Ipswich Swimsuit Part 5: Finishing Up!

Last week I (almost) finished my Cashmerette Ipswich Swimsuit!

The long-awaited underwire channeling arrived just under the wire (get it?), and I sewed it in off-camera, which was a little tricky. I sewed the inner edge of the channeling to the bra cup seam allowance with the bra frame folded out of the way, then I sewed the outer edge of the channeling to the bra frame. When sewing in this channeling, I made sure that my two lines of stitching were not too close together. Because I needed to leave enough space for the underwire to get through the channel. My navy blue stitching makes it easy to see how wavy my lines were!

The next step was basting the bra to the swimsuit, wrong-sides-together. It was pretty straightforward, thanks to the Cashmerette Swimsuit Making for Curves video. After basting the bra in place, I sewed the side seams, which was a blessedly easy step…

…which brings me to the blastedly difficult step of sewing the straps to the swimsuit!

In my last post, I showed you how I prepared the straps by sewing the firm bra-elastic to them. I created two mirror-image straps that were folded in the same manner as bias tape. Then (after replaying the appropriate section of the Swimsuit Making for Curves video six or seven times) I sewed the first strap to the suit in one step. I sandwiched the suit inside the bias-tape-like strap and sewed all the layers together in one pass. The strap is purposely shorter than the suit edge so that, once sewn, it will hug my body when I’m wearing the suit. I find sewing bias tape in one step challenging with a woven fabric, and it was even more challenging with a knit that does not press well! 

If I wasn’t making this swimsuit as a series of blog posts, I would have tried it on while I was sewing it to make sure it fit. But, I was going to keep on making it regardless of whether or not it was perfect, so I didn’t try it on until after sewing the straps. I am pleased to say that it looks great from the front, but I may have to extend the center-back straps so I can close it. I made a Size 12 E/F, but I selected my size based on my measurements while standing. Jenny Rushmore suggests taking your measurements while sitting. Oops. Just one more example of how reading the directions several times is important!

I will definitely make this suit work. And, now that I know how to do it, I will also definitely make another Ipswich Swimsuit. This was a fun project, and we have several cute swimsuit knits and patterns that I now feel excited to try out! I’m keeping you in a little bit of suspense, but don’t worry! Once I adjust the back straps, we’ll post some pictures of the finished Ipswich product.

Thank you for joining me on this sewing adventure. While the pressure of sewing this Ipswich Swimsuit on camera was sometimes daunting, overall your participation in this project kept me motivated! Additionally, I’ve gained a new skill, and I thank those who have consistently tuned in, asked questions, and encouraged me.

Next Wednesday, June 3rd 2020, I embark on an entirely new project, and I hope you’ll join me!

-Kate