First I would like to welcome everyone stopping over from Katie’s blog!  I hope that the techniques I wrote about are useful in your own swimsuit construction!  If you have any questions on them let me know.  Alright, now down to business.  It took me a bit to be comfortable sharing photos of myself in a swimsuit with the whole internet.  Here is my review.

Butterick 4526

 Pattern Description: Lined one piece or two piece swimsuit has neckline variations, front darts, low back and panty shield. Wrap laps in front and ties at back neck. I made the lined one piece.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Yes it did.

Were the instructions easy to follow? I am not really sure, I didn’t look at them.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? I like that ease with which it went together without having to read the directions. I like that the suit provides full coverage in the bust and crotch areas. I won’t have to worry about anything hanging out that should not be. I am not a big fan of the darts. Something about darts on a swimsuit is just off putting for me.

Fabric Used: I used 1 yard of gingham printed spandex for the shell, 1 yard black tricot for the lining and scrap bits of purple tricot for the built in bra and crotch shield.

Notions Used: 1/4″ braided elastic for neck binding and 3/8″ elastic for arm and leg holes.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made: I didn’t follow the directions because I wanted to use my own elastic techniques. For around the neck opening I added bound elastic and the leg and arm holes I did turned and stitched elastic. To read about the techniques I used go to my guest post here.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? I don’t know if I will sew this suit again. There are a couple of other swimsuit patterns I want to try and I am not sure I need more than 5 swimsuits. I do live in Indiana, not a beach area. I would recommend this pattern to others though. It is a great beginning knit sewing project.

Conclusion: I surprising like this suit more than I thought I would. I originally made it just to demonstrate elastic techniques for my guest post. But now it has grown on me.