Shein...I got your number!

 *This is my entry for the PR Swimsuit Sewing Competition 2023.*

Patterns Used (hacked and modified for style and fit):  Patterns for Pirates Vixen Bralette 

and 5oo4 Ultimate Bikini Bottoms

Hey Shein (and other similar companies)!  I've got your number.  See this $17+ fringe bikini below?  $17!  Yeah, somebody or some people are getting screwed in the supply chain.  Don't get me started on how these types of companies screw over designers too.  So what did I do lol?  I copied Shein lol!  Here is my inspiration pic from their 2023 line (and who knows who Shein copied it from!). 

And here's my interpretation aka "knockoff" of Shein's knockoff:

The big difference between a $17 Shein fringe bikini and mine is QUALITY!  I used a beautiful, pastel-blue, shimmery, holographic print from telaslycra.com which was purchased in 2022.  This was my fave fabric of my entire swim fabric haul, and I was waiting for just the right pattern and style.  When I saw the fringe bikini above on the Shein website, I knew that was my concept photo for the fabric.

In addition, my swimwear includes lining on the front AND back of all my suits as well as smoothing Powermesh and slimming Powernet if necessary.  This bikini (for my figure) did NOT need Powernet, however all pieces except the bikini bottoms back did have Powermesh.  The Powermesh and the lining make for a "beefier", better-looking result in my opinion.

I hacked the P4P Vixen pattern front into two separate pieces by cutting the upper strap and adding a seam allowance.  My seam allowance at the connection point for my metal rings was created at 2".  This let me tweak the exact location for my figure and liking.  The excess was cut off where necessary.  I cut the Vixen band according to the pattern measurement and added 2" for tweaking.  It's okay for a band to be too long during the fitting process but NOT if it's too short.  I removed and adjusted the band during fitting.  My band was also two separate fabric pieces (not cut on fold) since I needed a seam on the bottom to add the fringe.  I made sure to have a large enough piece of fabric to be able to cut fringe.  I cut a longer-than-necessary fringe piece from selvedge to selvedge and spent an entire evening cutting 1/4" strips VERY carefully leaving 2 1/2" at the top uncut.  When done, I cut down the top edge leaving a 1/2" seam allowance above the fringe.  This seam allowance was sandwiched in between the inside and outside of the band (kind of like stitching piping) and basted to adjust fit.  Once the fit was nailed, the excess fringe was removed.  

Fitting is a lot of the process for me.  Once the fringe was basted into the seam and the fit was good, I permanently stitched it in as well as permanently stitched the connection points at the front rings which were still basted until the second to last fitting.  After all stitching was completed and the bikini top was done, the final fitting session was merely to assess the length of the fringe.  I marked where I wanted the bottom of the fringe should be on my body, and then cut off the excess.  Top was done!  I'm thrilled with the way it turned out.  The fringe has a two-tone, dimensional effect because the right side is the shimmery, holographic print, and the wrong side is a solid, matte blue.  I love that!  It gives added dimension to the bikini when it swishes with movement or wind.  

I've been asked about curling of the cut edges of the fringe.  I thought about that because the edges of this knit really wanted to curl.  I used Best Press with a press cloth on the swim fabric with an iron set to the synthetic setting.  Didn't seem like it did all that much.  I then sprayed lightly to moderately (but not soaked), Terial Magic on the back of the swim fabric with a press cloth and iron as well.  Again, it didn't seem like it did much.  I did cut out a a 2x10" or so sample to check for curling, and guess what...the edges STILL curled despite being treated!  So...I held my breath, cut the 1/4" strips, and they did NOT curl.  Perhaps it's because there is nothing to curl on a 1/4" wide strip!  That's my theory, and I'm sticking to it ;) .

The 5oo4 Bikini Bottoms were already altered to my figure based on plenty of previous bikini bottoms I've made and hacked as well.  This hack included narrowing the connection points on the bottoms and adding a 2" seam allowance to each side to be tweaked during fitting.  The excess seam allowance was cut off after fitting.  I do love how these bikini bottoms give plenty of bum coverage too.  I'm more inclined to leave the back thong look to my undergarments or bedroom attire.

Here is the bikini in the flat, front and back:

Overall, I'm very pleased with how my bikini turned out, and I like it much better than the Shein website fringe bikini.  And btw, that $17 Shein price tag?  Mine probably cost about the same, but I can guarantee mine is of top-notch quality, will last several seasons, is custom fitted for my figure in my chosen color and print, AND no one got screwed in the supply chain because I made my own.  Imagine that...Shein copying designers, but I copied Shein lol.  Funny how that works.

Would you like to sew your own swimwear?  It's NOT hard.  But it does take some know how, and I've definitely made mistakes along the way.  Let my mistakes help prevent you from making them too.  Watch my UPCOMING video, Top Swimwear Sewing Tips, on my Cyber Sewing School YouTube channel.  My hope is it can help you make an awesome swimsuit that you will be proud of and will last several seasons.  You CAN do it!

Until next time, Happy Sewing! 

--Kat