Suit Up for Summer Blog Tour 2021 with Raspberry Creek Fabrics

I am so happy to join Raspberry Creek Fabrics’ Suit up for Summer Blog Tour this year! Raspberry Creek carries the most amazing swim and board short fabrics. Each year they refresh the shop with an entire new line of prints and this year there are over 50 different prints to choose from! When they begin the design process, RCF coordinates all their available solids to match the color schemes their designers use in the prints. This ensures that you can be confident your coordinates and solids will always match to your primary print. Such a simple but genius idea! They also carry all the linings you need to sew up suits for the whole family including swim lining, power mesh and net and a super soft sports mesh. And the best part? In celebration of the Suit Up for Summer Blog Tour, Raspberry Creek is offering all their new swim prints for 15% off with code SWIMTOUR.

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I started with my oldest son’s Ombre Tie Dye Stripe board shorts. I used my tried-and-true Linden Shorts pattern (with the free add-on pack) by Sew a Little Seam. This pattern was the very first board shorts I made my kids and it will always be my favorite. I love the classic look, the slimmer fit and all the available options. This pattern is a work-horse in my collection as it has so many variations and the directions are amazing. It really is a “choose your own adventure” in shorts form.

As a mother of 3 boys, I rarely get the chance to sew up anything pink so I was secretly cheering inside when he chose this gorgeous print. I paired it with a solid black waistband for contrast and I love how it makes the bright colors pop. As always, I used RCF’s sports mesh for the attached interior briefs. Early on, he dubbed it his favorite swimsuit lining, so I always keep it on hand for their suits. I finished off his look with a Jalie Nico Raglan in mostly solid black. I didn’t want to press my luck, but just had to repeat that beautiful bright pink in the neckband.

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My youngest son is really into sharks right now and I knew he would love the Shark Fin Stripe print. I also liked that it reflected a similar style stripe to my suit, like a loose version of Mommy & Me swimsuits. For his swimsuit, I used the Lowland Kids Swim Boardies and a sized-down Titchy Threads Rowan Tee in solid royal blue. I used the solid charcoal grey board short fabric for the binding and waistband of his shorts in hopes of calling more attention to the grey shark fins in the print. As with my older son’s rash guard, I couldn’t help but add a splash of brightness with the yellow drawstring and neckband.

For my swimsuit (swim capsule really) I used the Navy Blue and White Tie Dye Stripes and I couldn’t be more excited! After going last summer without sewing any swim attire, I just couldn’t stop myself from adding more pieces as I went along. I love how nautical this print is paired with the solid navy blue. It adds just enough pop for a statement, but not so much that I’m worried about it being too busy when all the pieces are mixed & matched.

I used the Greenstyle Creations Waimea Rash Guard and Swim Bottoms as my starting point. Although the rash guard pattern has a fantastic color blocking option, I opted for the basic version so the stripes could take the spotlight. I paired that with the high-waisted & fold-over waistband options of the swim bottoms pattern. I love the coverage of these and um, can we say POCKETS!? I love this top too. It feels cool to the touch and I think I’ll wear it much more than just for swimming. Since Raspberry Creeks’ swim fabrics have UPF 50+, this rashguard will be a great layering piece with athletic wear as well.

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With extra time and little bit of extra fabric on my hands, I decided to add some Venice Beach Shorts also by Greenstyle Creations. I love that I can wear these to and from the beach or pool, but wade right in without worrying if they should be wet or not. These give me the option of a full outfit for kayaking with my kids or just using them as a cover-up to and from the pool. I used the mid-rise option with the contoured waistband and cut them in between the 2.5 & 3.5 inch inseam lines. I did use a double fold binding rather than the single-fold application that the pattern calls for. I also added a narrow elastic to the top seam of the contoured waistband to add extra stability.

Obviously I needed a swim top to go underneath the rash guard. I wanted something on the sporty side, but still with a touch of character. I’ve had a particular suit in my inspiration folder for a couple years now and decided it was just what this suit needed. It would take a little hacking though, so I started with the high neckline, wide-strap bikini top option from the Mairin by Sew a Little Seam. Like the Kid’s Linden shorts, this pattern comes with a ton of different options and combinations. I’ve used it many times as a base for hacking. It’s just so good! I also added a power mesh and swim cups in between the fabric and the lining for a little extra support.

In order to achieve the look of my inspiration, I mashed the Mairin with the beautiful back of the St. Tropez Pattern by Little Lizard King. Every single photo I’ve seen of this back looks fantastic, I just had to give it a try! Instead of attaching the straps behind the main back band, I brought them to the front to amplify the direction of the stripes in my fabric. I’m really happy with how this turned out and it is very comfortable. (Continue below for a rough tutorial of how I constructed it.)

My boys are now ready when it finally warms up and I’m excited to mix and match my pieces all summer long. Depending on the occasion, I’ll have exactly the ones I need. Thank you to Raspberry Creek for gifting me the beautiful fabrics to create all 3 of these swimsuits. If you haven’t already, make sure you check out all the amazingly talented sewists participating in the blog tour this week and all the generous sponsors (linked at the bottom of this post). You’re sure to find the perfect inspiration for sewing with RCF’s fabulous swim fabrics. In addition to the discount on their swim fabrics, Raspberry Creek is also hosting daily giveaways from all the sponsors on their Instagram page.

Mairin/St. Tropez Mash-up Tutorial:

Here, I’ll walk you through the steps I took to mash the front and back together. I totally apologize for the low quality photos, but thought I’d throw them in for the visual learners like myself. I’m realizing that I’m not great at tutorials, but here goes.

You will need to cut: Front of the wide-strap, high neck Mairin bikini top cut 1 of main fabric and 1 of lining. You can also add 1 layer of power mesh if you would like more support. Back band (1 of main fabric and one of lining) and 2 straps from the St. Tropez pattern out of your main fabric. Prepare straps as instructed in the St. Tropez instructions.

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To my luck, the side seams of both these suits were very close. I think I may have added a quarter inch or so to the bottom of the front piece. Sew side seams of the lining. Do the same for your main, but sandwich the straps into the side seams, placing them about 1/2″-3/4″ down from the top, leaving room for the side (3/8″) and top (1/4″) seam allowances. You can put them in front or behind the back band depending on your preference. NOTE: I did notice (on this and my muslin) that the bottom of the strap is a little loose. I think next time, I would change the angle a little bit by pulling that extra fabric into the seam allowance more.

I always like to add swim cups to my suits for extra coverage. You can get these from many online sources, but I usually just have a stack of them left behind from various ready-to-wear suits and sports bras. I do the following to place them into the lining.

Flip your lining inside out and try it on. Place your cups on top of the lining where you would like them to be on your finished suit. Trace the outsides with a marking pen onto the wrong side of the lining. Remove the suit and while sitting down, place the lining over your knee, centering the marking you just made. This will replicate the way your chest stretches the lining and help you place the edges of the cup in the right place. Working one cup at a time, pin your cup to the wrong side of your lining and then use a zig-zag stitch to attach the cup. You may have to adjust and stretch the lining a bit while you sew, but that marking gives you the perfect guide as you go.

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Place your lining inside the main with right sides together. Baste them together by starting at the outside top of one strap and sew down the armscye, around the top of the back band and then up the other armscye to the top of the other strap. Place a 1/4″ swim elastic to the wrong side of your main fabric and serge or zig-zag stitch (without stretching) it to the same seam. Remove your basting stitch. Open up the seam and understitch the elastic and seam allowance to the lining side.

Repeat the same steps to the neckline, but this time, you may not be able to under stitch all the way to the top of the strap. That’s ok, just start 2″ or so down from the top of the strap and go as far as your machine will allow to the next strap.

Try on the suit and check to see if the straps need any length taken off. Mark where you would like them to meet the top of the front straps. You may need some help here, this part is a little awkward with only 2 hands. I was using both hands, clips and my teeth. Lol! After marking, slip the top of the back strap inside the top of the front strap and flip the main part of the suit inside out so that you can make a clean shoulder seam. Use a chopstick or tool to make sure everything is flat, flush to the edges and your elastic is folded around correctly so that when you flip it out, everything lays nice and clean. Sew across the ends once or even twice for reinforcement and then trim the seam allowance. Repeat with other side.

Finally, cut a piece of 1/2″ or 3/4″ (what I used) elastic 1/2″ longer than the circumference of the bottom of your suit. Overlap the ends by 1/2″ and secure. Quarter and pin the elastic to the bottom of your top. Serge or Zig-zag stitch the elastic to the inside of your suit. Flip once to the inside, encasing the elastic, and topstitch close to the top of your elastic to secure. Now you’re finished!

Made by Kates  Violet and Jewels  Sweet Mama Life  All Things Katy!

Intensely Distracted  Pins & Pinot  My Heart Will Sew On  The Petite Sewist

All My Spare Time  Kara Metta  Handcrafted by RED  Sincerely, Shantelle

Replicate Then Deviate  That’s Sew Kari  Desert Blooms  Boo + Lu

A huge thank you to our sponsors and don’t forget to check out today’s giveaway!!
Again, you can find the tour on Instagram with the hashtag: #suitupforsummer2021