bathing suits!

 i am a bit picky when it comes to buying bathing suits for my girls, between the fabric quality and the various cuts, each year it's tough to find a winner.  so, i grabbed this pattern, had the girls pick out the fabric they liked and went to it!

a little about the sewing....when it comes to knits i use my serger as much as possible since it usually speeds up the sewing process and allows for a sturdy, stretchy seam so that's what i used for most of this project.  but, my main machine is a vintage green Singer that only has a straight stitch so when a pattern calls for a zig zag or stretch stitch, like when you need to add elastic to your project, i just make sure i have a jersey ballpoint needle, lengthen my stitch length, and reduce my tension and it's all good.  when it came time to put in the elastic on these suits i was nervous my usual technique might not work on them or hold up to the serious stretching suits undergo....have you ever seen wicked excited kids get ready for the beach?!?!  these suits have been used at least 10 times (we live less than a minutes drive to the beach!) in the ocean and all seams and elastics are still going strong.  also, i have to say, suits are definitely cost effective. these suits only cost me $10 each, that includes shipping, plus a few hours of time...less than if i'd gone swimsuit shopping, so win-win!

what the kids say about their first mama-made suits....we like the high neck and racer back so the straps don't fall or twist and the arm openings don't chafe when you're doing your strokes cause that's no good when you're at the beach!

we like the coverage of the bottoms, cause well, that's nice when you just want to think about swimming, snorkeling, splashing, crab hunting and castle building! (fyi: both of the bottoms options on this pattern offer great, full coverage)

we like the side panel cause it's fun to be able to mix it up a bit!

i didn't sew these for kids clothes week but as the theme is kid art and the girls helped design their suits i thought i'd share it this week.

also, this lovely in her sunny day swim shorts.....

this guy in his sunny day crab shorts ready to hunt for crabs....

and this cutie ;)

yeah, it was a good day.