June Challenge: Hello Bombshell!

Say hello to the last project I sewed up before moving! June was Indie Pattern Month, so I decided to go with an indie company that I’d never used before: Closet Case Files. I purchased the Bombshell pattern last summer, but never got around to it. I’m kind of glad that I didn’t, since I had no clue how to work with spandex last year. 

The Basics: 

Pattern: Bombshell swimsuit, view A

Fabric: 1.5 yards of green spandex (leftover from my latest Rogue project), and 1 yard of white moleskin for the lining (leftover from my first attempt at Jupiter)

Alterations: Tapered from an 18 at the bust to a 16 for the rest of the pattern. Added 2″ of length.

Notions: Swimwear elastic.

Make it again?: Absolutely. I completely adore this pattern. I’d love to make both the halter and bikini versions! Now I just need to find friends with pools 😛 

Favorite parts: Uh, everything? The gathering was annoying to do, but it resulted in a very flattering finish. I love how it’s sexy even though it provides full coverage! I don’t feel like I’m going to have any kind of wardrobe malfunction. 

Other thoughts: I am so, so glad that I waited on this swimsuit. It’s everything that I hoped it’d be. Working on my Ms. Marvel and Supergirl definitely gave me the skills I needed to be happy with the final result on this. I did use the sewalong for extra guidance.

I made one major mistake early on, and it was such a rookie move. I didn’t look at the pattern pieces very well when I was assembling everything, so I wound up attaching the back side pieces together. After gathering them. Have I mentioned how much I hate seam ripping serger stitches? Re-stitching everything took a teeny bit too much seam allowance off of each side, so the suit is a tiny bit snugger than I’d like, but it’s not too bad. I just have to wiggle a bit to get it off and on. 

The gathering really was annoying. While I love the final result of gathers, the process of making them annoys the crap out of me. Has anyone tried gathering this on a serger before attaching the pieces together? I may try that with my next one. 

To provide a bit more support in the bust, I harvested some cups from an old bikini and added a bit of elastic under them to create a quasi-shelf bra. I don’t really notice the elastic, but the cups are a great help. They don’t provide a ton of support, but they do prevent nippage. 

I did mess with the front tab a bit. The pattern tells you to pull it down to where you sewed it on the front and stitch in the ditch. I tried it on and pinned it according to instructions, but it made my boobs look super weird. Instead, I sewed it to the top with the elastic. It was a weird process, but it looks much better on me. 

Overall, this suit fits beautifully. I had a tiny bit of gaping with the top elastic, so I’ll have to cut my next one down to 80% of the overall length as Heather suggests. 

Not bad for a stashbusting project! I think I spent a total of $4 for the elastic (an extra $11 if you count the pattern). Now I just need to convince the BF to go with me to New Braunfels for some tubing. 

Have you guys made this pattern yet? What are your thoughts?

P.S. Did you guys see that the Sewaholic Cambie is now a PDF pattern? Yeah, I think it’s time to make another Cambie dress.