Sew A Little Seam Mairin Swimsuit

Testing the Pattern

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Hello friends! I am excited to share something I’ve been working on with you. I had the awesome opportunity to test another pattern a couple of weeks ago, and it just released this week. It’s called the Mairin Swimsuit by Kelly at Sew A Little Seam.

When I started my advanced sewing class in college, I remember going over the syllabus and seeing a swimsuit as a final project. I was so intimidated! I never dreamed I’d be able to make a wearable swimsuit. Alas, the project came and went, and it actually turned out pretty well. Of course, now after having three kids, that suit no longer fits me. But it definitely helped me realize it was possible.

It has been a while since my college days, so when this testing call came, I knew it was something I wanted to try. But I was a little intimidated again. After going through the testing and having made a couple swimsuits now, I can honestly say it is not only possible to sew swimsuits, but it is also quite fun.

The pattern Kelly created has so. many. options. You will never need another girls swim pattern. For my cute 2 year old, I did the bikini with peplum and neckband ruffle and narrow crossover straps. The bottoms are the high-waisted boy short option. I love how the fit and style turned out.

The pattern instructions set you up for success. I was nervous at first to do the narrow strap option, because binding can be tricky, and doing it with slippery swim fabric had me questioning my skills. But I followed the pattern instructions closely, and my bindings turned out gorgeous every time.

You may think you need special equipment to sew this, but honestly, you can do the whole thing on a sewing machine. I usually favor the serger when making clothes, but I used my regular machine for this.

A few techniques you’ll need for this:

• Double needle for stitching the edges
• Placing elastic as you sew- there are no casings or anything, so you’ll sew the elastic directly on it
• Using a stretch stitch- you can use a zig zag, or a long straight stretch with wooly nylon thread in the bobbin if your machine doesn’t have a good stretch stitch option
• Lining with swim liner- pattern has full and partial-lining options

I got my fabric and swim lining from Joann’s, as well as the swim elastic and stretch thread for my bobbin. However, there are some seriously cute swim fabric options at various places on line, one of which being my FAVE Raspberry Creek Fabrics. (I expect she’ll have more swim coming as summer gets a little closer.)

I’ll stop there, but I could go on and on about this pattern. Go and grab it today! Sew A Little Seam (this is my affiliate link)

If you try this pattern out, send me pictures of what you make! I’d love to see your creations!

❤ Kayliegh

***As always, if you have questions, send me a message through my contact page.