Strawberry Love

I'm digging online fabric shopping.  It's the only place around here I can get quality bra-making and swimwear fabrics.  Tampa doesn't have a fabric store that sells printed nylon spandex for swimwear. The nearest store that sells swim fabrics is 36 miles from my house and it can take more than an hour to get there.  They have a pretty good selection of basics but only a few prints.  I love to go there for the adventure of it, I like to touch the fabrics, but it's disappointing to go home empty handed. Conversely, it's exciting to receive packages in the mail.

Nylon Spandex Swimwear Fabric

Nylon Spandex Swimwear Fabric

I made the cutest swimsuit for my daughter using the fabrics that I purchased online.  The modified Y-back was inspired by her favorite RTW bra.  I layered the print, powernet, and lining fabrics then sewed them together along the edges before I cut the keyhole.

Modified Y-back before Keyhole Cut

I need to remove 1/4" from the armhole because I decided to use binding for the edges instead of elastic.  Sew a zig-zag stitch next to the original line of stitching to be removed and save yourself from a headache later.

Zig-Zag before cutting off the seam allowance.

Remember to remove seam allowances from the edges that will be bound.

Remove Seam Allowance for Binding Applications

I call this bikini Strawberry Love.  The high-waisted bottoms with heart buttons and rear seam are made from the Pin-up Girls, 3 Sisters Bikini, Violet pattern in a printed denim nylon spandex. The bikini top is a PUG Classic in foam covered with the cutest heart and strawberry printed nylon spandex.  This is the first time I used foam and it got a little squished.  The bikini back was self-drafted and features a modified Y-back with a keyhole opening inspired by my daughter's favorite ready-to-wear bra.

Strawberry Love Bikini

Modified Y-back with Keyhole

100% Polyester Wickable Fabrics

ProCool-Wickable VS Bra-makers Supply-Wickable and Anti-bacterial

ProCool (Green) VS Bra-makers Supply (Beige)

ProCool Jersey is described as a stay-dry, lining and wicking fabric.  It's made in the USA of 100% wicking polyester. The fabric has minimal stretch lengthwise and 30% stretch in the width, it's 60"-62" wide, and weighs 4.5 oz per sq yrd.  Information from Wazoodle.

ProCool 100% Polyester Wicking Fabric

The wickable and anti-bacterial fabric from Bra-makers Supply is a 100% polyester knit that is treated with colloidal silver during the manufacturing process. The polyester fabric wicks moisture away from the skin surface and the silver particles repel bacteria making the wearer cooler, drier, and not so stinky.  A photo next to the product description suggests the fabric is treated with Scotchgard.  There are no specifics as to the fabric stretchiness, width, or weight.

Bra-makers Supply 100% Polyester Wicking Anti-bacterial Fabric

However, the fabric from Bra-makers Supply has minimal stretch lengthwise and about 25% stretch from selvage to selvage when you give it a pull and measure. Only one layer of this fabric is necessary because it has less stretch than the ProCool.  I think the firmer hand is due to the fabric treatment and the fabric may soften up when washed.

In my opinion, the ProCool Jersey is lighter in weight, stretchier, and has a softer hand than the Bra-makers Supply fabric.  It also snags easier when ripping out seams, so be very careful because it's easy to accidentally make a hole. This fabric may work better if it is doubled up with the dogs running in opposite directions to cancel out some its stretch. Although the specs say it has 30% stretch, I measured about 50% stretch when I gave it a pull.  In the end, both fabrics were nice to work with and made soft comfortable bras.  Fortunately, both fabrics come in a variety of colors.

100% Polyester Wickable Fabrics

Fan of Smiles

Fan of Smiles

Inspired by Peter Max and my wonderful dentist Maite Casanova

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU

for making me smile.

Lurking Beneath the UFOs

Hidden from view, haunting me from the depths of the bottom drawer, always lingering in my mind, the Bikini.   A  complete and total FAILURE.  Fabric wasted, time gone, and nothing to wear.  I was devastated.   I swore off sewing swimwear forever, proclaiming to all within earshot, “I will never make another swimsuit again.” 

I remember picking the cutest fabric available in the clearance aisle and thinking, what I nice suit it would make.  Oh, how I wanted to wear my new bikini, but nothing about it was right.  Crinkling cups, breaking threads, plastic underwire poking through, and a stretching bridge that could one day span Tampa Bay.

WRONG, WRONG, WRONG

Everything was wrong.  I used the wrong needle, the wrong stitch, the wrong stabilizer, the wrong lining, and the wrong underwire. 

SEE WHAT'S LURKING BENEATH THE UFOS