Raspberry Creek Fabrics Suit Up For Summer Tour 2020

Swim fabrics are NOT just for bathing suits! I just needed to put that out there! Keep reading to find out how I use them.

It’s that time of year(especially this year!)when we’re all dreaming about summer, the sun, the beach and waves. To top it off all these beautiful swim fabrics are being released! Hello Raspberry Creek Fabrics! Most of us probably think that if we don’t like sewing swimwear- then we miss out on all these gorgeous prints! I’m here to tell you — NOT TRUE! Raspberry Creek Fabrics sent me these three amazing fabrics to sew up and I’m going to share what I did with them with you!

A little background about me: My husband and I both grew up and spent all of our lives on the Atlantic Coast(me in NJ and him in RI), therefore we love the water! We spend much of our summer (and vacations) on and in the water. One activity we love doing together is kayaking. The Atlantic is pretty chilly in New England(even in August!)

1. KAYAKING DRESS

A Made for Mermaid Jordan dress makes a perfect dress to wear kayaking when shortened to tunic length! I made 3/4 length sleeves for sun protection when out on the water. The only change I made was to tighten the sleeve so that water doesn’t run from the paddle down inside my sleeve (did I mention how cold the Altantic is in New England?).

I love the colors in this Abstract Animal swim print -and it looks good over my neoprene! I can’t wait to get it wet!

My husband and I spend a lot of time in Mystic, CT. We have been known to kayak down the Mystic River at 7:00AM , pull our boats up onto the dock at a local marina and grab breakfast at Kitchen Little. Or sometimes we take an afternoon paddle for lobster rolls at Fords in Noank. This little dress will be so comfortable to kayak in- yet look cute when we go on our little excursions!

2. RASH GUARD

I chose this beautiful Red/ Yellow Tropical Floral swim fabric to make a rash guard that fits me perfectly! I used the Lane Raglan from Hey June Patterns. I raised the neckline just a bit to give me a bit more sun protection when on the water. This is the second time I’ve made a rash guard using the Lane and RCF swim. I wore last years so often, I knew I needed another one! I have a hard time buying RTW rash guards that fit and are comfortable- they don’t sell them with an FBA!

When we travel we always kayak if possible. In 4 days we were supposed to be in St. Augustine, FL – and this rash guard would have been packed! Keep an eye out on my Instagram for action pics to come as soon as the water warms up a bit here. No better way to social distance than paddling on the water!

Here’s a pic of last year’s rash guard in the wild in a retired RCF print. People are always asking where I buy my rash guard- and I love replying “ I made it!”

3. SIMPLE DRESS (shift or swing)

YES- you can sew everyday dresses with swim fabrics!

This Geometric Fan swim print makes a great dress! This is the Love Notions Laundry Day Tee Dress with a few modifications. I made a sleeveless version( not the tank version) by adjusting the shoulder width. I also used the sleeve band and trimmed off 3/4” of the width. I then sewed this on and turned it to the inside and topstitched it in place (like a bias binding). This will provide my shoulders with a bit more sun protection and assured me my bra straps would be covered.

Did you know that there are many dress boutiques in the coastal towns of New England that sell simple dresses made from swim fabric? And did you know they cost $160.00? WHAT!?!? Check out the Sailor Sailor clothing line- all swim knit! I’ve tried these dresses on and I’ve fallen in love with them- but even if I was willing to spend the $$$- they are shift dresses and aren’t made to fit us curvy girls! This where I got the idea of using RCF swim fabric for making my own. 2 yards x $13.40 per yard = $26.80! And yes, RCF swim is high quality and 50+ UPF. It is thick enough for a shift dress- it’s not too clingy and doesn’t show all the things we want to hide! I also find RCF swim easy to sew with. It’s thick enough that the edges don’t roll and isn’t too slippery.

I hope I’ve inspired you to sew up some swim fabrics for yourself! Go check out the beautiful collection at Raspberry Creek Fabrics and enjoy 15% off swim and board short fabrics with the code SWIMTOUR