We're back from our week at the beach! We're slowly recovering from our sunburns and bug bites (boy the bugs are vicious in North Carolina). I think I counted somewhere around 50 bug bites on my body. The night before we flew out to meet my parents for our vacation, I made a simple swimsuit cover up. I liked the one I made last year, but I wear it more as a top than a swim cover up. I found this teal striped swim fabric at a JoAnn's sale last year for something like $5 a yard. A real steal for this kind of jersey, if you ask me. And it's a stripe. It's a 2-way stretch, but the grain line runs with the stripes, so horizontal stripes weren't an option. I used a simple sheath for the shape of the body and winged it for the neckline. I originally meant for it to be a scoop neck, but it gaped funny until I added the bow detail on the front. I used the fabric as a fold over elastic for the finishing on the neckline and double needles for the stitch. Twin needles have a more finished look than a zig-zag, but allows for some stretching. I added these teal ceramic beads to the ends for a fun detail. I had them leftover from a craft night I hosted ages ago. The above was my uniform at the beach. It was really comfortable, stretchy, dried quickly and was the perfect length for walking around or playing in the water. Our summer is off to a fantastic start with a lot of projects and exciting milestones ahead. How about yours? Do you have any fun plans?

2011 swim coverup • 2010 swim coverup