I tried on the suit sans elastics to check the fit after I taped & cut the PDF and graded the pattern between sizes to my measurements.
am one happy girl! A whole swimsuit! I made this!!! I swam in custom made swim suits for swim team and water polo in high school. Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined that years later if be making my own. Wow!
Next version, I'll curve the back leg, add a little more fabric and reduce the elastic a little so it cups my bum more.
Notice the weird blip at the side seam? When I fixed the shelf bra and elastic, I re-sewed it into the wrong spot. This is not the kind of garment that you really want to be ripping and re-stitching. A good learning experience.
Grandpa came to the US from Denmark when he was 16. He spoke no English, had nothing more than a 3rd grade education. He was kicked off the farm to work when he was 5 years old and that was as far as he completed before the need to make money for his family (the reason he left the first time) trumped school. He taught himself English.
While in the states, the depression hit, hard. One of the ways he was able to survive was to box for food. Whenever chance arose and I saw a copy of this photo as a kid, I was amazed by the broad shape of his chest, his muscle definition and how lean he was. I imagined he wore silk boxer shorts and marveled at how the ruddy, pink cheeks are quite the family trait.
Months ago, as I photo'd myself in my current ready to wear swim suit to compare the fit of it to the Jalie 971 I was making, I looked at the poses I naturally made. I was just being silly. And wonder of wonders, I had posed exactly like Grandpa! Whoa! That made me feel more like an athlete and so very much a part of a family legacy than ever before. You see, Grandpa died 6 months before I was born. So I don't even have memories of him. Yet, I have always felt connected to him. Hmm...