{Raspberry Creek Fabrics} Suit Up for Summer 2022

 

Hooray!  It's SEW ALL THE SWIM season! In 2018, I took the plunge (HA!) into sewing swimwear and I've not looked back.  It's my favorite thing to sew and probably my 'most worn' makes.   I'm happy to be back on tour with Raspberry Creek Fabrics for their swim tour -- I love sewing their swim!

raspberry creek fabrics always has an amazing selection of swim prints but I think they outdid themselves this year.  As I looked through the album, my list of favorites began to grow.  How could I even begin to choose?!  I enlisted my girls to make the selection -- at 11 and 13, they need to love it to wear it.

As my teen looked through the album, she fell in love with the tonal sage green tropical leaf print.  I tried to show her a few I had on my favorites list I thought she'd like, but she was insistent.  Then she saw it had a coordinating print for her little sister.  I love that they still love to coordinate, even out in public!  My youngest agreed that the gray and sage dinosaur leaf print was needed in her life.  I added the sage and white grunge stripe print to tie both suits together. Of course, don't forget the lining -- I am grateful RCF makes it a one-stop shop for all my swim needs.

As soon as these prints arrived, I knew my daughter was spot on for the selection.  They are gorgeous and the sage green color is such a pretty shade.  Despite making her loads of suits over the past few years, I went on the hunt for a new pattern that would work with her petite frame yet be cool for her new teenage status (well, in 2 weeks...).  Enter gigi by jalie patterns.  Not only does it come with 2 top front options, 2 top back options and 2 bottom options, it covers sizes from a 21" chest through 50" chest - that's 27 sizes!  She got to completely customize her suit which she loves to have control over the decisions.

The color-blocking aspect of the pattern made it super easy to incorporate both prints.

She loved the double closure back option and I think it offers great support and will stay in place during all her swimming and flipping.

My favorite reason for sewing swim is being able to achieve the perfect fit -- something that's impossible from the store. 

To say she's in love is an understatement.  She's smitten with every single detail and cannot wait to try this at the pool.

... and then there's my youngest.  She couldn't be more different from her older sister.  Her latest favorite swim pattern is zoe by jalie patterns.  I found this pattern a couple years ago and nearly quit while cutting out the pattern pieces.  It seemed so complicated and I really doubted my ability.  My daughter just knew I could do it so she cheered me on.  Once I was finished I couldn't believe I made it!  It's such a statement suit.  It also has the same amazing size range as the Gigi.

For this version, I added a folded zipper cover at the top which mimics a RTW suit we saw when we were out shopping.  It provides just that extra bit of comfort at the top of the zipper.

The pattern looks complicated with the inset sides, but it all comes together so easily.  

I love that she loves what she loves and wears it with pride.  I've made her several dino items over the years, but I think this is her favorite by a mile.

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Raspberry Creek Fabrics Swim Fabric details:

58” 225 GSM 82/18 poly spandex, at least 60% 4 way stretch.

50+ UPF protection. Perfect for swimsuits, rash guards, tennis skirts and more. The 18% spandex in this fabric means you will not end up with a sagging swimsuit at the end of the day.

Shopping RCF swim is easy and fun!  The listings contain the main colors in the title so you can easily find coordinates with the same color so you know they match!  The also have several coordinates such as stripes, dots, ginghams and more.  You can also find solids and matching boardshort material.  They seriously make it so easy to get all you need in one order.  click here to head to the shop.
While swim can seem intimidating, I find it's similar to sewing knits without the annoying curling of the fabric.  Here's a few tips/tricks I've used over the past 4 swim seasons:
☑ Figuring out your preferred stitches will help you be successful.  I like to use a long zig-zag on my regular sewing machine for finishing my elastic topstitching, despite owning a coverstitch machine.  ☑ If your stitches are skipping, you need a different needle!  I can tell when I forget to put my ball point needle in because be zigzag will have random straight stitches peppered throughout.☑ I tack all my seams together with tiny dabs of tacky glue before heading over to my machine.  It's easy to apply a small amount with the tiny nozzle and it dries quickly so it won't gum up your needle.☑ In lieu of expensive clips and pins that will poke holes in your fabric, use bobby pins from the dollar store!  They slip on without having to move the fabric and the have the perfect amount of grip to keep your layers in place. They are also way cheaper than clips.   (Of course, don't sew over the bobby pins...)☑ Don't tell anyone, but I use regular braided elastic from the store... shhh!☑ When topstitching your elastic with a zig-zag stitch, make sure you aren't sewing too close to the edge of the opening.  This will cause your elastic to flip out.  Remember that one side of the zig-zag stitch should "fall off" the elastic edge on the inside edge.  I use a 2.5L 4.0W zig-zag and line my edge of my suit with the edge of the foot.☑ For visual tips and tricks, visit my youtube channel or the LLK/Styla Sew Along group where I've hosted swim sew alongs for the past couple of years.

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For more inspiration and swim-sewing tips,

be sure to check all the other stops in the tour!

Thank you to all of our amazing sewists who are joining us this week!

Hosted by SewSophieLynn and Paisley Roots

Sew Hard of Hearing, I Em Sew Happy, Zaji-Kali Makes, Sewing with CWay

Sew Mary Mac, Lorelei Caroline, Sew With Summer, All My Spare Time

Made By Kates, The Imperfect Sewist, Intensely Distracted, Lovely for Life

Sew Whit Designs, Sew What with Afton, It's Liesel, Clothed in Vermillion

Kainara Stitches, Stacey Durant, Desert Blooms, That's Sew Kari

{Riley Blake Designs} Blissful Blooms by Lila Tueller

  

Swoon... I'm so excited that another Lila Tueller collection is here!  If you've read my blog for a while, I've been sewing Lila's collections since 2018 when I first discovered her and I love each one!  She has such a distinct design style that I cannot get enough of.  

blissful blooms by lila tueller for riley blake designs is a vibrant, bold collection that will remind you of a summer garden in full bloom.  The color palette consists of navy, purple, pink, eggplant and fuchsia.  These fabrics are simply stunning in person. 

Normally I am drawn to her main floral prints, but this time, I really fell in love with the smaller floral prints.   I really liked the fuchsia and navy combination and it's just as striking as I pictured in my mind.  

When I was shopping the collection, I immediately thought of the posie dress by peony patterns. I had been dying to try this pattern out and I'm so glad I did.  

The princess seamed bodice that blends into the skirt pockets make me so happy.  It's the perfect place for a bold contrast fabric such as the tonal fuchsia.  

It's important to take your time when adding the skirt so the bodice seams and pocket seams match up perfectly across the waist.  I basted it on first so I could easily adjust it if needed ( ... and I needed it. LOL).

The solid back is super pretty.  I am normally drawn to wooden buttons, but I found these light pink buttons in button jar that blend right in!

I know I will smile every time she wears this dress. This color combination completely suits her.  

You do not want to miss the blissful blooms collection -- shop it at your favorite quilt shop!

P.S. Lila, if you're reading this -- I cannot wait until your next collection in December!  Please never stop creating gorgeous fabrics!

Past Lila Tueller creations: 

• 

  Berkshire Garden | 2018

• 

  Sweet Melody | 2019

• 

  Hampton Garden | 2020

• 

  Glohaven | 2020

• 

  Lucy June | 2021

{Riley Blake Designs} On The Wind by Jill Finley of Jillily Studio

 

Spring is sooooo close, I can almost taste it! This past week, trees have budded, flowers have bloomed and everything is turning a bright shade of green.  I absolutely love the transition periods to the next season.  Of course, I'm trying to keep up with replenishing my youngest daughter's wardrobe to keep up with the warming temperatures. 

Jill Finley of Jillily Studio has released a fun and whimsical line called "on the line" for Riley Blake Designs.  This collection contains playful prints with kites, airplanes and pinwheels as well as subtle floral prints with dandelions.  Several coordinating prints complete the collection.

 

The dandelion prints caught my eye.  They reminded me of the budding beauty of Spring. I chose the Sky colorway and selected two coordinating prints - Windy Blush and Geometric Clover.

As soon as I saw the fabrics, I knew I wanted to sew carmelo by little lizard king.  I love the tiered skirt, oversized pockets, feminine sweetheart neckline and the show-stopping scalloped back.  It always makes the sweetest Spring dress.

The back is my most favorite detail.  I love setting the scallops against a contrasting fabric to really help the scallops pop.  I preferred the higher contrast of the Geometric Clover so I used the Windy Blush as lining.  

The scallops take a bit more patience to keep them perfectly curved, but I love seeing them take shape.  I used my Riley Blake Quilter's Clapper along with the Riley Blake Misting Bottle to help set the seams here before topstitching.

The pattern has an the option for an exposed zipper dress (which I love too!) but I loved how these green buttons matched the green fabric.

My daughter loves the pockets -- she always checks for them in every dress I make.  I really like this style of pocket over the inseam style pockets. These pockets are much easier to get her hands in and they are nice and roomy to sneak fidgets in them.  HA!

I can't get over how sweet and dainty this dress turned out.  This dress may be in the running for an Easter dress.

Find your yardage of ON THE WIND at your favorite quilt shop!

P.S. Stop back tomorrow to see my project for Riley Blake's BLISSFUL BLOOMS 😉

{Riley Blake Designs} Bluebonnet Breeze by Shealeen Louise

 

Spring is in the air, finally!  Warmer temps, birds singing and budding flowers always make me happier.  

When I saw Bluebonnet Breeze by Shaeleen Louise for Riley Blake Designs, I knew my youngest daughter would love it!  This collection is inspired by the Texas State flower -- the Bluebonnet -- and also features birds and butterflies.  The collection comes in three colorways -- blue, white and black.  The graphics are incredibly detailed -- you'll feel like you're in Texas at Springtime.  

I have never been to Texas, but I really wish I could have taken pictures of this dress in a bluebonnet field.

I really loved the butterflies on the sky blue background because they looked like they were flying all around.  I asked my daughter for her favorite print, expecting to confirm my choice.  However, she saw the birds with the butterflies and she was sold.  Of course, it's her dress so that's what we chose.  We lined it with a tonal bluebonnet print. 

Shortly before I received the fabric, the pattern I was planning on using retired.  As I was looking through all my patterns, I decided to let my daughter make all the choices.  She chose Westport by Little Lizard King -- she loves the collar and the flutter sleeves.  It's also dress-code friendly which is important to her as she still loves to wear mama-made to school (5th grade now!).

The silhouette of Westport is the perfect Spring dress.  I love the subtle nod to a dress shirt on the bottom hem.  The quality of the fabric makes ironing up the narrow hem along the curves so easy.  

Visit your favorite quilt shop to buy your

yardage of Bluebonnet Breeze today!