A couple of years ago I sewed my first swimsuit and I think it turned out pretty great. There were some issues because the pattern didn’t have lining in the design but I winged it. I pranced about in it for a few hours and then put it away. It was ready to go…..but the life happened and I didn’t go to the beach for a while so I forgot about it. Fast forward a few years, I finally went to the lake for a few days so I took along 8 swimsuits. 8!

Why 8? I wanted to try them all out before I wore them in front of friends to see if they were ok. Bend testing, sit testing, swim testing…etc. Also I hate wearing wet bathing suits, if you go to the beach a couple times a day you need fresh suits. The last thing you want is to be on a beach with friends and find out your swimsuit is scandalous. A boob pops out, the seam rips or it’s see through. Best to have my husband pre- check them all. I don’t have pictures of them all but I did find out some important issues.

See this beauty? When it goes in the water the lining shows on the bum. Oh No! I think I will either have to redo the whole bum or just cut the lining out in the back. Thank goodness only the bathing suit inspector saw it!

I also tried my swim cover up which is actually pretty cute on but the weather was 35 degrees and the fabric was so hot. I didn’t think of that when I picked the pretty organza….not good for really hot weather.

Other issues during the inspection….I had a bikini crop top that looked so cute on, roll up every 2 seconds on me so I will have to adjust that and then a very cute bikini which looks great on but is so scandalous that I am sure all the strict Mennonites on the beach had to go home and wash their eyes out with soap. It ties together in a string circle in the front….it shows a lot of skin. Does it look bad? Surprisingly no….would I want to wear it out with friends….absolutely not

The bathing suit inspector gave that one the thumbs way up……so obviously he can be bribed into giving unsafe suits the pass. Duly noted….do not trust the inspector on all reviews.

Just a side note to anyone looking for a plus sized swimsuit (AKA size 12 and up), if you don’t feel like sewing one I would recommend Shein (Shein Curve). They have a wonderful selection of beautiful suits that look great on all sizes. They are sexy and have coverage like high waisted bottoms, rouching, etc. They even have some with sleeves. They are well made, lined and super cheap. I like sewing swimwear but the fabric is so expensive so I can only make one per year. I have so many fun swimsuits from Shein and I feel great in them…and they are not paying me to say that. You can look through the reviews and see them on real people and get an idea what they might look on you. 100% it will show you that anyone can pull off a 2 piece suit.