I’m a knitter, not a sewer. Sewing frustrates me. Bobbins, pins, cutting, cutting, cutting….sigh. I wanted a two-piece bathing suit for Mexico, but I don’t have the right proportions for the cute bikinis at Target and Old Navy. It’s frustrating. So I decided to sew myself a swimsuit. Finding a good pattern wasn’t easy. Jo-Anne’s only had three patterns in all of their books. Two were triangle tops, not supportive enough, so I went with the third — a conservative two-piece with a built-in shelf bra.

I only had one meltdown, thanks to my patient husband.

The pattern is Butterick #B4526. I haven’t sewn from a pattern in years, so I forgot sizing is wonky with patterns. I bought the smaller size, but I didn’t want to drive back to the store so I just went for it. It turned out really well: