Well, my husband bought us tickets to Kauai, Hawaii. I guess he must be sick of the cold and dark too. We leave in February and are gone for five days. He's a picture of the hotel (I think) and it is 75 degrees there right now. I am so excited. So. Excited.
But, here's my question to you all. Where the heck do you find swimsuit lycra? I know about sewsassy.com but didn't find any prints. I wanna print. They do have great notions though. I know about spandex house but how (how!) do you know whether the lycra is heavyweight enough?
I am so making a swimsuit and a few knit tops and dresses for my trip.
The spandex from Spandex House will be perfect weight. They are one of the leading suppliers to swimwear manufacturers worldwide. I bought some great spandex, sort of a blue mini-foulard print, that Lands End used for its swimwear, and I know Cidell has gotten some Roxy swimwear spandex from them. They have tons of florals, geometrics and fun prints. Hawaii--lucky you!
ReplyDeleteI think I saw that Lucys Fabrics had some swimsuit fabric...I think
ReplyDeleteDawn - I have two pieces of swimsuit fabric that I would be happy to send you (plus elastic and linings). If you're interested, just send me a note! (Of course, you may hate the prints, but I thought they were nice - they're from Lucy's Fabrics).
ReplyDelete(Eme from PR)
ebay - that's my secret.
ReplyDeleteebay has a great selection - BestOnlineFabrics usually has nice prints - there is also another one, but the name escapes me(something with 4Lycra in their name?). If you don't mind shopping by phone Needle Nook Fabrics specializes in knits and swimwear and are very helpful.
ReplyDeleteI bought some from Spandex House (it's now a UFO) - I think any of the 4-way stretch nylon spandex would be appropriate for swimwear, that's the description of what I bought and it's perfect.
ReplyDeleteAlso, Lori/Sew Forth Now did a podcast on swimsuits a while back that's very informative:
http://sewforthnow.blogspot.com/2007/06/episode-5-dive-into-swimsuits.html
And I forgot to say - that's so exciting about your Hawaii trip! February will be the perfect time to go.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely ebay!!! My favorite seller who I have bought at least 15 different prints from is lycra4sale and his store is Lycra Prints. Can't go wrong...I have even found Roxy prints from him for very reasonable prices (like $4/yd). Lots of very cute prints!!
ReplyDeleteYour hubby does rock, what a great trip. I buy my swimsuit fabric from Needle Nook Fabrics in Wichita, KS. Have a great time.
ReplyDeleteYes, your husband rocks. I have no idea about spandex. Have a great trip!
ReplyDeleteLucky you, Hawai sounds great. Wonderful husband to arrange that.
ReplyDeleteNo experience with US resources for swimwear fabric but looking forward to seeing what you come up with. DD certainly wants some new bikini's this summer and I want to make a swimsuit this year (and thinking of buying the Jalie pattern for that).
Linday is right, I did get awesome Roxy from them. And, right now they have some gingham that is a dead ringer for stuff I saw in J.Crew and GAP over the summer.
ReplyDeleteNot that I should be helping you lucky beast you.
Oh, and buy lining with your order.
ReplyDeleteAnd, I meant plaids and seersuckers. Not Gingham. Getting coffee now.
ReplyDeleteooh have fun! I'm so jealous! I'm completely NOT a beach person but this extra cold winter on top of two consecutive non-summers has really got me craving some sun, too!
ReplyDeleteyay for you!!! You are going to have a great time!
ReplyDeleteOooh, jealous! Though if I had to put up with Alaskan winters I don't think one trip to Hawaii would make up for it.
ReplyDeleteYou are soooooo lucky! I'm jealous!
ReplyDeleteOh so fun!!! So are the kids staying home and it's a romantic getaway for two or is everyone going?
ReplyDeleteOh I am so jealous! I used to live in Hawaii and I still miss it - especially in the winter. Cidell is right, don't forget the lining.
ReplyDeleteAAAAAHHHHH! He dies rock. You both so deserve this trip.
ReplyDeleteDenver Fabrics and Harts Fabric both have some... but I've bought from Lucy's and Spandex house and had a good experience each time. That's where I'd head if I were you.
Have a GREAT time! There's a Fabric Mart in Hawaii (though I'm not sure if it's on Kauaii)-- it pops up in my browser every so often. GOTTA get some hula skirt fabric while you're there!
WooHooo for YouHooo! I just saw that the temps in Alaska made the Yahoo home page...something about 65 below??? Hawaii sounds like a perfect solution to coping with that!
ReplyDeleteJoann has swimsuit fabric. Let me know what pattern you're looking for and I'll go and so if they have any.
ReplyDeletewww.lycralady.com. is another option. The website could be better, and I can't vouch for it since I haven't tried it. I only know about it because I live in the same city and have a mutual friend.
ReplyDeleteHave Fun! I am just chiming in, concurring with the Spandex House and ebay suggestions. Did I mention have fun??!! I think your husband deserves a big kiss for that purchase!!
ReplyDeletewoohoo!!!! HOW fun!! Kuauai (I butchered the spelling) looks SO beautiful. I had a hard time picking between there and Maui when we went a couple years ago. Take LOTS of pics! Ooh, and you must watch South Pacific before you go. It was filmed there and supposedly it really hasn't changed all that much in 40 years. Then you can go Hanalei Bay and sing "bali hai". :D
ReplyDelete