We live in Charleville, South West Queensland - no air conditioned shopping malls, indoor play centres or movie theatres. So when it's hot, the best thing to do is SWIM!!
When my first little girl was just a toddler, she was always wanting to put on her "toggers" and go for a swim - the name stuck and now our swimmers are all named Toggers! Bikini's, well, they're Zikinis. Of course.
The biggest problem I find with big brand name girls swimmers is the bum coverage = or lack thereof. From super high cut fronts to backs with barely any elastic, I don't feel comfortable with my kiddos wearing these in public swimming spaces. So, when there's a problem like this the best way to fix it is to make your own!
The quiet time of January 2023 saw me take a few weeks of learning to agree with my new coverstitch machine, find the best elastic success recipe and perfect the art of sewing swim fabric.
Ticking off all of these boxes and then making a few pieces for my girls to wear - the fit and styles were great, but did they hold up to kids swimming in all the pools, beach and rivers? Absolutely! We went on a holiday to the Sunshine Coast and they were perfect, also great outerwear worn with shorts for day trips, especially the Puff Sleeve Toggers (pattern credit - Wild Seeds Patterns Palmetto Swimsuit).
I have discovered some amazing swim fabric suppliers with excellent quality bases, and I include recycled where possible. All my swim fabrics are UPF50+, ultra chlorine resistant, and the best thing is that the designs and colours in these are always stunning and bright - I focus on the "safer" colours for the smaller sizes, avoiding blues and greens that blend in with the surroundings when being worn by toddlers.
Rash top and shortie sets have now been added to my make list, after finally finding some great boy friendly fabrics.
Our best tips for care protection (we always seem to get a few seasons out of ours and we swim a lot!) - rinse in plain cold water after swimming and dry in the shade to prolong life, don't leave wrapped in a wet towel, avoid machine washing and never iron!
Apart from simple and race back styles, one of my favourites is Maggie (pattern credit - Wild Seeds Patterns Hoya Swimsuit) - this panelled front, one strap style has a ruched back panel, and is great to combine fun colours and designs. It looks so much better on than in a flatlay - so here are some modelled pics.
I have been asked a lot about boyleg swimmers for girls - after finding a base pattern (Mountain Ash Designs "Blythe") - I mashed them with some of my favourite swimmers and came up with Puff Sleeve Boyleg Toggers and Simple Boyleg Toggers - more variations will be added over time!
Last on my make list are two piece "Zikini's". I'm working on different styles, trying to make them fun to wear while still providing coverage. These puff sleeves ones (Little Lizard King "Maui") aren't on my regular make list yet, but hopefully will be soon.
Have a wonderful summer!
From Michelle
Sunday's Belle
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