Swimming pool camouflage – sewing a lingerie set

Bright blue lingerie and sunny days are reminding me that summer will eventually come back around the corner. Makes me want to jump in the pool. But the pools are still covered with tarps and the water is green and not blue from the algae.

Meanwhile the sun and the blue bewitch me, and I can almost smell the blooming flowers that are nowhere near yet. Hard to believe that the origin of this swimsuit-lingerie set lays in a moment of complete frustration.

Some weeks back I found a piece of, as I thought, awesome silk fabric. Knitted instead of woven, so the structure makes the fabric elastic.
Stretchable silk?! What a dream!

Silk leggings, silk lingerie… all that could be possible now.

To explain my excitement, silk feels awesome on the skin. But since most of the time it comes as a woven fabric, it isn’t stretchy whatsoever. That is why it isn’t possible to sew stretchy clothes such as leggings with it.

I decided to make this my new favourite project, meaning I was willing to put a lot of dedication into it.

Starting devotedly by brainstorming about the perfect colour.

To then dying the fabric.

Chemicals, measurements and hours of waiting, later I discover, that my fabric doesn’t take the colour at all.

Turns out it wasn’t even silk in the first place. A wrong tag mislead me to assume and the enthusiasm prevented me from double checking.

I am standing there now with a dirty white huge piece of fabric, that I do not want to work with at all.

Complete resignation is difficult in such a moment. It is getting late I am tired and now I should just leave it at the frustration?
I grab some nylon, throw it into the dying pot.

Some swimming pool blue nylon is the result of that day.

Not too bad.

Nylon has the awesome characteristic of drying quickly while it is stretchy and reflects every colour in bright shades.
That lead me to the idea of making a swimsuit out of it quite instantly. Additionally encouraged by the clear blue vibrant colour of the fabric, that reminds me of a swimming pool in the summer sunlight.

The flickering light changing the surface of the water with every breeze that is touching it.

This is where I grab my fabric box and pull out the piece of material, that once caused me a headache and a frustrated evening. And feel that the time is just right to give it a try.

Meanwhile I find it difficult to choose from all the ideas and projects I want to sew. I did set some boundaries. I am trying to sew only things that I can truly love and use all the time. Such as my latest trouser conversion venture. Or sew for the learning-of-new-skill’s sake.

This lingerie-swimsuit set combines the two.

I don’t have to choose between swimwear or lingerie, while the first is pretty much just taking space in the closet for most of the time. When I go swimming, I tend to forget any swimming gear anyways. I barely manage to carry a towel with me, but making a difference between lingerie and swimwear was never a strength of mine.

While the learning part, was trying out techniques on how to sew stretchy and delicate fabric with my old Viking (that’s the sewing machine).

Turns out it might not be ideal, but it is very possible.

Cutting out fabric using a pattern, I made a while ago...

...thats for the bottom part

…and copying the pattern of a bralette I like for the top

…pinning

…choosing threads

…sewing

...creating off cuts

...my favourite part

...et voilà!

the top

the bottom

The sunny days are already here, the lingerie set is made now I must wait for the swimming pools to uncover to dive in, camouflage myself in the clear blue chloride water.

Or I leave them be and go on a search for some ice blue mountain rivers reflecting the sunshine, to swim in.

Eighter way it was a pleasure to have you around! Have a wonderful week!

As usual all photos are mine taken by me during and after the project.