What I’m using:
Megan Nielsen’s Rowan and Acacia patterns.
A stretch needle in my sewing machine, but not in my overlocker.
Swim fabric (spandex/nylon blend) from Pitt Trading.
Swim lining (bottoms only) from The Remnant Warehouse.
A chunky plastic open ended zipper (51cm) from Spotlight.
A couple of strips of light to medium weight iron-on interfacing.
I’ve used the turtle neck t shirt pattern pieces from Rowan, but instead of cutting the front pieces on the fold, they’ve been cut into two pieces with a bit of seam allowance added for the zipper. I’ve added the same allowance to the neckband piece. The first video covers the basic construction of the rashie – sewing the front pieces to the back and sewing in the sleeves.
The second video shows how I add sleeve bands instead of hemming the sleeves and also adding the neck band.
The third and final video shows how to interface the front edges to stabilise them before adding the zip. Then I finish off the neck band and hem.
Super awesome bonus round:
Making matching, fully lined bikini bottoms from the free Acacia pattern!
I make swimmers from underwear patterns quite often and this is something I get asked about all the time. What takes something from knickers to swimwear? Let me show you. Spoilers: Fabric choice, lack of gusset, including a lining and leg and waistbands instead of picot.
I also added some height to these are they are quite low.
