I've loved the Alison pattern ever since BurdaSyle uploaded it but i've never been much of a beachy/swimmer kinda girl so didn't really have much of a need for it. A trip to the beach the other week made me realise i was missing out, it was so much fun, the girls loved it too but i do need to work on my sunscreen application (ahem!).
I'm relatively pleased with how it turned out but there are a number of changes i will make in my next one, yes i plan to make it again. The bust gave me some trouble, it was way too big so i took each side in about an inch and tapered to the bottom, this was a huge improvement. I had wanted to add underwires but they kept poking out of the fabric, then i saw Cintia had posted a vintage swimsuit in her online shop which had elastic sewn in under the bust (lightbulb moment!)
The other troublesome part was the band that attaches around the back and extends into the straps. I struggled to figure out how to attach them in a way i could then continue sewing the straps and keep it looking tidy. I attached and unpicked a few times and finally ended up top stitching which i still find untidy. It is also too wide which makes it stick out.
I find the bust is looser than i'd like but by making a few adjustments this will be fixed.
So, i'll be making the following adjustments when i make this again...
- Bag the bust out with the body so no seams show (i'll show what i mean when i do it)
- Lengthen the torso at the front slightly (it's quite short even for me!)
- Make the same bust adjustment i made this time
- Overlock the leg elastic in then fold over and stitch (rather than overlock edges, fold over then stitch in elastic, it's too scratchy)
- Sew elastic under bust, stretching a little more than i did
- Stitch in the cups at the seam and through the centre of the lining (see 2nd photo above)
- Move the back strap up an inch or so and make it slightly tighter
- Figure out the best way to add the band/strap and stretch it more as i sew it in to stop it sticking out
Hopefully by making all these adjustments i will have the perfect fit. It's a great pattern but like most (all?) patterns it needs some work to fit well. You can see a number of other Alison swimsuits here.
