Success and happiness
:sigh: where to start? Early this morning I was looking at my notes from two ladies whom I've
recently made swimwear for. One was a maternity suit and the other a
custom order that I'd never before created, but she loved it! How
awesome is that?!?!
I am extremely thrilled when my suits fit well. The reason I am so pleased is because I draw my own patterns based on what has fit my family and I, other sizes are drawn from those. This is not the way I was taught to make these suits. My mom taught me to make most things without a pattern, and it was no different with these suits. Even though she had printed a women's and girl's swimwear pattern back in 1991, I had never even opened one! I was taught to make them starting with a garment that closely fit the person for whom I was sewing. Take it in here and there until it fit how you wanted it.
I had no concept of how to make a suit for someone I had not seen unless I so happened to have a model (close friend or family member that didn't mind being fitted) near their size at my disposal. But I wanted to make and sell modest swimwear online. I first wanted to do this in 2010 and was told by another swimwear making friend, Shawn, that it was not easy. She said "Don't get me wrong, you're good at this but you're going to need a pattern and it takes a lot of figuring to make something for someone just based on their measurements." She tried to tell me how much work it was going to be, but I didn't fully understand what she was saying until later. She was totally right btw...I thought about the pattern my mom had printed years ago and asked her about it. She said, "You'd be better off starting on your own, you know so much more than I did at that time" But still I didn't know where to start and was at a loss. So I pulled out mom's pattern for the first time and opened a new one. It was not what I expected to find. Mom was so right. There were only 3 sizes, Women's small, medium, and large. I went for a test run with the pants first since the original top was not the same style we were going with these days. I made the pants in the size the pattern said would fit, but found that the sizing was way off and there were only three sizes! I was like wow, I can't believe this. I'd hoped that this was going to be some help but found that the entire pattern was not going to be the help I thought it would be.
From there I started drawing a lot. Taking suits that fit a person, making patterns from them, comparing them to one another...etc. And it went on and on and on. I can't tell you how many times I drew things over and over. I've drawn at least 3 versions of the pants. I would get all the sizes drawn, and then find that I wanted to change something and make it better. So I'd re-draw everything and crumple up the old pattern. I am finally getting to where I don't want to change anything! Praise God! And my suits are fitting people well! I can't believe it! After so much work and figuring, fretting, and drawing I am getting good results. When I get responses like the ones below I'm so happy I just about want to cry.
I made a maternity suit for Kelly and she wrote saying:
Hi Savannah,
I just wanted to let you know that I received my swimsuit a while back and I love it! It fits me perfect! I'm so comfortable in it - I've been to the pool a few times with my family and I love having a swimsuit that I feel good in. Thank you for making these! They are a blessing to those of us looking for a beautiful, modest bathing suit :)
Kelly
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For Cheryl I made a custom listing, something new that I'd not tried before.
Hi, I got the suit and I do love it! I love the print, I love how you put it together and I love how soft it feels--I wore it around the house all day-it was so comfy and pretty. Thanks again, Cheryl at Vh
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
So, yes, I cried just a bit this morning but its only because I'm very happy :-)
I am extremely thrilled when my suits fit well. The reason I am so pleased is because I draw my own patterns based on what has fit my family and I, other sizes are drawn from those. This is not the way I was taught to make these suits. My mom taught me to make most things without a pattern, and it was no different with these suits. Even though she had printed a women's and girl's swimwear pattern back in 1991, I had never even opened one! I was taught to make them starting with a garment that closely fit the person for whom I was sewing. Take it in here and there until it fit how you wanted it.
I had no concept of how to make a suit for someone I had not seen unless I so happened to have a model (close friend or family member that didn't mind being fitted) near their size at my disposal. But I wanted to make and sell modest swimwear online. I first wanted to do this in 2010 and was told by another swimwear making friend, Shawn, that it was not easy. She said "Don't get me wrong, you're good at this but you're going to need a pattern and it takes a lot of figuring to make something for someone just based on their measurements." She tried to tell me how much work it was going to be, but I didn't fully understand what she was saying until later. She was totally right btw...I thought about the pattern my mom had printed years ago and asked her about it. She said, "You'd be better off starting on your own, you know so much more than I did at that time" But still I didn't know where to start and was at a loss. So I pulled out mom's pattern for the first time and opened a new one. It was not what I expected to find. Mom was so right. There were only 3 sizes, Women's small, medium, and large. I went for a test run with the pants first since the original top was not the same style we were going with these days. I made the pants in the size the pattern said would fit, but found that the sizing was way off and there were only three sizes! I was like wow, I can't believe this. I'd hoped that this was going to be some help but found that the entire pattern was not going to be the help I thought it would be.
From there I started drawing a lot. Taking suits that fit a person, making patterns from them, comparing them to one another...etc. And it went on and on and on. I can't tell you how many times I drew things over and over. I've drawn at least 3 versions of the pants. I would get all the sizes drawn, and then find that I wanted to change something and make it better. So I'd re-draw everything and crumple up the old pattern. I am finally getting to where I don't want to change anything! Praise God! And my suits are fitting people well! I can't believe it! After so much work and figuring, fretting, and drawing I am getting good results. When I get responses like the ones below I'm so happy I just about want to cry.
I made a maternity suit for Kelly and she wrote saying:
Hi Savannah,
I just wanted to let you know that I received my swimsuit a while back and I love it! It fits me perfect! I'm so comfortable in it - I've been to the pool a few times with my family and I love having a swimsuit that I feel good in. Thank you for making these! They are a blessing to those of us looking for a beautiful, modest bathing suit :)
Kelly
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For Cheryl I made a custom listing, something new that I'd not tried before.
Hi, I got the suit and I do love it! I love the print, I love how you put it together and I love how soft it feels--I wore it around the house all day-it was so comfy and pretty. Thanks again, Cheryl at Vh
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
So, yes, I cried just a bit this morning but its only because I'm very happy :-)
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