Summer by the Lake Swimsuit GIVEAWAY!!!! CLOSED.

Believe it or not, this was perhaps the most difficult thing I've ever sewn. No, I take that back. Next to the kindergarten pinafore, this was the most difficult thing I've ever sewn.......due to the fact that spandex was created in the bowels of hell. No kidding. For reals. If you've ever tried to sew spandex together you know what I mean. The material reeked havoc on my sewing machine. Every other time I'd try to start a new line, the bobbin would snag the thread or the thread would fail to catch at all. And when I'd try to stretch the fabric....snap....and I'd have to start all over. UGH. Does anyone know if there is such a thing as spandex thread? That might have helped. Three bag fulls of hell shreds later and this was what emerged.

What I had in mind was a very retro looking bathing suit, the kind you see in sepia photographs. I compromised somewhere between the top and the bottom. And considering the material, it came out surprisingly similar to my original sketch. The era I was going for was "Lake Wobegone" although the setting in my mind was a summer vacation somewhere in the Poconos.

The colors I chose were very classic. Red, blue and a dirty white. The suit is pinched at the waist by a red and white striped belt with an anchor buckle. I was so thrilled to find the buckle in my local sewing outlet which carries these out-of-date oddities but absolutely no spools of thread or any of the normal fabric store staples. It's a strange place that smells funny but I like it. I added a "boy short" bottom to the legs and rouched the red and white striped sides. The straps start out from the outer edges of the top like a lot of retro bathing suits and tie at the neck like a halter.

Okay, but seriously, my favorite part of this swimming suit has nothing to do with the suit itself. It's the darling little head cap that I found online. I have to admit, Lily hated it. She cried when I first put it on her head as it covered her eyes. After I sewed the top to fit her tiny scalp better, she merely tolerated it until I told her she could take it off. Paired with the blow-up ball all things came together like Beach Blanket Bingo.

One more thing, I had Lily wear her underwear underneath the bathing suit so as to keep it *new*. If you know what I mean;)

Seeing as this is a very stretchy material, I'd say it could fit anywhere from a 2T-4T.

And one more thing, for real this time. I noticed someone commented on Lily's shoes in the last post and I was so giddy that someone noticed. It may seem like I have a shoe for every occasion but in reality it's always a dilemma. I never have an appropriate one for the dress and make many fruitful trips to the thrift store. I get quietly thrilled when I find what I'm looking for. So, yes, thanks for noticing:)

Last day for posts is Tuesday 8/19/08. Winner will be announced Thursday morning!

As usual, if you would like a chance to win this swimsuit just link back to this post. If you have any questions see the "questions and answers" link to the right. If you use blogger just use the "create a link" link at the bottom of this post. If you don't use blogger, that's fine too. Just create a link on your page as you normally would and I will see it using Technorati.

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