Women’s Mairin by SALS

Yay!
Sew a Little Seam’s Mairin Swimsuit for Women is here and it’s AMAZING!

I mean… can we take a minute to admire in awe the photo below? Can you believe the amount of options this pattern has?
How fantastic is that?

Kelly always packs her patterns with options and this is no different.
We are talking wide straps, narrow straps, high neck, deep V, high scoop back, low back, bikini, one piece, ruffles… and everything in between!

You can literally make one swimsuit for each day of the summer and never repeat a combination!

I’ll start this off by answering 2 questions I had myself and that might be passing through your mind as well.

1. I think a confident beginner can absolutely make this. The instructions are great with photos illustrating each step, and if you run into any difficulties just give a shout out for help in the SALS FB group 😉
2. You don’t need a coverstitch to make this, it’s totally doable with only a sewing machine. A zigzag stitch or a twin needle will do just fine.

Sooooo…

Here I go, facing all my fears and insecurities to share my Mairins with you! 😉

The first one I made was a one piece. The options I chose were:

• wide straps
• high neck
• low scoop back with straps
• mid cut leg

My measurements are all over the place, so I had to make some adjustments to achieve the perfect fit:

• bust  and wais are size 16/18
• hips are size 24, but because of the way my measurement is distributed I graded the front panel to size 22 and back panel to size 24
• I had to lengthen the pattern because my trunk girth is 73″

I decided to position the straps only at the lower back for no particular reason aside from aesthetics. I really like the way it turned out and am super happy with the fit of it!

My second Mairin is a 2 piece suit with the options:

• Crop top
• narrow straps
• mid v neck with flounce
• mid back halter
• high waist bottom
• mid cut leg

I’m 5’10” and didn’t adjust for height, so if you’re shorter the distance between the crop top and the high waisted bottom might be smaller. As for grading I did the same thing as for the one piece suit.

Oh, something important to mention is that I used swim bra cups on both suits and added a shelf bra to the front of the one piece. Instructions for shelf bra are included in the pattern. If you feel intimidated by the idea of sewing the cups, there’s no need. This was my first time doing it and  I  had no issues with it. It’s actually pretty simple! 😉

This was really fun to make and I’m dying to make a third one, even though I hardly ever go swimming and 2 bathing suits is way more than I actually need.  lol

My plan is to make a couple of solid bottoms and a bunch of different tops to mix and match.

I highly recommend the Mairin if you’re planning on making your own swimsuits this summer. It’s truly great!
If you feel a bit overwhelmed with all the options and can’t decide which one to make, go to the Sew a Little Seam facebook group. There are photo albums there with tester photos to help out with the visual.

For more photos of each of my suits, check out the Portfolio section, I’ll be adding each one there separately.

WOMEN’S MAIRIN SWIMSUIT – Sew a Little Seam

xxx
Livia

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