Swimwear, meet leggings. Leggings, meet swimwear.
September 1, 2013
Intending to have a crack at sewing up some swimwear, I bought some of this fabric with the intention of overcoming my fear of sewing lycra. That plan was thwarted by the girl child and step daughter falling hard for the fabric that is Neon Stretch.
Using this neat little tutorial, I traced a pair of each of the girls’ leggings in their respective sizes and had these sewn up in a couple of hours. Because I didn’t want them to look exactly the same, I cut each pair on opposing grainlines – being swimwear, it’s a two-way stretch. They love them, and for kids, nylon/lycra is really a great fabric choice for leggings. They’re infinitely more durable and don’t bag and seat like cotton versions often do.
And the available colour and print choices are pretty cool too.
Colette and Lisa collaborate to bring you this here Tessuti blog. Follow us to keep your finger on the pulse of new pattern releases, reviews, tips, techniques and a healthy dose of love and appreciation for all things fabric and sewing!
one question about your "suitable for swimwear" fabrics – are they chlorine-safe?
Hi Jen in Sunny (yes!) Melbourne. Whilst most 'fashion' swimwear is chlorine safe, they will still fade after a period of time. We recommend the usual care that comes with every swimsuit you seem to buy these days – cold water rinse and drip dry. Prolonged use in chlorine, combined with exposure to the sun, will always limit the life of swimwear. I spend a bit of time at the beach during summer and I seem to average a swimsuit a season which is annoying (given the exorbitant cost of swimwear these days) and the very reason I'd like to have a go at making my own. Hope that answers your question.
Whoa, those are some pretty spiffy shaping leggings! Cool photo :]
-Jackie