While I am figuring out how I want to morph the monokini pattern, I decided I would put the rest of Kwik Sew 3608 to good use and sew up the alternate version. I searched the stash yet again and came up with a teal-ish polka dot print. To off-set the pattern I decided to sew up the bikini bottoms in a solid black. Here's the final result:

Overall, the fit is good, but it seems\feels as if this top wants to slide down more than my monokini muslin - it may have something to do with this fabric being slightly 'slicker' than the previous version, but I suppose it could be the way I inserted the elastic as well. The best part? It was pretty quick to sew up! Now if the weather would just cooperate, I might be able to wear it out to the pool this week!

I spent some time with Kwik Sew 3608. I managed to cut the fabric, insert the shelf bra, and the elastic at the bust. Although there is no elastic around the legs or the side cutouts, I went ahead and slipped it on for a test fit.

If you promise you won't laugh, here's what I have so far......

Let me start off by saying that the fit is really good. I'm not seeing that I need to adjust the length or crotch depth and the bustline is right on - I don't feel like it's going to slip down. Now for some cons:

I never intended for this suit to be wearable - the material is part of a remnant bag that I had purchased eons ago. It was my least favorite material with the right amount of yardage. However, the print is so distracting and somehow I managed to put a 'swirl' right at my midsection - which draws attention to that area and gives the appearance I have a really pouchy stomach. Solids are a must with this design.

I'm really not hot on the bustline of this particular suit. While I think it works for the takini style, I'm not a fan of it with the cutaway sides. If I continue with the monokini style, it really does need to be morphed with another top - I'm still going with Kwik Sew 3695.

One thing that I did add to this design - one that you can't see is a bit of plush back elastic to the shelf bra. Not only is this more comfortable, I don't feel like it's riding up either. I think I'll continue this with the next one I make.

After reading everyone's comments the last few days, I've decided to take the plunge and start on the monokini next. I went out and purchased Kwik Sew 3608 yesterday and started tracing the pattern - I can see lots of areas of potential alterations:

• The bust - I measured myself and am really in between sizes. I went ahead and traced off the small, but think I may have to go back and use the extra small eventually. This part might not even matter anyway since I plan on eventually morphing another pattern for the bust.
• Waistline - There are two different 'lengthen and shorten here' lines that are in this area. Since I'm a bit on the long-waisted side I may have to add some length here.
• Crotch line - Here's another area for potential alteration. I've found that some Kwik Sew patterns have a deep crotch depth so this may have to be shortened on me. If I would have thought about this before I traced everything, I could have just measured and adjusted first, but I was anxious to get started and the thought never even crossed my mind until well after everything was done!

For now, I'm going to be sewing this one 'as is' so I can see what I might want to adjust - thankfully I have some swimsuit lycra in my stash to play with! Now off to cut material and start sewing!