Bombshell Swimsuit Archives

Summer Pattern Round-Up

20 June 2018 by Amy Leave a Comment

The summer is only officially beginning this week here in Montreal but already we have had plenty of hot weather. By the looks of things we are not alone! You amazing sewists have been up to all kinds of inspiring summer sewing and so we thought we would put together a little look book of some of the beautiful and creative makes that have come out of the Closet Core Patterns collection. Hopefully by the end of it, you will be as excited as we are to make some hot weather looks! To begin, what summer wardrobe would be complete without a swimsuit...

SOPHIE SWIMSUIT

BOMBSHELL SWIMSUIT

CROPPED KALLE

Kalle Cropped Shirt // Closet Core Patterns — Nikki //Estelle

KALLE SHIRTDRESS

Charlie Caftan (Mini and Maxi)

Charlie Caftan // Closet Core Patterns — Aimee // Amanda

...and it's only June! Continue to tag your glorious makes with our hashtags, we would love to feature you in an upcoming roundup. If you see a pattern here you would like to try you can find them all in our shop (along with a few more). Happy Summer Sewing!

Bikini Mash-Up: Bombshell & Nettie Bodysuit

8 May 2014 by Heather Lou 11 Comments

Hi y'all! Today I'm so excited to share a mind boggling awesome tutorial from my babes at By Hand London for Sewing Indie Month. I'm sorry if my gushiness about this company borders on the obscene; I can't help it. I don't just love what they do; I love who they are. Their designs speak to me on a deep "I never knew I wanted that but now I can't imagine a world without it" level. Their evolution and growth as a company, from indie start-up designers into their exciting new role as digital fabric printers is just...inspirational. So I'm happy to let Elisalex hijack my blog today. She basically threw my patterns into a blender and made a tropical margarita and I am LOVING it!

Aloha Closet Cores! First and foremost, I have to express what a deep and monumental pleasure it is to be gracing Heather-Lou’s pages, pages of which - and I know I also speak for the other BHL gals, Charlotte and Victoria - I have been a devout follower of since what feels like the beginning of sewing time. I’ll even go as far as to say that Heather-Lou is the stuff girl crushes are made of.

(editors note: I'm sorry if anyone is barfing right now. This is what happens when potential BFFs IRL are separated by oceans. It's gushy and blushy.)

Those of you familiar with us at By Hand London will know just how much we enjoy a good pattern hacking sesh. Dreaming up infinite possibilities from one given design is probably what fascinates us most about sewing. So, to celebrate Sewing Indie Month, and to welcome in the Summer (hurry up Summer!), we have for you a tropical Closet Core pattern hack that’ll have you running for the first flight to Mexico - The Miss Nettie Bombshell two-piece!

WHAT YOU'LL NEED:

The Nettie Bodysuit pattern - assembled and traced
The Bombshell pattern - View C assembled and traced
1.5m of swimsuit lycra
4m clear swimsuit elastic
All the necessary swimsuit sewing accoutrements - sewing machine, fabric scissors, ballpoint machine needle, thread, pins etc

What we’re dealing with here is essentially a super simple, yet mega effective pattern alteration. We are going to make the Nettie Bodysuit into a crop-top. For this tutorial, I’ve teamed my Nettie crop-top with a pair of matching Bombshell bikini briefs, resulting in the absolute epitome of chic Summerwear - forget dresses that take you from the office to after-work drinks, I’m talking outfits that take you from pool to party!

STEP 1 - ALTERING THE NETTIE PATTERN

To begin with, we need to alter the Nettie pattern. Take your front bodice piece and simply cut along the line indicating the bra shelf. This will result in a crop-top that sits right below your bust, and gives as much support as a crop-top can offer. If you don’t need the support, and would like a longer line crop-top, simply cut an inch or two below that bra shelf line.

Next, we need to cut the bodice back piece to match the front. Place the pattern pieces together and match the side seams, marking the point where the bodice front now ends.

Using a ruler, mark out the line you’ll need to cut to crop your bodice back piece. Make sure that this line is perfectly parallel to the “lengthen/shorten” line.

Cut. Remember to transfer any pattern annotations that have been cut away - where to place on fold; size etc.

STEP 2 - SEW IT UP

Go about the usual making of your Nettie as per Heather-Lou’s instructions, stopping after you have inserted the sleeves and are ready to close the side seams. Before we close the side seams, we need to apply some of that lovely clear swimsuit elastic to the newly cropped hemline.

Can’t see it?? Neither can we… I guess that’s the beauty of it. Here she is up close:

Cut two lengths of elastic, each one about a centimeter shorter that the hemlines of the bodice front and bodice back. Pin the elastic to the right sides of your hem, evenly distributing the-ever-so slight fullness of the fabric.

Stitch the elastic into place, stretching it gently to fit, with a wide zigzag stitch.

Close your side seams, hem your sleeves and finally hem your top by turning the hem in once and stitch with a wide broken zigzag. The clear elastic will now be directly against your skin, keeping your top - and the ladies - securely in place!

STEP 3 - BOMBSHELL

Last thing to do is make up your Bombshell bikini briefs (View C) as per the pattern instructions.

And now, off to Mexico! *Checks bank balance* Or maybe not. Local pool perhaps…? Hmmmm. Well, it’s as I always say, you can never, ever be overdressed. Ciao for now…

Thanks Elisalex! I was planning on making some crop tops anyway but now it's jumped to the top of my queue! Also, can I please live in your closet??

The Bombshell Swimsuit Is Here!

7 June 2013 by Heather Lou 66 Comments

I can't believe it... but after months of sample making, pattern tweaking, Illustrator learning, instruction writing, detail obsessing, teeth gnashing.... my first pattern is now available to purchase!

The Bombshell is modeled on a classic 1950's silhouette, a style that harkens back to the golden era of flattering, sexy and (dare I say) modest swimsuits. The pattern includes 3 variations in 8 sizes: a gathered bust, a halter neck, and a high waist bottom which you can mix and match with your favourite bikini top. Ruched on all sides and along the back centre seam, the Bombshell hugs your curves while providing full (but sexy) coverage. Its booty encasing seat and skirt-like front ensure your butt is covered (literally), avoiding the dreaded 4-cheek butt-bulge of higher cut suits. Fully lined, it will keep you decent in or out of the water.

The reason I dedicated this spring to perfecting the Bombshell pattern on top of my my fulltime job and other life commitments is simple. Without a doubt, this is the most flattering swimsuit I have ever worn, and I wanted to share it with other women. No more body shame and self loathing in poorly lit dressing rooms. No more ill-cut, poorly made bathing suits that rarely fit and rarely flatter. Let's take back the beach. Let's take back the pool. Let's remember that summer is meant to be enjoyed, not endured while constantly adjusting or covering up.

The feedback I have been getting back from my pattern testers has only reaffirmed what I believe to be true - give a lady a sexy, modestly cut swimsuit, and you give her years of happy beach vacations. I am very excited for you to see their versions cropping up here and there over the next few weeks. I've been getting hot pics of my buds in swimsuits all week and I can tell you... holy schmajoly. Everyone looks like a pinup in this baby.

Here are some more detailed shots of View A & B.

Below you can find the size chart for this pattern. There is little ease to ensure a snug fit, taking into consideration that things stretch when wet. All my testers have informed me that it fits perfectly once on.

Now, for those of you who are nervous about sewing a swimsuit for the first time or just want some extra guidance to make this particular suit.... I will be hosting a sewalong! I will post more details tomorrow, including material requirements, but rest assured that I will provide even more detailed instructions than what I include in the pattern. We will discuss the intricacies of swimsuit sewing, pattern adjustments, along with some tricks and tips I've discovered while developing this pattern. While this could probably be described as an intermediate pattern, I firmly believe anyone can make this suit. I will be happy to hold your hand through the process.

The Sewalong will start NEXT Monday, June 17th in order to give everyone time to gather their materials. I will be posting almost daily until we finish at the end of June, giving you two weeks to take your time and make the most flattering, confidence boosting swimsuit you have ever worn in your life. I can't wait to begin!

Buy your Bombshell Swimsuit Pattern HERE!

Sneak Peek...The Bombshell Swimsuit

22 May 2013 by Heather Lou 45 Comments

Hi pals.

You may have noticed things have been a wee bit quiet around here lately. I have been crazy busy sewing, but not making all the lovely summer things most of you have been pounding out (as I look on with jealousy).

I've been working on a pattern. A very special pattern. I'm not sure if I will ever make another, but I felt that this was something that needed to be shared with the sewing world.

You see, last year I stumbled on an out of print vintage pattern that vaguely resembled the (insanely expensive) Norma Kamali retro 50's swimsuits I've admired for years. After prodigiously modifying it, I ended up redrafting a pattern that created the most flattering swimsuit I have ever, or will ever wear. The cut is modest yet sexy with all that curve hugging ruching, and the lowcut bottom encases your booty rather than giving you the dreaded "quad cheek" from higher cut bottoms (all my big booty-ed girls know EXACTLY what I mean).

After perfecting the first version, I made a halter variation as well. Additionally, you could make just a high waisted bikini bottom, although I am not including a pattern for a bikini top due to (quite honestly) time constraints.

I want to get this to you as as soon as possible because summer is aaaaalmost here and if you need anything for your next trip to the beach, it's a swimsuit you can feel amazing in. I'm not lying when I say that wearing this suit in public is a freaking pleasure. For the first time, I feel totally fine about being half naked. And everytime I wear one, I get about 200 women asking me where the hell I got it.

So for the price of a yard or two of swimsuit fabric, you can hopefully enjoy the same confidence. It is currently being tested by a few friends to make sure my first attempt at grading and writing instructions is not a complete disaster.... I hope to have it finished and ready to go by early June.

I will also be hosting a sewalong for those of you nervous about making a swimsuit for the first time as well! I will let you know when the PDF is available to purchase. In the small window until then I will try knocking out some new things for summer (you should see the haul of fabric I got in San Francisco!!) before prepping a new suit for the sewalong.

Enjoy your week!

My Kind of Bikini

29 August 2012 by Heather Lou 26 Comments

I'm back from the most blissful, peaceful week at a lake in a 70's a-frame cottage in northern Quebec. Sleeping for 9 hours a night, drinking tea and napping in the hammock, reading a book a day (I'm a crazy speed reader and got sucked into some trashy detective novels), floating in a duck-filled lake, canoe rides, big meals with my best friends, nights around a campfire.... Lake vacations are the best vacations. The climate shock coming back into the city was intense, and still lingering. If my office had a hammock I might actually get more work done.

I spent most of my time in this new high waisted bikini. As some of you may remember, I made this one piece a month ago. Loosely based on a vintage pattern, I was trying to recreate a glamorous (and pricey) Norma Kamali suit. After making my workable muslin, I thought I would tackle making a two piece.

I was nervous about this style - if the proportion isn't exactly right it can read more granny than glammy so I wanted it to hit exactly at the slimmest part of my waist. I think high waisted styles that don't stop at the right part of your waist make your torso look awkward and truncated. Once again, for anyone with a booty I think low cut legs are the only way to go. Let's keep that shit in check.

I used the same process as my one piece to make the bottom, only this time I mastered the ruching (critical to reinforce the seams with clear elastic). Initially I wanted a very structured bikini top but time was ticking the day before I left for my vacation so I modified the bikini top from this pattern I had hanging around in my stash. The pattern was designed for a non-stretch fabric so I elongated the straps to allow me to tie it in the back rather than fastening it with hardware like it originally called for.

I was having a really difficult time getting my machine to sew this fabric. I troubleshooted a number of things; after switching to a stretch needle and sweetly cajoling my old Singer it started to sew normally. However, it started acting fritzy when I was almost done and the finishing of the top is not my best work. It's crazy how temperamental sewing machines can be. Of course, I ran out of new needles for my serger so I kept skipping stitches on that machine as well. After oiling the machines with my bitter tears I managed to finish up just in time to throw it in my bag and get the hell out of dodge.

To say I like this swimsuit would be a lie - I F*CKING LOVE this swimsuit. It's so comfy and hides all the bad bits and I didn't take it off as long as the sun was shining. It almost felt like an outfit (albeit not much of one) so it wasn't unusual to find me making frittata for 10 people while wearing it.

I still have a half yard or so of this super soft & luxurious navy tricot (it pays to spend extra for the matte Italian stuff - it really looks a lot more high quality than the shimmery tricot I used to make my green one piece) so next summer I hope to get around to making the structured bra top. Until then, I'll be hitting up the local pool and quarry in this number. It's pretty nuts how a great suit makes you forget all about your cellulite, isn't it?

Since I got back, I realized i haven't really been taking advantage of the summer. I've spent more weekends than I care to admit chained to my machine on the most beautiful days of the year, so I'm taking a break from sewing for the next week or so to get in as much sun and fun as possible. Montreal winters can break your spirit if you don't bank enough vitamin D before November. I've got some big plans for the coming fall but it feels weird to be sewing capes and wool skirts when I'm still wearing flip flops so a little sewing sabbatical feels appropriate.

Hope you are squeezing in as much summer produce and bike rides as you can while the getting is good....

(Once again biggest props to my homeboy Mark Slutsky for humoring me with this cheesecake photoshoot....)