Pineapples and togs are great in the Sunshine State

I have been sewing. I seem to have a sewing mojo of sorts. I've needed a white top for a long while. I used the  Ottobre top pattern I traced and changed late last year. I cut the arm holes out a little bit more too. I pinched out a dart size wedge out of the back neckline too. I used some fabric from the fabric sale last year... this piece was .50 cents so it was a very small investment. This is with a floor length tiered skirt I bought in Cyprus in 2009. It's made of beautiful soft cotton voile... I say it's floor length but that's when it's sitting under my armpits... I used to wear it as a strapless dress... you can see how high it its high on my body. Sorry about the bra... it is a terrible bra in quality and shape or lack thereof. Lucky I bought two (not)... they deteriorated in just a number of weeks but I realised when I was wearing the white shirt, I had no other white bra.

I also traced the Ottobre skirt pattern from the current issue. I know I said I saw a maxi dress in that pineapple fabric, but no it really wanted to be a maxi skirt. The white top comes in handy with this skirt too.

It's a really simple pattern and you only trace one piece with the back slightly smaller than the front just at the waist tapering down to nothing about half way down. I cut the waistband but as I was sewing it, and the waist had stretched a bit and was just a bit big, I decided to make a casing and elastic. It doesn't gather much which is perfect but it's easy to get on and off and its a cool outfit that I've liked wearing.  I cut it against the grain to make it fit... it's quite wide at the bottom and it would only fit on my length like this. It's not great quality.. it's already pilling a bit, but I'm not concerned. This is a perfect quick easy outfit to put on with my togs to get to the pool.

I don't have a freckly neck :) but I do have fraying exposed bias facing

 Jump back to the top... the photos jumped into any random order... I cut bias bands for the neck and turned it to the outside and left the edge raw so it would fray. It won't fray however, because the fabric has metallic threads running through it. I bought a length of this from the fabric sale a few years ago, still unused, and I remember the woman telling me this. Leaving the bias raw was not the best move .. I love the look, but with this fabric, it's a bit scratchy.

Oh the house paint...and my missing foot. Sorry such bad iPhone photos. I like a maxi to be maxi, but not sweep the floor... I like it to my ankle bones. I actually lengthened the skirt by about 8 cm from the original length. I'm not usually a fan of novelty prints, but I love the pineapples.

I'm a bit hooked on assembling all the togs I had cut out and not started or finished. This is the last pair for now. The McCalls pattern also did not have a back lining in their suit so I made one up  in some power net. I basted the lining to the front and back. I'm not normally a baster, but I found when I didn't on the Jalie one, the lining slipped a tiny bit and it's a bit quicker to baste and then zoom through.

I sewed the shelf bra for extra support, but alas, the pattern is a size 10 and they don't fit i.e. the togs don't fit not the girls in the bra. (I've sewed the side seams up already). It's a really easy pattern and it actually has the shelf bra included in the pattern. I used elastic that was slightly wider than recommended but heck, no one will know the difference. The lycra is textured .. the aqua is a raised narrow stripe and the white is also a slightly narrower stripe but it's a sort of open weave.

I used Katherine from Strawberry Milk Run's strap tutorial. Katherine blogs at Bloom's Endless Summer and started Strawberry Milk Run blog for swimwear tips and even has a terrific FREE colour blocked bikini pattern. I wish that would fit me..ha.. but the tips and tutorials there are terrific and you can see my very professional looking straps above. I made mine with Katherine's method 2.
Started sewing your own swimwear yet? What are you waiting for...it's so easy. (I'm not looking at you Collette!) I hope to finish these tomorrow.