6.11.2013

bam! i'm dropping bombshells...

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You guys, I love the beach. Have I told you that before? Surely I must have. I love it so much, sometimes I go there straight after work. Hell, sometimes I go there during  work! (You know, to clear my head... don't hate...) I love thrashing about in the surf, I love the sun and the sand, and I love people watching... and I have this theory that a visit to the beach is an instant mood uplifter - good for the soul... something to do with clearing away the negative ions...

But here's the thing - for someone who loves the beach so much, and spends a great deal of her time in her swimsuit - for the past however-many years the state of said swimsuits have been utterly tragic! Tragic, I tell you! My swimwear has been mostly comprised of assorted mismatched bikini tops and bottoms that I've amassed over the years, probably discarding the matching half when it got too faded or the elastic gave way... or I just lost the other half... You see, as someone who loves the beach so much, I wasn't terribly concerned about what I wore to the beach... it was more about just getting my ass onto the beach and having a good time! A philosophy which I still stand by, but as my interest in owning well made, stylish clothes (made by my own two hands) grew, it only stands to reason that this desire would bleed into my swimwear attire as well.

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So what exactly am I getting at here? I'm getting at this little purple number! Dudes!! I made a frigging swimsuit! And it's awesome and flattering and makes me feel like a million (dollar mermaid - cheers to those that get the reference)! 

This is Closet Case File's Bombshell Swimsuit, view A.  When Heather asked me if I would be a pattern tester for this I literally jumped at the opportunity. And maybe did a little chair dance too. You see, in my secret, self-centered brain I like to think that Heather made this pattern just for me because I once let slip in a comment on her blog the shameful state of my swimwear. I described how saggy my drawers were that every time I got hit by a wave I came up baring my ass to the entire beach! I like to think that it was this gruesome visual alone that drove her to literally work her ass off making this swimsuit pattern available to me all of us.

You can thank me later (wink).

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I feel like I have so much to say about this beauty! First of all, it's ridiculously flattering - just ask any of the women who've tested it (so far I've seen Lauren's, Novita's, Carolyn's, and of course, Heather's - but I'm sure there are more out there that I've missed).  While I might be the type to roll up to the beach in the skimpiest, most ill-fitting bikini, and to hell with anyone that might give me even the slightest side eye - that doesn't mean that I'm without my own set of body issues - or that there aren't times that I wished I had arrived looking more covered and respectable (pool parties, anyone?) And this suit totally puts those anxieties to rest. I feel covered, supported, flattered, shapely, etc. etc. etc. ad infinitum....  Basically, this suit has all the qualities of a good lover!

And, as a total swimsuit-sewing-newbie, I felt like it was really pretty painless to make. Heather's instructions are clear, well illustrated, and hand-holding.  I took everything one step at a time and didn't run into any mishaps.  I was nervous about inserting all that elastic, but it was actually a total breeze.  I'd say the pattern is best suited for intermediate sewers, but it would also be a great learning experience for a beginner.  Especially since Heather will be hosting a sewalong for the pattern and I think we can expect even more tips and tricks. 

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And, yes, it can totally get wet!

So here's the nitty-gritty! As I said, I made View A. I cut a size 8 for the bust and waist (because those matched my measurements) and then graded between an 8 and a 10 for the hips/butt area because I was in-between sizes. I may have been able to just rely on the stretchiness of the swim fabric to deal with that extra inch of butt, but since the whole point of this swimsuit is to flatter the curves, I decided to give myself the extra room. And I'm super happy with the fit - so it worked! And that's great news for those of you that might also be in-between sizes - this is an easy pattern to work with! 

I used a matte milliskin spandex from Spandex World (bonus: getting a phone call regarding shipping and being greeted with "Hi Sallie, this is so-and-so from Spandex World!" I don't know why I thought it was so funny... but I nearly guffawed into the phone!) and a nude swimwear lining (also from Spandex World... teehehee) I ordered rubber swimwear elastic and swim cups from SewSassy.  The swim cups are great - just enough to give light shaping without looking weird. All of these materials were super high quality and I'd recommend them to anyone nervous about buying swimwear supplies. 

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And here's the exciting part! Think of it as your reward for getting all the way to the end of the post (truly, I always try to keep my words to a minimum... but I just can't help myself!) Heather has agreed to offer one Bombshell Swimsuit Pattern as a giveaway! I've never done a giveaway before, and somehow I think it's totally fitting that this pattern be my first one (after all, Heather made it for me... right... rright?!?) So this is what we'll do:

To enter just leave a comment on this post! You can tell me about how much you love the pattern, or the beach... or what your spirit animal is... you know, whatever you feel like!

The giveaway is open to anyone, anywhere since the pattern is downloadable.

I'll close the giveaway next Sunday at 8pm US Central time, which gives you a nice little window of time to get it before the sewalong starts (and enough time for those of you that don't win the giveaway to still get your patterns)!

UPDATE! The giveaway is now closed - thank you to everyone who entered!!

So let's do this thing!! Oh! And in case you were wondering - my spirit animal is a smallish lizard (think chameleon or iguana)... don't ask... just trust...

xx

135 comments:

  1. Love it, the swimsuit and you look stunning. I struggle so much with buying swimwear as it never fits. I think I need to try this pattern out.

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  2. I love the pattern! I was looking for a new swimsuit a few months ago and really wanted one with those same lines. I found exactly one... And it was $180... So I sadly released it from my death grip and slowly backed out of the store. I really MUST make myself one now - it's like it was fate!!

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  3. Amazing swimsuit.... you rocked on it!!!

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  4. wow! I want this pattern after admiring you in this absolutely wonderful swimsuit.

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  5. I'd love to try my hand at making a suit! Swimwear never fits me quite right, and this one seems so flattering and well drafted! Even though I just got back from 10 days at the ocean, I might have to plan another trip if I win...

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  6. I'd love to win! I would like to think my spirit animal would be a sleek black panther like Bagheera in The Jungle Book.

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  7. I'm in love with this pattern!!!

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  8. Wow you look amazing! Well done! I want a swimsuit that makes me feel respectable, contained and... hot too!

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  9. It looks amazing, Sallie. I so want one of these, though I'm terrified of sewing swimwear... I've been lurking spandex house since I saw Lauren's post on pattern testing and I'm so close to dropping like $100 on crazy spandex prints just because I obviously need so much printed spandex.

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  10. Hmmm...I want to say Dolphin but it feels like something a 13 year old girl would say. So maybe unicorn instead, haha. You look amazing in this suit!! I want to make one, I hope I win! I love the beach too.

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  11. I really want to make this suit! Seeing as I live in hawaii, I really should get on the nice swim attire wagon. I'm kind of like you- lots of miss matched bikini separates.

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  12. Like you, I've been admiring these bombshell bathers/swimmers on my blog reader and I'm keen to give this pattern a go. Even better if I could win a copy! Hint hint...

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  13. Wow! Looks so awesome on you. I think my spirit animal is a bunny... I'd love to give it a try.

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  14. Girl! You look like an absolute bombshell (naturally :). Seriously this swimsuit looks amazing on you. And of course I'd love to win. :)

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  15. The thing i love most about this pattern is seeing how great all the testers look in it, no miserable catalogue model shots where you have to mentally add in inches to get to your own waist and thigh size (and in my case subtract at the bust!) count me in for the giveaway please

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  16. I love this purple color on you! I thought I wanted a yellow polka dotted one, and then I was thinking red. Now I want a purple Bombshell swimsuit. Thanks for the giveaway!!

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  17. Your bombshell is divine! I moved house a year ago and now I live 5mins from the beach. And I don't have a swimsuit. It's a tragedy! I would very much love to win a copy of this pattern.

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  18. This is so awesome, it makes me want to make one!

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  19. Gorgeous swimsuit! I also spent most of my teens and early twenties in mis-matched tops and bottoms. I'd love to give this beautiful pattern a try!

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  20. I can't help myself, the more versions I see the more I want to have one myself. Yours is sooooo awesome.

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  21. Ooohh I love this!!!
    I wish I have the confidence to sew swimwear ... But everytime I see a new bombshell I can't wait to make one for myself ...
    Thanks for the chance :)

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  22. A-ma-zing. I love your version.

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  23. I think my spirit animal would be an otter . . . they're so cute! love the beach and the swinwear!

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  24. That's haute. And I'm loving the bombshell poses. Even though I'm sighing wistfully at your current weather situation, I'm totally signing up for this competition. Count me in - you look amazing!

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  25. You're a bombshell! I love the beach too, it is definitely an instant mood lifter! It's cold here now though, an instant mood killer (sad face). Maybe if I won and sewed up this suit in prep for next summer it would lift my mood ;)

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  26. Your version is beautiful! I've been coveting a suit like this ever since I saw Heather's navy bikini version, and seeing all the testers' amazing suits just adds fuel to the fire!

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  27. Thank you for this giveaway. Your version is gorgeous. I love the color!

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  28. You did a great job on your swimsuit and it looks wonderful on you. I would love to win a copy of this pattern, so hopefully I will have a flattering swimsuit too.

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  29. What a wonderful swimsuit! And even that the beach is for me miles away I would love to win the pattern.

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  30. Smoking!! What a babe

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  31. I love the swimsuit, it looks fantastic and the fit is amazing. If you say it's easy to make then I will definitely give it a go. Over here in New Zealand we call a swimsuit 'togs', so yeah, I would love some new togs!

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  32. You look divine! The suit is so stunning - well patterned and well crafted I say! Plus totally digging your longer locks! PS. Esther Williams rules.

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  33. It looks AMAZING!! You look amazing in it!. I can't believe how every version I saw so far are just gorgeous! It definitively need one now... The color is really beautiful also!

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  34. Amazing! I love the color and fit of this swimsuit. Have totally never though about making a swimsuit (still a bit afraid that it'll fly apart on me) but I will live vicariously through everyone who has.

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  35. I would love to win this pattern, I think it's gorgeous! I'm a newbie to sewing swimwear so would love to see the instructions for this one. Think I'll keep an eye on the sewalong. Your version is incredible, btw.

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  36. Picking jaw up off floor. sal u've out done yourself. This is my fav bombshell so far! Utterly breathtakingly gorgeous.

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  37. Oh forgot my spirit animal: lemur

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  38. Amazing swimsuit! You look great.

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  39. Thankfully I wasn't at work when I saw this post so my coworkers were spared the little song I sang when I saw this. It went something along the lines of "SALLIEEEEEEE!!!! AT THE BEACHHHHHH!!!! LOOKING SWEEEEEEEEETTTT!!!! IN MY SUITTTTTTT!!!! OH MY GGGGGGGG!!!!!!"



    I'm no Joni Mitchell alright?


    But seriously.... love the colour so so so much as I already told you and it just warms the cockles of my heart to see all my buds looking so fucking rad half naked (tell Nick he should be bouncing quarters off that bum on the regular). If only we didn't live so far away.... How fun would a Bombshell beach day be riiiiight?

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  40. In regards to the spirit animal.... a while I would have said a lazy housecat. But I've definitely got a lot more neurotic and workaholic in the last few months. So a squirrel. Definitely a squirrel.

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  41. This is one of the best comments I've read so far! Thanks Kate!

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  42. You are such a BABE, Sallie!!! Seriously, you look amazing in this thing!! Thanks for (subtlety) pressuring Heather into designing it for us! Lol


    I think my spirit animal is an Owl!! Big eyes, scrunchy pissed-off face, wise(cracking) and nocturnal!!


    PS- I already bought the pattern (like, the second Ms. Lou posted it) so don't count me in the running to win it.

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  43. I live near some of Australia's most beautiful beaches and like to go swimming a lot. My favourite part of the beach would have to be the visit to the ice cream shop after the swim. It's a family tradition.

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  44. Gorgeous! You look so pretty in this thing! It must have been difficult gathering lycra, right? I´m impressed!
    It is a bit weird: I love the beach and spend half my life on the beach, but I think my animal would be the cat. Like water and cats don´t match!

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  45. You look hot! I love love love Heather for making this pattern. It's like a magnanimous gift to the sewing world, just like Tasia's curvy trousers. Sometimes I joke that my spirit animal is the bunny, but in reality, I'm probably more like a raccoon. Always getting into shit.

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  46. Love the suit! I would have to sew a suit. I am a beach bum and spent many hours at the beach with family. A book, comfy chair, sunscreen, a cooler with cold coke and I am set for HOURS! Of course that isn't my reality now but I make sure to drag the family to the beach a few times each summer to get my fix.

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  47. Interestingly, as a ridiculously pale person who literally burns (and badly) in 15-20 minutes, I absolutely love the beach. Not lounging on the sand so much (se above re: ridiculously pale), but swimming and playing in the water, floating in lakes for hours on end. That is the life. I've never thought to think of making my own swimwear, but this pattern is AMAZING! All the different versions I've seen so far are just lovely and flattering. I'd be a bit paralyzed by having to decide what fabric to make it out of (what colour? what pattern??), but I'd do my best regardless! Great giveaway!!! Thanks to you and Heather!

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  48. asewingodyssey.blogspot.co.ukJune 12, 2013 at 6:29 AM

    My goodness Sallie, you're a total babe...no a beach goddess is this swimsuit! I think I have a total crush on you, even though I'm straight! Anyway, please don't enter me in the giveaway (I have the pattern, just need to make it)...just had to get that awe off my chest ;o) The swimsuit is beautiful, fits you perfectly and I love the colour too!

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  49. This is so cute! I love that color. The more versions of these I see, the more I think I need a version of my own. I'd love to win this pattern!

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  50. Hot damn, girl! This looks AWESOME! It's not like I need more motivation to make this suit, but if I DID, this would be it! Like you, I've got a ragtag collection of bikinis (left over from my So Cal college days), and most of them are one rogue wave away from a serious wardrobe malfunction! My favorite suit is from HIGH SCHOOL, and I still wear it even though the elastic is shot and the whole thing's stretched out and stupid. So. Time for a fancy new one-piece, methinks! Seriously, if mine turns out half as nice as yours, I'll be STOKED!

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  51. Oops, forgot to mention that I already snapped up the pattern, so you can keep me out of the giveaway!

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  52. Yours is my favorite yet! My spirit animal is the moose, I love the misshapen body :)

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  53. What a cute swim suit! It really does seem flattering. I'd say my favourite thing about the beach happens to be sitting alone or with a close mate and just talking about all matters of things to clear ones head.

    That and the sunset.

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  54. I like swimsuits and I would like to try this pattern. My spirit animal is Kate Bush.

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  55. Every time I see a new version of this swimsuit, I fall in love the pattern a little more! Yours looks amazing!

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  56. Wow! You look fabulous as always! :-) So glad you convinced Heather to make this swimsuit pattern. ;-) I think my spirit animal would either be a chipmunk or a cat...not really sure which. LOL!

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  57. Yowza! You look amazing! Alright, alright. I want to make one. At first I wasn't sure and now I'm in. I have like one decent swimsuit. Hubby has even had to point out to me on multiple occasions (different suits) that the bottoms were see-through. Yikes!


    Living by the ocean sounds incredible. I think it will happen for us one day. I'm pretty friggin' landlocked, but try to get invited to as many pool parties as possible.


    Thanks for the links! I'm on an ordering binge this morning.

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  58. WOW! All these bombshell swimsuits are making me so excited to finally have THE perfect swimsuit! The END to swimsuit shopping for me, hooray!

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  59. Wow! What a great suit and a great giveaway. I have avoided bathing suits for some time because I hate how most modern suits are so high cut in the leg. But this one....just about perfect!

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  60. I love the bombshell style. Looks like a great pattern!

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  61. Such generosity! First your friend concocts a stunning pattern for you, and then you share one with us! Yay!

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  62. Oh man, this is cute! I'd love to try my hand at making swimsuits!

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  63. Oh my gawd you look amazing! Im terrified to get in to a bathing suit this summer after having a baby. Maybe this is what I need!

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  64. I neeeeeeeed this suit pattern!
    tina_crossgrove (at) hotmail (dot) com

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  65. I don't want to enter the giveaway (no duh, I already have the pattern!), I just wanted to tell you how hott you are. GIRL, YOU ARE HOTT ♥

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  66. You must live in paradise! To go to the beach at lunch time... oh my! I've lived near the coast for over a decade now but never close enough for a quick trip. Day trip, easily, hour break, nope. Not that I don't make those day trips. I do! And, I hear you on the old bikinis. Mine are almost threadbare. They still all match since that's part of my crazy, but they've seen much better days. Anyway, I have my heart set on making this swimsuit this summer. Here's to hoping I can catch a bit of luck!

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  67. Oh Gosh, I want to make this swimsuit so badly !!! It fits so well and it would be a good challenge since I never made a swimsuit before. Yours is awesome, I really love the color :)
    www.mpbymaude.blogspot.ca

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  68. I don't know what I love most...the gorgeous beach or that swimsuit. You look ah.maz.ing.

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  69. I love this swimsuit and each version I see makes me want to sew it even more. You look fantastic in yours.

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  70. I think my swimsuit situation looks just like yours did...which is incredibly unfortunate because I'm spending a week at the beach next month! I would give anything for a new suit, for sure, and this one fits the bill!

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  71. Gorgeous, you beach beauty! It's amazing how this pattern is flattering on everyone who has made it! It must be magic. Count me in. I'm part mermaid on my mother's side.

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  72. Love the color and the suit on you! This looks like such a dreamy suit. Would love to try my hand at it.

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  73. AT FIRST i thought, gah, this wouldn't look good on me. then i decided that i don't friggin' care! basically i'm buying this pattern regardless, but i can't tell you how jazzed i am with the epiphany that yes! i can have a one-piece suit that actually fits my "smaller on the top then the bottom" body. yayayayay!

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  74. Eeek, I love this pattern, I'm pretty desperate to see someone make the bikini version, perhaps I'll have to do it myself, in time for my holiday to Greece!! Thanks for hosting the giveaway! xx

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  75. I am SO in love with this pattern. Its gorgeous.

    I'm too tall to fit into any one piece I've tried on since I was 15 and I would LOVE the opportunity to make one that might just fit me!

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  76. Wow, Sallie! This swimsuit looks gorgeous. And, what a beautiful pattern! We share the same appreciation for the beach. I love the ocean but my VERY limited swimsuit selection does not reflect this fact at all. Sewing some swimwear is definitely on my infinite to-do list.

    And just for you, because you asked, my spirit animal is the dolphin. Ha!

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  77. Woohoo! thanks for the giveaway! I love your swimsuit. I admit, I have a tough time looking for swimsuits to buy. I'm pear shaped, meaning i need a different size on the top than the bottom AND I have a long torso. I'd love to try to make my own instead of having more dressing room drama.

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  78. I love this suit! Once I get the nerve, I must sew one for myself.

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  79. I am so curious about whether this style will be flattering on me! I am a bit conscious of my hip thigh area, but I always feel like higher legs draw the eye up and make things look slimmer... Such a dilemma.

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  80. I'd like to think my spirit animal is something regal and amazing, but probably it's not ;) I've been wanting to sew this pattern though, it's totally on my wishlist :)

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  81. Gorgeous, you look amazing! I'd love to make this one!

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  82. seeing all of those bombshell swimsuits makes me want to sew one!

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  83. p.s. I actually went ahead and bought it, I got all fired up about it, so you can take me out of the giveaway, thanks!

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  84. This swimsuit looks amazing on you (as do all things you've made) and better yet it looks like the swimsuit that the Burda Alison is trying to be (but that pattern is garbage, stay away!) Please throw my hat in the ring for the giveaway :)

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  85. Your version is lovely!!! I adore this pattern; it's so flattering. I also adore the beach, always have always will. I never thought about what my spirit animal is .... probably a whale. It is so bad ass how powerful they are and how they can jump right out of the water. Sea otters also always seem to be having a good time in the marine environment.

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  86. I adore the beach! There's a tiny beach in Sweden that I got to with my family every year, it has sea, rocks and crab fishing! The pattern looks gorgeous as well, every version I've seen at least.

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  87. The swimsuit is very flattering on you. Hope that isn't too weird!! I have seen the pattern popping up in blog world and think it is so cute. Would love to give it a try. Great job on yours. Thanks for the info on spandex world too :)

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  88. I LOVE it!You look really amazing in it!

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  89. I keep seeing people post this! I love it more and more with every different color and pattern I see.

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  90. you look amazing! every single version i've seen so far looks amazing! that's really a testament to a great pattern. think i'll have to snatch this up and make my own this summer!

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  91. Swimsuit newbie here...but this pattern would surely tempt me! Since I live in sunny Australia and within cooee of the beach my swimsuit would get well used when summer finally returns down under!

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  92. I love it! I haven't made a swimsuit yet but will be joining the sew-a-long. I love your version! I would, of course, love to win the pattern, but will be buying it anyway if I don't. Thanks for showing yours off...it makes me excited to get sewing! :)

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  93. Every version of this I see makes me want to make it even more. I just bought pretty much everything you liked to, thankyouverymuch!!!

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  94. Since my spirit animal is a dolphin, I think I definitely need to make this bathing suit.

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  95. The bathing suit is GORGEOUS!!
    The colour you chose is perfect and so are the pictures!
    I've said I'll try my hand at a swimsuit this summer but have been terrified at the prospect.......
    You do give me hope....

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  96. BEAUTIFUL colour! I think yours is my favourite so far :-) And brilliant to see it beach and water tested too!
    I sort of want to say my spirit animal is a squirrel. No idea why.

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  97. Wow, your suit is absolutely stunning! I love the gorgeous sophisticated colour too.
    No need to enter me into the giveaway, obviously ;)

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  98. johanna@projects by meJune 13, 2013 at 3:21 AM

    Hey! Count me in. I love the beach too, only here in Sweden the beach season is somewhat short and unreliable. Still I would love to make me a gorgeous swimsuit to wear there!

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  99. johanna@projects by meJune 13, 2013 at 3:21 AM

    Forgot to say that you look stunning!!! Are you sure you're not a model?

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  100. Ooh, I'd love to try and sew a swimsuit. And this pattern is beautiful. I've loved seeing everyone's versions!

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  101. Oh that swimsuit definitely looks amazing! So flattering, and I really like the colour on you!

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  102. I love this pattern! Gorgeous swimsuit!

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  103. I already have the swimsuit, so please disregard this comment for the giveaway, but I just had to tell you HOW AMAZING YOU LOOK!!!! If I could whistle in real life I'd totally be whistling at the screen right now. You know, in like a "high five girl, cuz you look hot" kind of way and less in the "I'm actually a super creepy internet predator" kind of way ;) Seriously though, you look amazing.

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  104. My spirit animal is a squirrel ;)

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  105. French Toast TashaJune 13, 2013 at 7:48 AM

    The next project on my sewing list was already a swimsuit! We're going to a Caribbean destination wedding this Sept. and I've had the same suit since, um, high school (can you tell I live in a land-locked state?). I was thinking two-piece but you're really, really tempting me to go with this pattern instead!

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  106. Yeaaaaaah Spandex World!
    ps. I usually lurk but I do l.o.v.e your blog and am super happy every time you post.

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  107. My spirit animal is a penguin, because they look mainly clueless on land, but they still manage to navigate right into the middle of the antarctic once a year.

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  108. bam! million dollar mermaid indeed! you're totally rocking it sallie, i love your version of bombshell

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  109. I love this pattern and your version of it is lovely.

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  110. I've been wanting to sew a swimsuit for awhile now but haven't been brave enough to try it. I love this swimsuit though, it is so flattering! Love the purple color!

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  111. It's only recently that i've been following your blog, and omgeeee do I love it. Inspriation in insane amounts beaming at me through the screen - please keep up the good work! I am a big beach lover, and hope to spend much of next coming months down by the sea....hopefully in a new shiny bombshell ...?!!!

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  112. Love the swimsuit! You did an amazing job :) I'd love to give it a try, I've been on the lookout for a good bathing suit for a while now and kinda gave up, because I couldn't find anything that fit my needs and budget. I would looove to try sewing one though! :)

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  113. my spirit animal is a dolphin. and it has nothing to do with the water. i need to make this great swimsuit to better embrace my spirit animal :)

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  114. This pattern is amazing! WANT.

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  115. This is so lovely! I love how flattering and classy it is.

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  116. You sold me. You look amazing!

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  117. dear sallie you inspire me to find my spirit animal! and to go to the beach more! thanks for the fun post.

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  118. the suit looks super flattering and fun! I would love to try this pattern. Thanks!!

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  119. My swimwear is also in a sad, sad state. I actually still have a bikini top from high school that I wear. Shameful! So, I can't wait to try out this pattern! Thanks for hosting the giveaway!

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  120. wouaouh, very nice...I wonder if it works for small busts ;-)
    The best way would be to try to do it for me , right???
    Thanks for the giveaway!

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  121. Angela Dean KennedyJune 14, 2013 at 2:39 PM

    That suit is beautiful. I have longed after similar styles on Anthropologies' website before. Would LOVE to make one of my own.

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  122. Ok, I was tempted before I saw yours and now I totally want to make this swimsuit! It is winter here and I am currently FREEZING so it is so nice to see the beach :)

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  123. Love the color and the vintage feel of your bombshell! I just ordered my fabric for this pattern! Thanks for the giveaway!

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  124. Everyone looks so damn good in their Bombshells and it's a true testament to how well made this pattern is. Go Heather and go Sallie for making another amazing version! I love the color you chose, the silhouette, etc.

    Your pictures on the beach are totally breaking my Florida heart. How I miss the beach! You're absolutely right that any trip to the beach calms the mind. Living a block away from the sea and sand, it's hard not to have a cathartic place in Philly.

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  125. I love riding my bike to the beach in Los Angeles. I haven't done this in weeks so I will make it happen this weekend; thanks for the inspiration!

    I love one-pieces, but for the few times I've gone swimming here I feel like I get so much sand stuck in my suit, and it's difficult to wash out! So I wound up wearing a two-piece and am much more comfortable. What's your experience with this in your cute little bombshell?

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  126. Hey Julianne! I definitely think one-pieces are just more prone to sand collecting than bikinis. But I haven't noticed insane amounts of sand getting stuck in the bombshell (could be the fabric I used?) I still always rinse it out when I get home, and there's always some sand in the sink - but the sand seems to come out of the suit just fine. I'll probably always be a bikini girl at heart - but I really love adding this suit to my rotation - its great when I want to feel more demure, but still sexy and stylish!

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  127. I DEFINITELY know the feeling! I always took comfort living in Philly knowing that the sea was only a few hours away. During really stressful times I would hop in my car and drive to Jersey - I think Ocean City is the first beach you come to - and spend the day by myself. It was always a healing trip. Definitely not as good as having the beach only a few blocks away - but then again the Texas Gulf coast isn't nearly as beautiful as the Atlantic - so you win some, you lose some! I'm sure your heart will always yearn for the Florida beaches you grew up with - they are some of the most beautiful in the country!

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  128. Wow! Your swimsuit really turned out gorgeous :-) I'm seriously considering buying the pattern but I'm a bit apprehensive as I will have to grade up the pattern quite a bit :-/ Yeah and the water in Norway is freezing....and my local sewing shops just have terrible options for swimsuit fabric. But I'm still really tempted to give this suit a try:-)

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  129. Ooh la la lady! Gorgeous! Love this pattern.

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  130. Oh I love the colour you chose, I keep seeing plum everywhere at the moment and am so inspired to make something.


    Looks gorgeous on you, ya friggin' beach bunny you! Thanks for the awesome giveaway

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  131. Hi! Your posts always inspire me a lot! Thanks for showing this swimsuit! Since I only have one self made bikini at the moment, I'd love to make a one piece this time with an actual pattern and instructions :-)

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  132. All the versions of this pattern I've seen are adorable, but yours is probably my favorite! The color is gorgeous and the fit is perfect. I'm considering trying it myself.

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  133. Like you said, it's perfect for pool parties and would be banging for a cruise or hotel pool! And gorgeous at the beach as well.

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  134. I know I'm late in the game and the giveaway's over but I just gotta say it - damn, girl! Shut the front door 'cause that swimsuit is awesome! Ugh, I gotta hurry up and finish mine.

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