A Modest Swimsuit Attempt
In the spring, I decided I would attempt to sew myself a modest swimsuit. I searched and searched for a pattern that I liked, and ended up with this one, even though it seemed a bit overpriced and wasn’t exactly what I was hoping for.
I made it according to the pattern for my first try, and it was way too long, in my opinion. And the leggings were way too long, also. So, I shortened the leggings and then decided to shorten the suit itself, which I liked a lot better than the previous knee-length.
But still, I’m not entirely happy with it. I would prefer not to have sleeves on a swimsuit, so the next one I make will be sleeveless. I also think I might go down a size or two for the neck/shoulder area, as I have narrow shoulders, and it gapped a little bit.
The swimsuit fabric wasn’t as difficult to work with as I imagined it would be, and it was great in the water (in the above photo, I had literally just stepped out of the pool and slipped into my flip flops, so the suit was still wet). I spent hours swimming in this, and it was comfortable and didn’t hinder my swimming at all. However, I believe if I had left it like a long dress (as the original pattern is), it would have been rather difficult to swim in and would have floated up around me!
I’m glad I had some extra fabric, as I hope to try another one someday.
P.S. I just read Natalie's post– thanks for sharing that– I had wondered how to sew the suit without sleeves! I also wanted to add that I wasn't swimming laps, just playing around with the kids, so maybe the long skirt would be a problem otherwise….
Hi Lillibeth,
Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts about this pattern! I just wore my suit again yesterday, and I was thankful to have something more modest to swim in (and I was swimming laps, in addition to playing with my children!). 🙂 I think it would be great as a long sundress if you weren't doing more active swimming.
I just made the same suit from that pattern a couple weeks ago, only I lengthened the skirt to be even with the pants. I wanted it to look more like a sundress instead of a long swimsuit when I was out walking around. It seemed to me to be fine in the water– I had no trouble with the skirt coming up.
Years ago my daughter struggled with being able to find modest swimwear so she developed her own design and put it into ebook format. If you or any of your readers need guidance in sewing a custom swimsuit, you can check out her ebook at freshmodesty.com. She has sold many of these books and everyone loves them. There is also a maternity option.
She also has two blogs you can link to from the above site. One blog is for encouraging modest and lovely dressing especially for young ladies and the other is for sewing projects. I hope these may be a blessing to some of you.
Thank you so much for mentioning your daughter's site and eBook! She has a lovely blog!
You are welcome. So glad you enjoyed the blog. She loves this opportunity to minister to those trying to dress modestly.
I've made mine and my girls suits for 3 years now. I use a similar pattern. Unfortunately, the website I found them on is no longer working. Our pattern does have shorter skirts and shorts. For my own suit, I lengthen the skirt. Because of time constraints before lessons started, I let my oldest borrow mine and we agree that the longer skirts make it harder to swim, especially laps. That said, we LOVE ours suits. I think after this season, I've completed 10 suits.
Wow, 10 suits! I'm just getting started making swimsuits, but I look forward to making many more. Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving a comment, Laura! 🙂
I love it! I think the shorter length would definitely suit a bit better for swimming. It looks nice and is understated so as not to draw the eye to the "unusual" swim attire. Well done! Thanks so much for linking this up with me last week.
Thank you, Kasey!
I arrived here from the Modest Mom link up. I think your suit is very pretty! I also made a swimsuit from the simply modest pattern. I made it without sleeves. If you'd like to see how mine turned out you can visit my blog post about it. http://seamstresscat.blogspot.com/2010/07/new-swimsuit-part-1-of-ball-bag.html
Thanks so much for stopping by, Natalie! And thank you for the link to your swimsuit post–it looks wonderful, and it's very helpful to see another one made by the same pattern (and without sleeves)!
You did great! I hate using patterns and have made modest swimsuits for my girls using their clothes as a pattern. I'm in need of a new one (I only have a nursing style and I'm no longer nursing!!), somehow I always comes last. :o)
Larissa ~ Prodigal Pieces
Thank you, Larissa! That's great that you've been able to make them for your girls without a pattern. And yes, you need a new one just for you! ♥
I love that it still has a feminine look to it. I've been wearing an athletic type shirt and mens board shorts over my old tankini type bathing suits. It works great, but has a bit more of a masculine feel to it, even with a pink top!
Thank you, Kelly!
Looks great. I love the colors!
Thanks!
Here is a link to the kind i purchased. I love it!
http://www.swimmodest.com/
However, I really like the one you made. The adjustments you made are great. I agree with not liking the dress, as it just gets tangled up around my neck~lol (I really have had that experience!)
The swim modest suits look great–thanks for sharing the link, Marci! And I can relate to your experience about the dress! 🙂
I love it! I especially like the sleeves. I feel that, modesty includes covering one's arms, too, so sleeves are great! Add to that the fact that I cannot be in the sun because of a medical problem – I'd love a suit like this : )
Thank you, Anna! They are cute little sleeves, and not too restrictive, and they are great for sun protection! 🙂
You did a great job. I would love a suit like that. It's modest but doesn't draw attention for being overly modest. People would just see a person covering up. I feel like Im in my underwear in a normal suit. I think this one would make me feel more at ease.
Thank you, Laura! When I was a teenager, I used to wear bikinis, and I always felt naked in them. When I got a little older, I realized that I didn't need to go through that torture! It is so nice to be able to just swim and not worry about what I have on. 🙂
Your swimsuit turned out really cute! Fantastic job! I like the idea of having leggings under a swimsuit, makes a lot of sense 🙂
Angela
Thanks, Angela! 🙂
You did an excellent job. It looks wonderful on you. I have always wanted to try and make myself a swimsuit. What I usually wear is a normal swimsuit and wear a swim skirt and top over it. It works but not as pretty as I would like. What pool did you go to? It looks like a nice one.
Thanks, Grace Mae! The pool was at my in-laws' house. It was nice that we had the whole pool to ourselves! 🙂
Love it, well done!
I agree with your comments about length and shoulder covering 🙂
Lian.
Thank you, Lian!
It looks great! I made a few suits for my girls from I believe the same pattern as you used. I found that the neck was large for them too! I like the adjustments you made to the pattern.
Deanna
Thank you, Deanna! That's interesting that you found the same thing about the neckline–must be a common fitting issue. 🙂 Thanks again for commenting!
Thanks so much for posting this!! I've been on my first swimsuit hunt in YEARS!!! I outgrew my old suit and never replaced it….then i had babies….now the babies are old enough to swim!
I had looked at having a swimsuit made – $70 seems plenty pricey. And the pattern you linked to also seems pricey. But I value the ability to make it myself and to alter the given design to something I'd like better.
Great job on your suit!
Thank you! I'm so glad if this was helpful to you! Finding a swimsuit is hard, I know. That's how I was able to justify the price of the pattern…I figured I could use it for myself and three daughters, and it would pay for itself eventually. 🙂 Thanks again for the encouragement!