bam! i'm dropping bombshells...

You guys, I love the beach. Have I told you that before? Surely I must have. I love it so much, sometimes I go there straight after work. Hell, sometimes I go there during work! (You know, to clear my head... don't hate...) I love thrashing about in the surf, I love the sun and the sand, and I love people watching... and I have this theory that a visit to the beach is an instant mood uplifter - good for the soul... something to do with clearing away the negative ions...
But here's the thing - for someone who loves the beach so much, and spends a great deal of her time in her swimsuit - for the past however-many years the state of said swimsuits have been utterly tragic! Tragic, I tell you! My swimwear has been mostly comprised of assorted mismatched bikini tops and bottoms that I've amassed over the years, probably discarding the matching half when it got too faded or the elastic gave way... or I just lost the other half... You see, as someone who loves the beach so much, I wasn't terribly concerned about what I wore to the beach... it was more about just getting my ass onto the beach and having a good time! A philosophy which I still stand by, but as my interest in owning well made, stylish clothes (made by my own two hands) grew, it only stands to reason that this desire would bleed into my swimwear attire as well.

So what exactly am I getting at here? I'm getting at this little purple number! Dudes!! I made a frigging swimsuit! And it's awesome and flattering and makes me feel like a million (dollar mermaid - cheers to those that get the reference)!
This is Closet Case File's Bombshell Swimsuit, view A. When Heather asked me if I would be a pattern tester for this I literally jumped at the opportunity. And maybe did a little chair dance too. You see, in my secret, self-centered brain I like to think that Heather made this pattern just for me because I once let slip in a comment on her blog the shameful state of my swimwear. I described how saggy my drawers were that every time I got hit by a wave I came up baring my ass to the entire beach! I like to think that it was this gruesome visual alone that drove her to literally work her ass off making this swimsuit pattern available to me all of us.

You can thank me later (wink).

I feel like I have so much to say about this beauty! First of all, it's ridiculously flattering - just ask any of the women who've tested it (so far I've seen Lauren's, Novita's, Carolyn's, and of course, Heather's - but I'm sure there are more out there that I've missed). While I might be the type to roll up to the beach in the skimpiest, most ill-fitting bikini, and to hell with anyone that might give me even the slightest side eye - that doesn't mean that I'm without my own set of body issues - or that there aren't times that I wished I had arrived looking more covered and respectable (pool parties, anyone?) And this suit totally puts those anxieties to rest. I feel covered, supported, flattered, shapely, etc. etc. etc. ad infinitum.... Basically, this suit has all the qualities of a good lover!
And, as a total swimsuit-sewing-newbie, I felt like it was really pretty painless to make. Heather's instructions are clear, well illustrated, and hand-holding. I took everything one step at a time and didn't run into any mishaps. I was nervous about inserting all that elastic, but it was actually a total breeze. I'd say the pattern is best suited for intermediate sewers, but it would also be a great learning experience for a beginner. Especially since Heather will be hosting a sewalong for the pattern and I think we can expect even more tips and tricks.

And, yes, it can totally get wet!

So here's the nitty-gritty! As I said, I made View A. I cut a size 8 for the bust and waist (because those matched my measurements) and then graded between an 8 and a 10 for the hips/butt area because I was in-between sizes. I may have been able to just rely on the stretchiness of the swim fabric to deal with that extra inch of butt, but since the whole point of this swimsuit is to flatter the curves, I decided to give myself the extra room. And I'm super happy with the fit - so it worked! And that's great news for those of you that might also be in-between sizes - this is an easy pattern to work with!
I used a matte milliskin spandex from Spandex World (bonus: getting a phone call regarding shipping and being greeted with "Hi Sallie, this is so-and-so from Spandex World!" I don't know why I thought it was so funny... but I nearly guffawed into the phone!) and a nude swimwear lining (also from Spandex World... teehehee) I ordered rubber swimwear elastic and swim cups from SewSassy. The swim cups are great - just enough to give light shaping without looking weird. All of these materials were super high quality and I'd recommend them to anyone nervous about buying swimwear supplies.

And here's the exciting part! Think of it as your reward for getting all the way to the end of the post (truly, I always try to keep my words to a minimum... but I just can't help myself!) Heather has agreed to offer one Bombshell Swimsuit Pattern as a giveaway! I've never done a giveaway before, and somehow I think it's totally fitting that this pattern be my first one (after all, Heather made it for me... right... rright?!?) So this is what we'll do:
To enter just leave a comment on this post! You can tell me about how much you love the pattern, or the beach... or what your spirit animal is... you know, whatever you feel like!
The giveaway is open to anyone, anywhere since the pattern is downloadable.
I'll close the giveaway next Sunday at 8pm US Central time, which gives you a nice little window of time to get it before the sewalong starts (and enough time for those of you that don't win the giveaway to still get your patterns)!

UPDATE! The giveaway is now closed - thank you to everyone who entered!!
So let's do this thing!! Oh! And in case you were wondering - my spirit animal is a smallish lizard (think chameleon or iguana)... don't ask... just trust...
xx