Indigo one piece swimming suit (PDF)

I think the Indigo is a style that will look good on many sizes (5’1” and old here). I made the unlined tank with the shelf bra to test for fit and had great results. After finding my base size the only modification needed was some grading at the hip. The directions were good. Thanks!!!

I found this pattern easy to adjust for my very tall daughter. It’s simple to put together and is very comfortable to wear. I’ve made her three now and she loves them.

I received this pattern as a choice from Brisbane Spoolettes Frocktails event. Thank you. I like that the pattern has different pattern sheets for a larger bust which is what I have used. I was trying to make it into a reversible swim suit with a clip at the back so I haven't finished it yet as I haven't worked out how to do it ...it is not as simple as the basic swimsuits but I will use this pattern again. I didn't like that the markings were too far from the lines, or not clear enough without having to run my fingers over them to get the right line. I'm not a fan of PDF patterns but overall it was easy enough. I haven't been using the instructions as I've made lots of togs before so can't rate them.

The issues started from the very beginning. The print chart is way off. I had no idea what pieces were where. I'm not going to print all 45 pages when I'm not using all of the options that is a complete waste. I also don't know why the contoured lining pieces were not shown on the chart at all, just a comment to print them. (not that it mattered in the end since none of the pages shown were correct. The chart said for Tall, and that is what I was printing as well.)

The instructions were not very clear on several steps, and the whole elastic 'guide' is not available unless you're using a projector or AO format. I print at home, so the notches on the garment for the elastic have no reference point. It says if it's not available then just quarter the elastic, ok fine, but they don't tell you to quarter the opening as well. (but honestly, why wouldn't it be available to everyone???) Thankfully I have made several swimsuits in the past. But a beginner sewer would be very confused by this.

I've sewn numerous swimsuits, bras, underwear as well as other garments, and have never had this much frustration with instructions and printing. I was able to sew most of the swimsuit faster than it took printing out the correct pages. I do like how it fits now that it's finally done. But this should not have been the struggle it was.

I have seen similar complaints in the review section. I really hope the company reads them and takes them to heart. The designs are nice, but I've only bought 2 patterns so far, and had issues printing both of them. I don't see buying more until some of these concerns are addressed, to be honest.

With a few tweaks to the instructions, and an actually correct printing list or chart, this could be a great pattern.

Love this pattern. I have made two trial swimsuits and both fit really well. As I have had little practice using elastic I found this difficult but it did get easier. I have bought fabric and fold over elastic to try for my next suit and am looking forward to making this.

My review below was mistakenly listed as five stars but I’m only giving it three.

I have had good success with Sinclair patterns before, but not with this one. I made version C. The instructions were hard to follow and there were errors in them. The instructions need an overhaul. I did lots of unpicking! The elastic was difficult to sew particularly with the mesh lining too. There were not enough notches to help line up the elastic evenly. The elastics had a markings guide, but that wasn’t available in the A4 format and I could not access it from the other formats. Why leave the A4 users out? It wasn’t hard to 1/4 the keyhole snd arms, but the leg holes were tricky because of the uneven shape.
I made them the recommended size and they are too small. I doubt if I can swim in them. Considering how expensive good swimwear fabrics and elastics are, this was a costly fiasco for me. I spent days on it. I’ll never make swimwear again.
Such a shame, as I’m always promoting Sinclair Patterns to new sewists. Please make sure your instructions are proof read and are clear.

I’ve been sewing for over 50 years and this is my first swimwear project. I’ve got mixed feelings about this pattern. I found the instructions difficult to follow. The only printing layout was for US Tall and page numbers didn’t match my A4 regular sizing. The pattern pieces in the tutorial were also given numbers which didn’t correspond with labels on the actual pattern pieces, so overall it was a bit of a challenge. After I got it all worked out, construction was fairly straightforward and sizing was accurate which meant I ended up with swimmers that fitted my multi sized body, including good bum coverage.

Love, love, love this pattern! The it is dead on. A little patience needed with the directions only because there are so many versions but I've already cut out a second one!!

I've finished 2 of these suits with various configurations and I like the way they turned out, but there are a lot of mistakes or issues with the instructions. A few examples: multiple pattern pieces have the same pattern number, so when the instructions say you need pattern piece 12, you have to deduce which one it means; the instructions also refer to the wrong pattern piece numbers in multiple places; the instructions for the keyhole elastic say to match one end with the hip seam, but there is no hip seam near the keyhole; the leg hole elastic instructions state the elastic has a 95% ratio to the length of the keyhole (should say leg opening). Those are just a few examples that were frustrating me as I went along. I ended up cutting several pieces that I didn't need and not having the ones I did need. Also, I could not get the neckline of the contoured version to look great - the elastic at the curves just wasn't working. If they clean up the pattern instructions, this would be a 4 star pattern.