Finished Project: Wonder Woman-inspired Soma Suit

After seeing the Wonder Woman swimsuit I made for my daughter, several of you championed the idea of matching mother-daughter suits. 

I took your advice, but not to the letter. I thought the Soma swimsuit by Papercut would be the perfect pattern for an inspired-by-but-not-totally-literal adult version of a Wonder Woman bathing suit. The bikini top features a triangle-shaped panel that when cut in gold spandex references Wonder Woman's golden eagle without looking too costumey:  

OK, maybe it's a little costumey

At least I restrained myself when it came time to choose fabric for the bikini bottoms. I do after all have a half-yard of blue and white starry spandex left over...

Anyway, I'm not going to share a lot of close-up shots of this suit on my person due to modesty's sake. But I will tell you more about what I did to this pattern to make it work a little better for me. (And there are plenty of close-up pics on my dress form if you scroll to the bottom).

Finished Project: Wonder Woman Swimsuit!

I would tell you how to make this Wonder Woman swimsuit I created for my six-year-old, but it's probably copyright infringement. Also, I'm feeling a little protective of this project; a lot of work went into drafting and sewing a wearable Wonder Woman swimsuit — and if the whole world had one....well, it just wouldn't seem as special:

Feeling pretty special

Free Pattern: Little Swimmer Bathing Cap

What are the pool rules where you live? Do you (or your kids) have to wear a swimcap in the water? My daughter recently started swimming lessons at a nearby private pool (located in an apartment building in the Northwest Bronx) and everyone who enters the water must be wearing a swimcap.

It's kind of a pain though it makes sense; do you want to swim around with your neighbors' stray hairs? (Or see the pool shuttered when they have to clean the filter — again?).

But the spandex cap we bought her was too big, and the rubbery ones pulled at her hair. So what does a lady with some extra spandex and little pattern paper do? I drafted my own. And because it is so simple, I am sharing it here for free.  After the jump:

Weekend Sewing: What's on my table

What's on my sewing table this Friday? (In addition to a big mess):

Bathing suits!

It's pool (and sprinkler) season, after all. So I'm testing the waters of swimsuit sewing, which it turns out, is actually no harder than any other stretch sewing project. I'm using this free pattern from Prudent Baby, which I found on Pinterest:

But, as you can see, I made the pattern (a size 5) much bigger for my solidly built almost-six-year-old:

I slashed the pattern and spread it an inch at the waist and vertically too. I then used my French curve to redraft the leg hole, side seam and neckline. 

The tutorial at Prudent Baby is very easy to follow. I love the little ruffle:

Also: I love any chance to use a twin needle: 

The other thing I am really excited about is these matching swim caps I'm making to go with each suit:

My daughter takes swimming lessons now and pool rules stipulate a swim cap must be worn in the water at all times. It's hard to find small kid-size swim caps though, so the one she has (an adult size) slips off her head every time.

I drafted the pattern for the cap and used remnants of swimsuit fabric. She's going to look like a classic bathing beauty with her matching set.

So what's on your sewing table this weekend? Ever made a bathing suit? What's your fave swimsuit pattern?