Hey everyone! I am so excited to finally share this amazing mash up I worked on a little while ago. I know I said I would write this up sooner, but covid..quarantine...kids..a new puppy. Y'all get it. Better late than never, right? Just in time for summer to amp up, I present to you the amazing lace-up Power Sports Bra/North Shore Swimsuit mash up!
Materials
- main swim fabric
- swim lining
- power mesh/net (optional)
- straps (cut from main) 5 x 1" wide x 20" long **you may want one of them longer if you plan to tie a bow on your lace up area**
- ½" elastic (I use braided, swim would be awesome too)
- ¼" clear elastic
- 5mm grommets (I use 10 total)
First up, snag the patterns for the Power Sports Bra and the North Shore if you don't already have them. The North Shore is on sale for the month of June! You will need the Front Center and Front Side cup pieces from the Power Sports Bra and the Pullover Halter Back piece of the North Shore. Now, we will alter them a little.
I scoop out the neck of the Front Center a bit so that it's a tad lower of a cut to give a more "swimsuit" neck line. I also narrow the "strappy" cut line ½" total (¼" along the arm side and ¼" along the neckline) because the straps we are going to be using are a bit narrower than the pattern calls for. Also, add 1" to the bottom of the pieces for the main fabric, and ¾" for the lining and the power mesh.
Now, we cut our pieces. The back will be cut on the fold, one of the main and one of the lining. For the front, you will cut mirror images of both pieces *DO NOT CUT THE CENTER ON THE FOLD* in your main fabric, lining fabric, and power mesh.
Assemble your Center and Side cups as you would according to the PSB instructions, easing the side into the curve of the center. Next attach each of these two front pieces to opposite sides of the back piece, right sides together, You will now have one long "main" piece. Topstitch if desired.
You are going to be doing the same with your lining pieces, but I will show you here how I add a "pocket" between my power mesh and my swim lining in order to add a space to insert/remove cups. First, I assemble my center and side cup pieces as we did with the main fabric. Next I like to cut ¼" off of the side cup with my serger, then I fold that under and topstitch for a clean look.
Now, layer your lining on top of your power mesh and baste together. These are now treated as one piece as your new lining. *for the record, I did not baste for these photos. Do as I say, not as I do. Basting only adds one more step, but it saves you soooo much time and swear words because your layers aren't all slipping and sliding along each other.*
attach your lining cup pieces to your lining back piece, so now you have a long lining to match your long main.
Now we make our straps. With right sides together, serge/sew down the length.
Turn the straps right sides out, and center two of them on each side of your main fabric.
Lay your lining on top of your main fabric and stitch across the straps, securing them in place.
Now, continue attaching the main to the lining. I like to start with the straight edges along the centers, move to the neckline, and then across the long back. I then go back and add in clear elastic to the seam allowance. If using a serger for this step, disengage your blade, because you don't want to cut into your elastic at all.
Turn everything so right sides are out, and topstitch using your preferred method.
Now you're going to head to the Power Sports Bra instructions again so you can find out how long your ½" elastic needs to be. Using the cut chart for your band size, cut your elastic for the bottom of the suit. I like to center the elastic first in the middle of the back so that I can make sure I stretch evenly as I am attaching. If using your serger on this step, keep the blade disengaged.
Flip that elastic back on itself, and topstitch on the right side with a stretch stitch to secure.
Now we are creating a "channel" for our grommets. Measure in ¾" and draw a line, stitch directly on this line. This creates an area of your top that is not going to be stressed as much, which means you wont need any additional interfacing for your grommets.
We are finally ready to place our grommets! I like to make a mark in the center, and ½" away from the top and then bottom first, and then I add one more mark in between those (on top and bottom), for a total of 5 grommets per side.
Add your grommets using your preferred method, and then take your last "strap" and lace it up, starting from the bottom of the top.
I recommend trying it on at this point to get your lacing how you like it, tie it off, and voila! You are done! Pair with your favorite North Shore bottoms, and you're ready for some fun in the sun.
I am so excited to see what everyone creates with this tutorial!!!
