Hello, lovely friends! I’ve been a bit quiet the past couple weeks, but I’m just working on figuring out how to do this blogging thing forreal. Today I’m sharing with you my first ever capsule sews. I’m calling this one a mini capsule because it’s only 4 pieces, even though I do get 6 total looks in all. I’ve always been fond of the idea of capsules from seeing others in the sewing community make them, but I’ve just never actually sought out to create one. When I was sent two coordinating fabrics for swimsuits from The Material Girls*, I KNEW I had to finally do it! I sat down to plan out how to do it before venturing into the creation process. Prepare for photos galore…let’s start with the two fabrics:
My favorite swim bottoms I’ve ever made happened to be the Hello Sailor bottoms from Patterns for Pirates. They fit well, cover well, and are just overall so cute. The high waist gives a vintage vibe, and for some reason I’m drawn to suits like that. When I pulled out the pattern, I remembered it had a panel version, and that was the jumpstart I needed to come up with the direction for the capsule. I decided to dig through my other me-made swimsuits and found an old Oasis Swimsuit top from Ellie and Mac*. That specific one probably won’t be worn since it no longer has bottoms to match lol. I threw them away because I messed up when sewing them and refused to wear them again lol! Pretty certain the was my firs swim sew for myself. Anywho, the Oasis top was perfect to pair with the P4P bottoms, as they both have similar paneling options. These two pieces combined created my first swimsuit!
I wanted a solid seafoam suit, as well. I traced an old swimsuit and looked at photos online to reference how to create this solid bikini top. It was fairly easy, but I’m going to omit the binding next time and create casings at the top of each cup for ties, instead. Because the two other fabrics pair so well together, I thought it would be neat to have reversible bottoms to wear either/or with the solid top. I chose to make the bottoms from the Gathered Tankini pattern, also from Ellie and Mac.
When I was done, I tried on every combination to see how they looked, and everything is so cute together! Out of 4 pieces (really only 3, considering one was reversible) I was able to create 6 looks! It was so easy & fun to do it, and my entire family is now wanting swim capsules, as a result lol! Don’t know if I’m quite up for a family capsule challenge yet, but I still have a bit of both fabrics leftover, so I’m thinking of making a floral striped top as well to give me a couple more pairing options. If you’ve got a favorite swim top, I’d love to hear it! Always excited for new pattern ideas (from non-problematic companies, of course).
For my final swim piece, I used this beautiful tie-dye, ombre-ish burnout mesh to create a swimsuit coverup that can be worn with any swimsuit. I used the Lounge Gown from George and Ginger in babydoll length, but made some modifications since I didn’t want to line the bodice. I just used FOE to bind the cup portions. I planned to do the same to the back, but didn’t have enough of the same color FOE, so I just hemmed the sides of the back bodice before sewing. Worked out pretty great!
This was really a fun project and has me inspired to figure out a way to incorporate capsule pieces into my wardrobe a bit more. I’m such a “one project at a time” kinda person, it doesn’t ever cross my mind to see the benefits of intentionally creating pieces that belong together. It sounds really nice though…having pants/skirts/shorts to mix and match with tops and outerwear. Sounds like a nice fall project to start planning out 😉 Make sure to stop by The Material Girls* for affordably priced, great quality swim fabric, lining, cups, and elastic!
Do you capsule sew? I’d love to hear about your favorite or even a link to it if you’ve got one! Til next time….
*Any links in this post containing asterisks are affiliate links. There is no additional cost to you, but I do earn a tiny commission from your purchase. Thank you for helping support my love of sewing and sharing.
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