Carrie here kicking off a series of posts on the Ipswich Swimsuit; let’s start with the trickiest bit: sourcing swim fabric and notions!

Let’s start with the basics: swim fabric and swim lining. We’ll be sharing some inspiration photos and color combination ideas soon, but for now here are links to shops and fabrics that work well for the Ipswich. Make sure you choose 4-way stretch. I’ve tried to find some options that aren’t just US-based, but if you have a local source that you know about, please leave it in the comments!

Solids

• Milliskin Matte from Spandex House or Spandex World
• UPF 50 (sunscreen) fabric from Rockywoods Fabrics 
• Solid Spandex from The Fabric Fairy
• Swim Tricot from Blackbird Fabrics (US & Canada)
• Recycled Nylon from Funki Fabrics (UK)

Prints

• Liberty of London swim fabric from The Fabric Store (Aus/NZ)
• Printed Tricot from Blackbird Fabrics (US & Canada)
• Every print you can imagine from Funki Fabrics (UK)
• Every print you can imagine from Spandex House or Spandex World
• Custom printed fabric – the sport lycra works well for swimwear – from Spoonflower
• Wide variety of printed swim fabrics from The Fabric Fairy 

Swim Lining

• A variety of colors from The Fabric Fairy (including light blue, which is the best optical option for white background fabrics)
• 3 colors from Sew Sassy Fabrics
• 3 colors from Bra Makers Supply (Canada)
• 3 colors from Sew Squirrel (AUS)
• 2 colors from Fit2Sew (UK)

Okay, now on to all the bits and bobs. It can be tricky to figure out which of all the different options out there for elastics, etc. so here are some direct links.

• Swim cup foam – Bra Makers Supply (Canada); Sew Squirrel (AUS); Tailor Made Shop; Fit2Sew (UK)
• Bra lining – Bra Makers Supply (Canada); Sew Squirrel (AUS); Tailor Made Shop;  Fit2Sew (UK)
• Powernet/Powermesh – Bra Makers Supply (Canada); Sew Squirrel (AUS); Tailor Made Shop; Fit2Sew (UK); Fabric.com
• Swimwear elastic (Filpar is our favorite, but the regular cotton swimwear elastic works too)–  Bra Makers Supply (Canada); Sew Squirrel (AUS); Fit2Sew (UK); Fabric.com
• Bra Strapping (you can substitute 5/8” firm elastic or 1/2″ bra strapping if you don’t need as much support) – Bra Makers Supply (Canada); Sew Squirrel (AUS); Fit2Sew (UK)
• Fold Over Elastic – Tailor Made Shop; Fabric.com; Every color imaginable from Bowtique Emilee; Sewing Chest (UK); Think Bowtique (AUS)
• Stay Tape – Bra Makers Supply (Canada); Sew Essential (UK); Amazon.com
• Underwire channeling – Bra Makers Supply (Canada); Sew Squirrel (AUS); Tailor Made Shop; Sewing Chest (UK)
• Underwires – Bra Makers Supply (Canada); Sew Squirrel (AUS); Tailor Made Shop; Fit 2 Sew (UK)
• Boning – Bra Makers Supply (Canada); Amazon.com
• Swimwear closures – Bra Makers Supply (Canada)– these are our favorite; Tailor Made Shop; Sew Essential (UK) — slightly small but you should be able to use them if you squeeze the strap; Amazon.com

Phew that is quite the list!! Let us know if you have any questions!

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