I’ve finally tried making swimwear again!

I first learnt about sewing swimwear whilst on an evening lingerie course at Morley College, an adult education centre in south London, over 6 years ago (unfortunately I don’t think that particular course exists anymore!). Our teacher Carol Harrison was amazing and really went beyond the boundaries of the lesson plans and covered so many different topics!

At the time of the course I made lots of different types of swimwear – high waisted shorts, bikini bottoms, one pieces – but afterwards I kind of put it all to one side and moved onto other projects – there’s only so much swimwear you need! But it’s six years later and let’s face it, I’m not the same size I was then! It’s definitely time to make some more!

Opian contacted me recently to see if I’d like to try one of their patterns. I’d been admiring their swimwear patterns for a while and knew this would be a great opportunity to try one out!

I picked the Jamanota one piece swimsuit to try – it features a mid-high waist bikini bottoms with wide gathered strips that rise up over the front and tie behind the neck.

It looked classy and perfect for lazing around the beach!

The pattern is simple and beautifully drafted. I used a piece of black and white swimwear Lycra I’d had in my stash for years but had never gotten round to using and a nude coloured lining.

For the swimwear elastic I used this stuff from Fabricland. I’d bought 10m of the stuff when I wanna a really into making swimwear so I had a lot spare!!! It’s a smooth rubber elastic as opposed to the cotton covered stuff you normally get. You’ll find the rubber version is stronger and won’t lose its elasticity as easily.

It’s a really easy pattern to sew up and a great option if you’re new to sewing swimwear. There’s very little fitting to do for it and it’s such a flattering shape!

I accidentally got some really good pattern matching on this make!

It’s never going to be a great one for actual activity. There’s no bust support and I really really need that! I have a feeling if I wore this to do any high octane sports, the girls would be flying out left right and centre!

It is however perfect for a day of lazing or tanning by the pool especially if you’re looking for a bit of tummy coverage. The backless design will let you get your tan on without any lines!

Now that’s as good an excuse as any to go on holiday now, right?