Just popping by to share my latest Minerva Blogger Network post, which is a super-cute zebra print swimsuit, using the now out of print Butterick B6358. You can find out all the nerdy sewing details here: https://www.minerva.com/posts/1005899
This post is also my penultimate Minerva Blogger Network post (for the time being at any rate), as I’ve decided to step down for a while. The monthly deadlines for getting my makes ready have been really motivating. I find they help me to schedule time for my sewing which might otherwise get frittered away on other things. However, I’m just starting to find them a little overwhelming and I don’t want my relaxing hobby to become a source of stress.
I decided that it would be best to step down at least for a while and let someone else have a chance to join the Blogger Network. I’ll still make stuff for Minerva as they’re always looking for people to try out their new fabrics, but the deadlines on those posts are a little more forgiving for someone trying to work around the demands of young children. Maybe I’ll feel like joining the Blogger Network again when Lauren’s a bit older and I get back to more regular sewing hours. Who knows? I can but hope!
Anyway, back to Butterick B6358. This is my third swimwear project and I can honestly say that I LOVE sewing swimwear. I’m not entirely sure why, but it really floats my boat. Perhaps it’s something about the super-stretch fabric and the short seams, but I find swimwear immensely fun and satisfying to make.
My first project was a leopard print Seamwork Dakota/Reno bikini I blogged here. The second was a pattern test of the Laminaria Maternity Swimsuit which I never blogged as it turned out way too small. Interestingly, that one was in a snakeskin print so all my self-sewn swimwear has had animal print fabric too.
As you can see, I made no attempt to pattern match along the front or back seams as it gave me too much of a headache on this large scale repeat. Instead I cut the four front pieces (two lining, two front) and tried them out in all the different combinations to see which looked best. The back view just had to be as it was because the lining there is powernet, but I’m pretty happy with how it turned out in the end:
Make Nine update
This was one of my Make Nine projects for the year, so I’m really happy to tick it off the list. I’m doing really well with my projects so far. This is what the grid’s currently looking like:
Yep, that’s four completed at just over halfway through the year. I’m not sure whether I’ll manage all of them this year, but even if I don’t make the exact things shown, I’ll be making something similar, I hope. They’re all still wardrobe gaps that need filling.
So, that’s it from me for now. We’re off to Brittany tomorrow and the weather looks amazing. I’ll be road-testing my new swimming costume on the beach and in the pool.
Ciao for now!