We’ve really been feeling the Dragon theme around here, but last time I got left out of all the fun! I knew I could make it up to myself with the new round of fabrics up for pre-order from Pink Zeppelin that feature All. The. Scales. (Seriously, everything from lizard to alligator are represented, including a rainbow of traditional mermaid scales!)
I received these stunning rainbow dragon scales in the swim base to work with, and I was immediately entranced by their beauty. So entranced, in fact, that I spent a feverish 24 hours trying to figure out what pattern could possibly do them justice!
I settled on the KBSD wrap bikini top (at $4 its a steal!) and the panel undies from RAD Patterns. Both were companies and patterns I had never tried before- a slightly dangerous thing to do with an irreplaceable strike off, but the dragon scales had me thinking dangerously. I’ve seen quite a few wrap top bikinis on Pinterest, and I really wanted to create the look with these scales.
The pattern instructions for the top were brief, at best, and would not be suitable for your first foray into swim. There are a few things I would change next time, including turning them out through the straps or the bottom instead of a hemmed opening in the lining for a cleaner finish, but the drafting is solid and the option for multiple cup sizes is great!
It’s plenty supportive for me, without powermesh, but my A/B cups don’t need a lot of support, so you might want to add cups and mesh if you’re larger busted.
I love how easy it is to nurse in it (Princess confirmed this during its maiden voyage to the pool), the simplicity of the pattern, and how quickly it came together. I also added a swim hook at the neck rather than ties, so I wouldn’t have to worry about them coming undone by a grasping baby!
While this pattern doesn’t take a ton of fabric, each front and side is all one piece, which means you do need a full yard to sew it up, unless you want to piece together the sides, which is something to keep in mind when ordering. Overall, I’m quite enchanted by this top, and will definitely use this pattern again.
For the bikini bottoms, I used the panel undies pattern by RAD Patterns, so I could incorporate power mesh into the sides. This worked really well, except for the fact that these are designed for a narrower or a picot edge elastic- so my briefs are a tad cheekier than I would prefer. But I love this fabric so much, I’ll just shore up my confidence and parade around proudly in them…as I had to do in the middle of our public park, to take these pictures! People were…intruigued….to say the least!
If you’re new to swim, you’ll want to check out my blog post on supplies HERE- but don’t be intimidated. Custom swim is some of the best to learn on, and a little goes a long way!
Do you wish you could sew with swim but feel intimidated? Ask questions below- and I’ll answer and/or whip up a blog post to help!
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You can check out all the other scales available for preorder HERE– open through 6/25. Or use their google doc order form: https://goo.gl/forms/7UlxgAfxRoZ6Kbfs1 Use code Layaway or fat half for those options.
Note: There are no affiliate links in this post! Everything is for your convenience- I won’t make any $$ but I have an awesome suit!