Raspberry Creek Fabrics Swim Tour 2021

Today I am participating in the RCF Swim Tour to debut the swim fabrics for 2021. Raspberry Creek and their designers have created some exciting prints that have really gotten my creative juices going! I feel like every year their offerings get bigger and bigger. They have tons of prints, coordinating stripes and polka dots, and solids. Besides swim knit, they have boardshort stretch woven. (Don’t forget to scroll to the end of my post and check out the other blogs on the tour this week!)

I love making swimwear for myself and my daughter. This is the first year my 5 year old has offered her opinions on fabric and pattern choices. I made two swimsuits, so don’t forget to scroll down to see both!

Abernathy Swim Bottoms by Little Luxe Collection

My girl loved the citrus and floral print. I swooned over this fuschia and white micro stripes and decided it would be the perfect coordinate! I think it reminds me of retro swimwear, pink candy canes and pink lemonade. I can’t wait to use the rest of it to make my own suit.

For the bottoms, I used the Abernathy swim bottoms from Little Luxe Collection. This is a 3 part collection and includes lots of options.

I love those little gathers on the side front! The pattern instructs you to sew the side front seams with 4 layers (one of them being a gathered piece). I’m not sure if I was doing it right but I did my best, and there was quite a bit of bulk at the seam. When I sew it again, I will join 2 pattern pieces for the front lining and make 1 solid lining piece (instead of a center front lining panel and 2 side front lining panels). I did it a modified way on the left and the ruffles look flatter. The lower rise still gives my daughter very good coverage.

Valerie Rashguard by Jalie Patterns

For the top, I modified the Valerie Rashguard from Jalie Patterns. My daughter asked for a long sleeved rashguard, but I knew with summer coming a short sleeved one would be more practical. I used the view without the zipper and shortened the short sleeves. I lowered the neckline a tad.

My daughter asked for a ruffle, which I thought would compliment the gathers on her swim bottoms perfectly. I drafted a ruffle right at the top of the bodice by splicing the pattern into a semi-circle and adding about 2x the length. It adds just a perfect little amount of icing without being ‘too much’.

When you’re dealing with a ruffle in a neckline like this, neckbands don’t work as well. I switched it out for a neck binding which helped the gathers stay flat. Love how it turned out!

Narwhal Swimsuit by Sofiona Designs

The last piece I made is the Narwhal Swimsuit by Sofiona Designs. This is the one-piece option with the criss-cross center. I thought the details on this design were so unique! Even thought it wasn’t my first choice, I let my daughter pick the watercolor mermaid scales print.

I decided to pair it with some navy swim knit from my stash. I really wasn’t sure how it would look. But now I absolutely love it!! The colors blend so well together and complement my daughter’s ‘spring’ complexion.

The size I chose gives her a little growing room. I really liked that this one piece option doesn’t use any elastic around the upper bodice. It only uses a bit of elastic for the straps.

It’s really too bad that we have to wait several months for it to warm up long enough to get out the kiddy pool. But wait — let’s get in the HOT TUB!!

We got this thing in January and put it right on our tiny deck! I have dreamed of owning a hot tub, especially since we moved up north a few winters ago. I despise the winters here. They are long and we hardly see the sun. But now with this hot tub, being outside when it’s 10 degrees outside is much more doable.

The tub takes up most of the space but I don’t even care anymore. I feel so fortunate to open my door and take 3 steps into the hot tub.

It’s inflatable, which means it can plug into a regular outlet (not 220V). These tubs are much more affordable. The northeast is so cold in the winter, so we ended up insulating underneath the pool and on top. Yes, that’s my daughter floating on a piece of the insulation board cover.

I didn’t take any pictures of her in her Narwhal swimsuit because the weather was not cooperating that day. When the weather is bad, we pull the soft cover over our heads for protection from the rain.

Thanks for reading!

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