The Bombshell

Hello chickadees!

Posting photos of myself in a swimsuit is never something I thought I would ever do! Blogging is great for pushing your boundaries, hey?

"Tell me I'm a bird!"

Here is my Bombshell swimsuit from Closet Case Files. Heather Lou did a magnificent job on this pattern! This is my second one, and this suit makes me feel like a pin-up princess, which is saying a lot! 

Excuse the little alfalfa bit. The wind was playing with my hair.

Here is the knitty gritty-

I made a size 10 graded to a size 12 in the hips. Horray for pear shapes!

I looked around for matte swimsuit Lycra, but the fabric stores in my area were lacking, so I just used the reverse side.

I added in moulded cups to add some support and modesty. Nobody wants to get nipply at the beach! 

My best Betty Grable impression

If I made this again I might lengthen it a bit. It's not uncomfortable as it is, but I feel like it might fit better. I would also reduce the width in the front crotch piece. I found that there was a little bit of extra fabric there that could be slightly unflattering. 

All in all I love this swimsuit. I felt uber confident and totally hot at the beach while wearing it, which is pretty big. And that wasn't just because of the 35° heat!

Hope you all are having a fantastic summer!

Rachael

Summer Sewing Plans

Hello Chickadees!

Now that summer is here,it is time to start planning my summer wardrobe. This year's summer sewing is especially exciting, because I will be able to spend a decent amount of time actually outside!

1) Finish the lobster playsuit
I still have oodles of lobster fabric left, and I plan on making Mrs. Depew's Beach Bustier and Shorts, and if there is fabric left over, possibly the blouse from Butterick 5895.

2) Blouses
I have a blouse pattern that I half hacked from Gertie's shirtdress pattern that makes for gloriously fitted blouses. I want to stitch up a few more in breezy cotton to go with my shorts and skirts in the summer months.

3) MOAR GATHERED SKIRTS
When the weather gets warm, I want to live in gathered skirts. They are a sure-fire way to feel feminine and graceful without getting too warm. Plus I like that they take almost zero brainpower to sew.

4)Bombshell Swimsuit
I'm sure most of you have seen somebody in the blogosphere stitch up a Bombshell. This suit has the magical ability to make whoever sews it look like a pin-up goddess. It's fantastic. I have red and navy swimsuit lycra and will be stitching up several versions of this beauty!

Source: Closet Case Files

5) Tiki dress
When I think of summer, I picture my honeymoon in Hawaii. Since we don't have the money to fly to Hawaii all the time (oh, if only that were the case!), I'll settle for a tasty drink in a tiki bar. There are a few cool ones around here, and a cool tiki bar calls for a hot Shaheen-style tiki dress! I'll be using Gertie's fabulous pattern, Butterick 6019 with this awesome blue tropical/tiki print fabric that I found at a local thrift store.

Hopefully I'll get around to getting all of this stitched up! Wish me luck!

What do you guys have planned for summer sewing? Let me know in the comments!

Love,

Rachael 

The Beach Dress

Hello Chickadees!

As promised, I'm back with a real blog post today. Things have been a wee bit crazy over here!

A great big thank you to my brother for these photos. We managed to sneak away to shoot while on vacation.

This dress is my perfect summer dress. It's easy to dress up or down, depending on how you style it. It's light and breezy. And it's comfy, but still makes me look put together. I adore it. And I love the lower neckline in the back. It makes me feel very glamorous!

This dress is a super frankenpattern. I took the bodice from Simplicity 2648, lengthened it by about 5/8ths of an inch, and adjusted the neckline in front and back. The skirt is a basic gathered skirt. I really hate sewing them because my machine HATES gathers, but they are the best to wear. They have the perfect amount of spin factor, without worrying about having your skirt go flying!

My favourite part of this dress is telling people that I made it out of a bed sheet. Sometimes you can find great fabric in the bedding section of the thrift store.

Bonus model shot. This is the photo that my mom loved the most from the shoot. I look so serious, and I'm fairly certain my brother and I were in the middle of a conversation at this moment.

I hope you are all having a lovely summer!

Love,

Rachael