The Sew and Tell Project

A few days ago, wind chill values in my neck of the words were 50 degrees Fahrenheit BELOW zero. Yes, you read that correctly.

So what does a rational woman do in this circumstance? She signs up to test an adorable swimsuit for her little girl!

It has been awhile since I’ve tested a pattern. Lately, while I’ve been creating a lot and working on various projects around my house, I just haven’t had time to do a test with a deadline. But who could pass up this cuteness? Now you don’t need to wait any longer to sew a cute suit or leo for your girl! The Swan Lake Leotard and Swimsuit has released and is available for purchase at the release price of $6.75 today (1/19).

Like, seriously? Have you ever seen a cuter little swimmer? She is modeling her short-sleeved skirted version of the swimsuit in a size 4T made with fabric from the UV 50 swim fabric from Peek-a-Boo Fabric Shop. In fact the Paradise Floral UV 50 I used is still in stock and available here. I made her a short-sleeved version so she could have extra coverage at the splash pad this summer. The 4T length was a little long for her when I compared the finished measurements to her RTW clothing. However, I went ahead and made a straight 4T since I wanted to make sure it would still fit when all the cold and snow is gone.

I think she likes it, don’t you? While it has been a couple years since I was running to weekly ballet lessons with my older daughters, I think this one might be ready for some Mommy and Me dancing! During testing, several dance moms made both skirted and non-skirted leotards for their dancers!

One of my favorite features of this pattern is the simple classic scoop back. The neck hole is big enough that the child can easily pull her leotard on and off herself (even my 2.5 year old could do it!) but also provides full coverage which is a necessity when you are going to move around! For moms with younger babies, a snap crotch hack will be coming soon from the Sew and Tell team over at Peek-a-Boo Pages.

For one of my versions, I made a “double skirt” by cutting both a ruffle and a skirt piece. This one was made following the cut lines exactly for my size. I think it looks really cute, but I also could have easily lengthened the top ruffle or shortened the bottom skirt for an entirely different look!

Because I was using light swim fabrics, and for comfort, I chose to do the fully-lined option on my suit. It honestly only adds a little more cutting time and 3 more sewing steps to fully line your suit so I consider it well worth it!  If you are in need of white lining, PAB stocks very affordable white lining that I used for my suit! You’ll also need some 1/4″ or 3/8″ swim elastic.

I’m also happy to report that this design holds up very well to swimming. I plan to make several versions of this suit for all three of my girls.

The Swan Lake Leotard and Swimsuit is an excellent beginner swimsuit pattern! This is only my third and fourth kids swimsuit, and I promise you that working with swim knit is not that difficult.  I made most of each suit on my serger, and the tutorial includes step pictures and helpful tips to get the finished product you want!

If you are new to sewing with swim knits, check out our previous post on Tips and Tricks for sewing swimsuits!