This post will give you ideas for piecing your ‘togs’ bodice to create different looks. The togs are included in the Design Your Own Swimmers pattern which you can find here.
In these examples small panels have been used, but you can use any combination of prints, not just panels.
1. Figure out where you want your ‘belt’ to sit. I just go with about the half way point and fold in half to mark my ‘cut line’. The marked line will end up being roughly the top of the ‘belt’ when finished. You don’t HAVE to do it this way, you can place your belt wherever you like!
2. Line your back bodice piece up with your front bodice piece at the side seams and make the cut line on the back pattern piece.
3. Cut along the lines to create the top front and top back bodice pieces.
4. Calculate cut line on bottom pattern pieces.
I only put my calculations here so that if you want to change things up a bit, you can easily figure out what you need to do!
My finished belt is going to be 1 1/4″ (3.2cm) wide.
I add seam allowances to this to calculate my ‘pattern piece’. 1/4″ (0.7cm) to top of belt and 1/4″ (0.7cm) to bottom of belt so my pattern piece will be 1 3/4″ (4.5cm) wide.
Remove the finished belt size from my ‘bottom’ pattern pieces and then add back in seam allowances.
So 1 1/4″ (3.2cm) needs to comes off, but then I add on 1/4″ (0.7cm) x 2 for seam allowances.
The amount I need to take off my bottom pattern pieces is 3/4″ (1.9cm)…THE MARKED BLUE LINE.
5. Cut belt pieces 1 3/4″ (4.5cm) and use the togs front as a guide for cutting the correct length.
6. Cut remaining pieces and bindings. To line the front of mine, I just used the new pattern piece I created for the bottom front as I only wanted a half lining.
7. Sew front and back bottoms together with lining on top of BOTTOM piece. Then flip lining over to cover the front once sewn which will enclose the crotch and side seams.
8. I overlocked my leg elastics at this point but it really doesn’t matter what sequence you use to put the togs together again! Attach front belt to front bodice and back belt to back bodice. Then sew side seams together. It works best if you split the seam by facing the front seam allowance towards the top and back seam allowances towards the bottom to give a nice flat seam at the point where the top belt matches up.
9. So now you have your ‘top’ and bottom’ ready to stitch together. Sew them together with right sides facing, then add your binding and top stitch the leg and binding… and you are done!
NOTE: If adding a full front lining I would suggest cutting the lining from your front bodice piece at the beginning before you cutting the pattern pieces. When sewing back together, sew the whole front back together and then the whole back together and then just sew according to the pattern treating them as a single front and back piece taking care to line up the ‘belt’ pieces when sewing the side seams.
Here are a few cute pairs that the clever Marnie from Horris & Deedle has made.
