We’ve been spending our summer vacay poolside at our new home. The weather has been so beautiful the past few weeks. I’m hoping this isn’t a fluke because I’m loving the change in weather over here on the east coast of Florida. It’s still hot, but nowhere near as humid, with some beautiful breezes and late afternoon summer showers.
The kids have been out of school for almost a month now and we’ve been trying to keep active and hold off the boredom. My oldest loves school so it’s been a challenge to keep him entertained. I think next year we’ll find a summer camp for him as he really likes a structured day. I’m more go with the flow.
Walks and trips to the playground are for the morning, followed by chores and then lunch at home and some tv/screen time. Reading and play in the afternoons followed by dinner when dad gets home and then an evening swim/walk to burn off all that crazy energy my kiddos have. Nigel ran around our community 4X last night (which must be at least 3 mi) and was still full of energy.
Since we spend so much time at the pool and beach swimwear is constantly in use. I’ll be sewing up another set later this month too. This year I tried to take the kids preferences into account by having them browse catalogs for ideas and then pick out the silhouettes they liked best. Then I picked out some fabrics I liked and let them choose.
Ami really wanted a bikini set and Nigel went for a color blocked rashy. He still has a ton of hand me down swim trunks as well as a pair I made him(see it here). Ami has grown a ton though so nothing I made her last year really fits. I’ll be altering her two Flora suits to bikinis soon. She is going to be a tall girl-she’s in the 81% for height.
Fabrics – Spandex World
Butterfly Print-Printed Spandex (Purple/White/Red)
This print was Ami’s fav! It’s really pretty and a breeze to sew. Really nice vivid color and easy to coordinate with the solids.
Solids- All Milliskin Matte
I love the weight and color selection of these milliskins. They’re easy to sew and I prefer the matte finish. The colors do bleed (especially the fuschia) so I tend to handwash everything separately after swimming. I find this easier with swimwear anyway.
I designed a simple two piece set for Ami in this awesome butterfly print and a coordinating fuschia. Just a simple top with back seam and simple banded waist bottoms. Plus a new rashguard and leggings (not shown-they’re the same fuschia with a band of the print at the waist) for in the sun. Quick sews so no perfection here- just much needed wardrobe staples.
The kids love them and that’s really all that matters. Nigel’s rashguard is my first draft at a new raglan for him. The sleeves were a bit too tight so I altered them for a wider fit. I had some fun with my coverstitch machine too and added some decorative stitching to the outside seams.
Hope you’re all enjoying the summer! Happy sewing!
7 responses to “Summer Swimwear- Sewing for the Kids”
Amazing! If these are ‘quick sews’ you have mad skills! I love the fabric choices and your kids obviously love them. They’re so cute – perfect models!
Thanks Laura Jane! My kids do help make the outfits look adorable- they love showing off for pics! :)
I can already see bits of these materials in a quilt for each child after they’ve outgrown the clothes. You really know how to choose fabrics! Adorbs!
Thanks Mom! They’re going to end up with giant quilts at this rate! :)
Wow! Great job! I’m planning to make my kids some, too, but have been procrastinating. Was the shipping from Spandex World high? I tried to order from them once, but the guy I talked to told me it was going to be around $16, so I cancelled my order. They have great prints, though.
Thanks Lisa! I love sewing for the kids every few months since the projects are so quick compared to what I make myself. The shipping was a bit high-$15- but I had a coupon which covered most of it. Not bad if you’re ordering a lot. They have an awesome selection and the quality is really good.
Good to know. Thanks!