimcity for elastic at 7381 St-Hubert. I bought some picot edge, smooth edge, clear elastic and regular braided 1/4 inch black elastic all around 3$/4yards to try out... I should have plenty to make 2 bikini and a one piece and several of top trials!

Power mesh, Floral and solids nylon lycra

Floral Fabric Scale

Various Elastics

Patterns Plan

Bikini Bottom

I plan on using my TNT pattern for the bottom : the Vera Venus Grannie Pannie, free one size pattern (size 10-12). It is fast and only have 2 seams : the crotch and back seams. For more elaborate designs, I will either use the side seams line to cu it or use my bought pattern, the Oh Lulu Betty Undies...

VV Grannie Pannie

Bikini Top

After agonizing an entire evening about which pattern to use, I finally chose Wearing History #4003D 1940s Brassiere, 5$ one size pattern (bust 32-35) after a good night sleep, filled with bikini sewing dreams! Mostly because I really like the long line and lack of underwire, it is a instant digital download and not expensive. But it is made for woven fabric. Since it is a little on the small size for myself, it might be not too bad. I will probably need to increase the bust cup size anyway... But a close second choice was Burdastyle Bustier 5/2011 #127 ; it just wasn't as long below the bust but can be made as a swimsuit by using interfacing in the front...

WH 1940s Brassiere

So now I just need enough alone time and/or quiet nights to sew it before the end of the summer!

Spring 2014 - My Sewing Plan

My Knits Fabrics Stash (Ponte at left, white is cotton, rest rayon)

Administrative sewing tasks :

• Hemming pants
• Resuscitating jeans by mending the thighs rubbing holes
• Transforming half of my daughter's long sleeves shirts into short sleeves (June)
• Repair my birthday dress invisible zipper (I only buy YKK zipper now!)

Fast knits projects  :

• Black rayon knit verso top, copy from RTW
• Fuchsia rayon knit SBCC Tonic Tshirt with black peter pan collar (inspiration)
• panties and camisole with knits remnants 
• White with butterfly cotton knit : for daughter, GotoPatterns Signature dress

Projects to define :

• Purple Bamboo knit : top with collar and half sleeves??
• Raspberry ponte : maybe a peplum top??
• Blue rayon slub knit : top??
• Poly Royal blue with white dot woven : blouse??

Longer Projects (muslin, fit, sew) :

• Black woven classic pencil skirt : Draft sloper or use pattern?
• Raspberry velvet damask ponte pencil skirt
• Latice purple ponte NL6000 (wearable muslin, no collar)
• Colette Anise : black with pink dots twill for muslin?

Sewing Related :

• Blog posts : Nominate blogs for Liebster Award + My Wardrobe Architect
• Learn to use the serger
• Finish my Craftsy classes
• Sort and organize my closet.

Top 5 of 2013

This post was inspired by Gillian's Top 5 of 2013 post....

I made more than 15 projects in 2013.

Top Hits

1. My birthday dress (S1882 in blue floral) - I need to fix the broken zipper now!! I bought YKK zipper from now on...
2. My poplin raspberry dress (S1882 muslin)
3. Indigo Verso Top - pattern traced from a short sleeve RTW top I love and wear backward.
4. My Granny panties from Vera Venus - I reach for it every time I wear a skirt or dress... I need more! 
5. Not sewn projects, but those are Hits for me in 2013 :
   a) I was super happy to attend one and organize another Montreal Sewing Bloggers Meetup!
   b) Also, I am proud of my directory of Montreal's Fabric Stores page. I think is it quite useful, even if only for myself!

Top Misses

1. My burnout jersey kimono tee : the neckline sagged... I loved it so much, but I taught I could left the edge unfinished and it didn't live thru my laundry regiment of tossing everything in the machine!
2. My yoke kimono tee ; the neck treatment (FOE, what was I thinking!) in uncomfortable to wear, too tight and stiff at the neckline. I am not sure how to save it...
3. The other 4 panties I made in the Fantastic Underpants Experiment, because of the elastic choice...
4. I am not sure about my Tiramisu dress, it is too casual for parties, the fabric piled (ponte, I should not use the washing machine!), the neckline has grown so it gap a little now... I should fix it as I still like it for everyday wear...

 

Top Inspirations

1. Coletterie blog!
2. My Feedly blog feeds...
3. My facebook sewing group...

Top Reflections

1. JUST DO IT. I am always afraid to start a projects, ruin fabric, failure... I often end up not starting for fear of not having time to do it, but I should work in small increment. I only have short time to myself anyway.Also, I do not like cutting fabric. Maybe it is because I do not have a big enough table in my sewing room ; I need to set up the kitchen with the table extended at night and be done in one session, because we kinda need the table everyday!
2. SKILLS : I need to work on my knits finishing techniques ; necklines and elastic choice/application. It is what cause my projects to fail.
3. FOCUS : I need to close my computer to sew (and generally live!), else I wander aimlessly around the web at any time of the day...

Top Sewing Goals

1. CAKE : I should sew more cake like my verso top and panties. (every day wearable!)
2. SERGER : I want to learn to use my new serger!

I cannot be too hard on myself for 2014 : it will be very busy year for me. I will have 2 classes during the winter semester, no car, a traveling husband and a busy schedule as a stay at home mother (one 3 yo at home and one 5 yo in kindergarten).

I think the worst is my everyday battle with the youngest to put all winter gears on to go and get the oldest from school with the long walk there in -30oC weather (going with a stroller 20 min. Back with a walker, at least 30 min)...

In September, my youngest will start school and I will have to finish my master degree and do my thesis full time. So I will have more free time to sew probably only during the summer...

Top 2014 Goals

1. LIFE : Live the present ; be 100% where I should. When with the kids, be devoted to them ; play more, laugh more, love more. Do the house stuff after bedtime. Do my studies during the 2 nights I have classes and one day during the weekend. Keep time aside to be with my husband and to be alone too.
2. MIND : Stop sweating the small stuff. I need to find out how to calm down, breath, not worry. I am getting sick because of that. It needs to stop NOW.
3. BODY : Move and sleep! I always feels better when I move my body, swim, run, dance, walk, play! I cannot live the present and stop worrying when I am exhausted, so I need to go to bed at 22h.

Back to sewing!

Bonjour,

Since my blog has been declared dead, the Easter long weekend might been just what it needed to resuscitated! (pun intended). I cleaned up my sewing room since its now also my office - the kids have officially taken over the living room and kicked me out! Here are the few projects I recently worked on:

Super Electric Banana & Super Papillon!

• I have sewn 2 Super hero cape with the help of this Reversible Super Hero Cape tutorial. They love it! But next time I will make a smaller neck opening... DONE!
• I've sewn my mega wide leg Gap trouser into strait legs one using the guidance of this tutorial to make skinny jeans. And I've hemmed them and another pair of Gap trousers I purchased. DONE!
• I've put aside my Monique Dress for now as I was having trouble fitting the bodice and didn't intended to sew its skirt as is anyway: gathers don't help my waist! UFO
• I manage to sew a belt for my daughter but was unhappy with the thickness of it: it's too hard for her to put in on since it's twisting... So I bought nylon straps to sew underneath my pretty ribbons... IN PROGRESS
• I started to use my scraps to sew sun hats for the kids with the bucket hat pattern. IN PROGRESS
• I started Simplicity 1882... I cannot find any review of it yet so mine might be the first, if I could keep on sewing! IN PROGRESS

So if my documentation of the projects I worked on is of some interest to you, there will be more soon on the Simplicity 1882 Dress!

Fall Palette 2011 & Plan

Bonjour,

I'm not sure about following along the chalenge at Colette's pattern since I do not have much time to sew... But I have a birthday resolution ; to take more care into my appearance and affirm my tastes by going a little retro with luxurious fabrics in colors that I love. I plan to sew some pieces to achieve that and having a little ME time in my frantic life of full time stay at home mom, part-time graduate student, part-time engineer working from home...

Palette
Almost all of my fabrics purchases this year are within a color palette that I love : fuchsia/raspberry, pink, grey, black and white.

Fall Palette 2011

Fabrics
(INSERT PHOTO OF FABRICS)

1. Raspberry mystery 6y
2. polka dots blue 3y  (not in palette, but same drape as the next two. Cheap, so wearable muslin for me!)
3. pink mystery 4y
4. raspberry/pink/grey/black/white poly charmeuse 3y
5. Jacob black ?y
6. grey/silver linen look mystery ?y
7. wool blend b&w herringbone ?y
8. wool blend pink/raspberry twill ?y
9. Grey stretch tiny corduroy ?y
10. Lining : fuchsia with black leaves 4y
11. Lining : Bemberg grey twill 3y
12. Lining : Bemberg pink twill 2y

Projects and patterns
(INSERT PHOTO COLLAGE)
2 or 3 Serendipity Studio Monique Dresses : raspberry with a-line skirt and pockets, a polka dot blue (?), grey/silver with pencil skrit probably with a lined bodice (instead of facing?)

Serendipity Studio's Monique Dress

3 Burdastyle Jenny skirt with many variations : Jacob black, grey/silver, twill pink/raspberry all lined...

Jenny with variations

1 Burdastyle stretch pencil skirt in grey corduroy.

02/2011 Stretch Pencil Skirt #103A

2 or 3 Silky tops (New Look 8606, love view C) : pink poly, raspberry/grey/white/black poly charmeuse, grey silk charmeuse

New Look 6808

2 Colette's cinnamon slip : grey silk charmeuse(?), rust pink silk washed charmeuse

Cinnamon Slip

Maybe a cropped jacket in herringbone black & white if I have enough fabric...