Thursday, October 21, 2010

D I Y- VINTAGE HIGHWAIST

So Ive been wanting to show you guys these little vintage high waist bathers that I made for a while now. Basically I bought a vintage full piece suit and refashioned them into a high waist bikini bottom. I have others in the pipeline that aren't quite done yet because I want to refashion bikini tops to go with them! Ill show you those when I get there... haha. Anyway, Ive done a little tutorial for those that are interested in making some for themselves. Im a self taught sewer, so I basically guess how to do things. Sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn't... but thats the way I like it. Luckily for me, these worked out just fine : ).





This is the full swim suit before I hacked into it :)

Step One:
Before cutting the suit in half horizontally try them on and mark the best spot. Since they will be 'stretched' when you put them on always mark at least 2cm above where you think you should cut.

Step Two:
Try the bottoms on. You will notice that they are very floppy around your waist! You will need to pin darts(shown below) on each side of your hip to make sure they fit nice and snug around your waist. Dont do them too tight or too loose. One youve been the darts, stitch them on a sewing machine.


Step Three:
Pin thick or thin black elastic all the way around the top edge of the bottom piece. I always use lots of pins when I use elastic. I find it much easier to sew!


Step 4
Sew the elastic with your sewing machine. I usually use a zigzag stitch on thin elastic like this. If you use thick elastic (which I would recommend for these because it will help flatten your tummy and therefore you avoid bits hanging over the top) you should just do a straight stitch on both the top and bottom edge of the elastic.


et viola :)





14 comments:

  1. I like wkat you've done with this swim suit and I have to say the pictures are great! Good job! :)

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  2. great idea. shanae grimes from 90210 was just spotted out in the same bathing suit. i totally want to try it out next summer. you're talented, my mother has a sewing machine but if only i knew how to work it! LOL

    xoxo

    http://genevieveandlola.blogspot.com

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  3. ooohhhh!!! thankyou so much for sharing this! the idea of making them from one pieces is so smart, i love that idea, i was actually considering making some high waisted bathers myself but had no idea where i could obtain that lycra material or make the elastic but you make it look do-able so thankyou.

    i will defs attempt this during my break and will be sure to show you if i get anywhere :P though for now, i have to study for my exams next week!

    xxx

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  4. Oh thankyou JELENA! I think you did a great job with the McCall's M6175. Trust me, youre much better at sewing than I am! haha

    LOLA- we dont get the new 90210 eps here so Im not sure who she is. I tried looking it up but cant seem to find the pics! Would be very interesting to see! And if your mum has a sewing machine, you should get onto youtube and look up sewing tutorials! I got my machine last christmas without a clue what I was doing. Youtube taught me everything! You will do fine :)

    KANI- My pleasure! I tried to make some from scratch first and they didnt quite work out! I dont know why I didnt think of this idea earlier either! haha. I should definetely be getting on with my exam study too!! Goodluck!

    xoxox

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  5. You look TOO sexy!! Gorgeous!!! :)
    You did a great job!!!

    ♡♡,
    Shari
    http://aviatorshades.blogspot.com

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  6. A great D.I.Y. project. I would have never thought to cut up a bathing suit. Great inspiration!

    www.fashionablyblack.blogspot.com

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  7. you pull off these high-waist bathers perfectly!! i would probably look like a doofus hehe. so glad i've come across your blog, I see that you're a big lover of vintage just like me, and this DIY post is fantastic!

    definitely following you!

    thank you for dropping by, hope to see you around again soon or follow too if you like?!



    youronlyblackswan.blogspot.com

    x Your Only Blackswan

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  8. absolutely loving your take on these bathers, i personally love high waisted bikinis and refuse to buy anything else!

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  9. Olive: agreed! They are especially useful on those days when Im feeling wayyy too bloated to be wearing a regular bikini :) haha.

    Blackswan: Thankyou! Love your blog to and yes I am following aswell :D

    Sharina: Thanks for the lovely words. Your blog is soo cute, love it :)

    Fashionablyblack: I dont know why I didnt think of this earlier either! You should see the one I attempted to make from scratch a while back. What an absolute disaster!!!


    xoxoxoxo

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  10. This is SO awesome! I'm glad I stumbled upon your blog! Your style is awesome. =)

    -Erin (keepcalmandstyleon.blogspot.com)

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  11. ur tutorial is @ buzzfeed! Great DIY! Going to try it out.

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  12. Great tutorial and you look AMAZING!! I would like like a granny in this :(. You rock it!

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  13. Hello!
    I am the editor of AllFreeSewing and I just love this pattern. I would love to feature a description and photo of your tutorial on my site with full credit to you. I know my readers would just love it and in return would generate some nice traffic to your site. If you agree and would like us to feature your project, our readers will simply click the link to your blog to get your full tutorial, which is great for traffic to your site.

    If you are interested in featuring more projects like this one with links to your site, I'd be happy to send you our simple blogger agreement which gives us permission to link to your site. Let me know and I'll send it your way. You can send me an email at kpope@primecp.com

    This site is part of Prime Publishing LLC and we publish 20 cooking and crafting web sites. We have over 4 million active e-mail subscribers and about 12 million page views per week. You can learn more about us at www.primecp.com.

    Thanks, and look forward to hearing from you!

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  14. I LOVE IT!!! Great job omg :)

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