Chasing Coco

I made my own rashguard and of course I had to make matching bottoms and swimsuit top to wear underneath it! And here is my review of the Ellie and Mac Oasis Swimsuit pattern . Full disclosure: I tried to build a shelf bra into my first rashie so I could wear it along and it was an unmitigated disaster. Instead of messing with it further, I decided to make myself a swimsuit top. I had already bought the Oasis pattern for bottoms anyway. I feel I must (again) express how much easier it is to sew swim knit than I expected. It's a little slippery but it's a lot more stable and less inclined to stick to itself than something like double brushed poly. In between making this project I sewed a really sticky DBP and this was a nice change! I bought 2 yards of each print of swim knit and had enough fabric to make a long-sleeve raglan rashguard, swimsuit top and bottoms, with a little leftover. It was a nylon/spandex blend and had 40% stretch (note the Oasis pattern calls for 50...

I have to say, sewing with swim fabric is much easier than I thought! If I can do it, you can do it too. For my first swim knit project, I set out to make my own rash guard for sun protection. My husband and I were planning a trip to the Great Barrier Reef and I burn like crazy so I wanted to be covered up since we were going to be snorkeling for the better part of 4 days. That's a lot of sun exposure! And I can wear them on our future beach trips in the US, especially the second day when my shoulders are already pink! To make my rash guard I used a shirt pattern I had made already, the Ellie and Mac Going Home Sweater . Don’t let the name fool you, while you can make it using sweater knit you can really use any knit with 50%+ stretch and then it’s just a raglan pattern with some fun additional options. If you want to make a rash guard for yourself, I would suggest using any shirt pattern that has sleeves the length you want and you have made before. Then you know what siz...

This is a really quick sew! If you want something to wear tomorrow, the Twist it Up top pattern definitely fits the bill, I made it in less than one day, including taping my pattern together. It's nice to have a top that wears like a t-shirt but isn't just a t-shirt, has a little something interesting about it, you know? I like the twist detail to give in that little bit of interest. The same reason I like the tie-front top hack I did a few months ago. I am trying to sew more things that fit with my daily wardrobe and about 50% of the time that is a nice top and jeans. I had a little bit of the white cotton interlock I used on my Ellie and Mac Everyday Tee and thought I could use a Twist It Up . White tops are so hard to find ready to wear and I love wearing them in the summer. Alterations While I am taller than the height the pattern is drafted for (drafted for 5'5" and I'm about 5'7") and should have added an inch, I actually didn't have ...