One Pattern, Four Suits

I made a couple of bathing suits for Dorothy last year because I couldn't find any in stores that fit her at all.  She is very tiny around, with no butt and skinny little legs, so the ones that are small enough around, aren't long enough; even the two piece ones.  This year, I didn't even bother shopping for her, I just made her some bathing suits instead.  I came up with four different designs, using just a single pattern.

 This pink polka dot suit was the first one I made and I made a few mistakes with it.  I didn't have my settings quite right, so the cover stitching doesn't look as clean as I would like, but I'm probably the only one who notices.

This suit is a two piece with a skirted bottom.  I had planned for the top to just come down and meet at the waistband of the skirt, but it was too short.  I didn't take into account that when they are not stitched together, the top doesn't stay pulled down on its own.  I though it looked cute with a little tummy hanging out, but she wasn't going to wear it without the top reaching the bottom, so I added a big ruffle/skirt thing to the hem of the top.  It isn't ideal, but it isn't terrible either, and she likes it.

 I'm not sure why it's pulling up in the center back here.  It didn't do that a different time she wore it.  You can see that the ruffle on the top lines up almost exactly with the skirt.

 It does get a bit strange and bunchy when wet, but it doesn't seem to bother her at all.

See?  It isn't pulled up the the center back here.  Odd.  I'll have to check that the next time she wears it.

 Of the four suits I made, this one turned out to be my least favorite.  I started with it because I thought I was going to like it the most, and I wanted to make sure I at least got this one finished.

 I think of this one as her "sporty" suit.  It doesn't have any ruffles or frills, but is still adorable on her.  I can't decide if this one, or her other black one, is my favorite.

 This one is also a two piece, but I remembered to add a few inches to the top so that it would meet the waistband of the bottoms.  I added a touch more than I probably should have, but I also had to take a tuck in bottoms to get them tight enough.  If she just gets taller and not any bigger around, she might be able to wear this suit next year too.

 All the other suits have straps that make an X in the back, but this one seemed like a V would be better.

 The fabric was a small remnant I bought for $1.50.  It was much too small for most bathing suits, but fit just perfectly for her size.  I was extra careful with my cutting to make sure the gradual pattern would line up correctly.  You can just see here how the circles on the top and bottom line up perfectly.  I am ridiculously proud of how well I did lining the pattern up.

 The green and yellow animal print isn't something I would usually go for, but I bought the fabric on clearance, figuring it would be good to practice with.  The pattern and colors grew on me and do love the bright, cheerful colors on her.  I bought the solid yellow swim material to break up the pattern a bit and I like how it looks.

 The skirt gets a bit clingy and looks thin when it is wet, but it's still really cute.

 It kept up with her playing on a playground next to a splash pad.

 The pink flamingos on the black background gave it a sort of retro feel, so I added some details with the same pink polka dot fabric as the first suit.  The band across the middle breaks up the all black, and gives it a bit of a high-waisted look.  I like how the pink straps bring out more of the pink and soften the black a little.

 I put three rows of ruffles across the seat of the suit, and I love them so much!  They were much easier to do than I had feared, and they give the suit some texture and keep it age appropriate.  I don't know how much longer I'll be able to get her to wear butt ruffles, so I'm going to take advantage of it while I can.

Even though it is cute, the suit can handle some hard play.

Overall, I'm very happy with the results.  She has four very different swim suits that mostly fit her, and they didn't cost me much to make.