Floral Bathers

I made this swimsuit from some Zimmerman fabric that I bought early last year. I have been making bathers for some time now, but this is the first time I have photographed and blogged them. It's a bit scary really!
I made them because I am continuously frustrated by the lack of "supportive" bathers on the market. This is why I make most of my own clothes- I don't feel that there is any thought to how clothing is structured for larger sizes. Most of the time, if you go up a size, everything gets bigger, not just the bust and hips. I feel sad that we don't live in a time when tailored women's clothing assumed that everybody had a waist.

I have sewn a control bust into these- it was surprisingly easy and it means that I have more support than with regular swimwear.
The fabric is lycra and I didn't use any elastic as I find that it disintegrates with time. Instead I used a fold-over cuff technique, which acts as an elastic anyway!
The hat is one that I made back when I was still in high school. It has a matching dress and I made it instead of studying for my French exam.

I think I will be getting lots of wear from these this Summer!