I wasn’t the only person in need of new togs for Thailand.  Both of my daughters needed (wanted) some too! This time it was Kwik Sew 3605 to the rescue.

These are for Clare. Boy leg bathers bottoms, and a coordinating tankini top. The bottoms were made from scraps, and the top from a small piece of fabric that someone had given me. I had to cut the straps from another swimsuit fabric that was in stash.

The pants are super simple. Cut two of one pattern piece, seam the inner legs, then seam the crotch. Add elastic to the leg edges and the waist then you’re done! The pattern has great instructions that include the elastic measurements and how to apply it. I used the overlocker for seaming, but the machine for applying the elastic.

The cups are lined, and the upper back and underbust seams are reinforced with elastic. After the success of this pair I decided to make Clare a second pair that she could mix and match with the first.

This pair uses the same fabric as I used for the straps of the first pair. It’s from Rathdowne Fabrics, and the colours in the stripes really speak to me. Sadly I didn’t pay as much attention to matching the stripes while sewing as I should have, although I did pay attention to it when cutting.

Oh, those slightly misaligned stripes are going to drive me nuts every time that I look at these bathers! Clare however couldn’t care less. I did a better job on the top.

Stella didn’t want to be left out either. She has been asking for a pair of bathers with an attached skirt for a while now, and finally got her wish.

This fabric also came from Rathdowne Fabrics. There are metallic dots in various part of the print, which she loves. The pattern has a separate skirt, but I just basted the top of it to the top of the pants and treated them as one.

Kwik Sew also tells you where you need to stretch the elastic – around the bottom of the briefs – and where to have it in a one to one ratio – around the front of the legs. That is SO helpful! The first few times I made bathers I overstretched the elastic. Remember that bathers are usually made with negative ease, so the elastic will be stretched on the body anyway. It’s just around those more definite curves where you might need the elastic to pull in just that little bit more. They just aren’t comfortable if the elastic is too tight and digs in!

The construction of the top for Stella was exactly the same as the construction for the other two pairs of bathers. And guess what….there is a “new togs for Thailand – part 3” blog post in the works!