1950s Inspired Swimwear

Hello everyone. Here’s a swimsuit that I actually made last year, but I just never got around to photographing it…it’s a bit hard trying to photograph swimwear when I’m surrounded by cornfields. Haha. So last week when I went up to Lake Michigan and it was the perfect place to finally document my swimsuit.

I drafted my own pattern using my measurements. The swimsuit is made from a print cotton and the inside is fully lined with a cream jersey. I wanted a mix between a two piece and a one piece so I thought that key holes would make a nice touch for that. There’s a zipper in the side seam for getting in and out of. I’ve swam in this swimsuit so many times, and I think that the cotton actually holds up pretty well.

There are a couple of tears here and there, but that’s just from all the crazy use that it’s gotten. This was my first swimsuit of this style and I’m pretty happy with the way it turned out. I’ve made the same swimsuit a couple different times since this one; using different fabrics and working out some of fit kinks that were in this one. I hope that you like it and happy summer :)

2 corinthians 12:10

This past week, my mom decided to take a last minute trip up to northern Michigan just to get away from everything for a couple of days. We went to a place called Crystal Lake and it’s always been one of my favorite places to go to ever since I was little. Every evening we went to see the sunset on the shore of Lake Michigan. The wind off the lake would softly blow on my face while the sun slowly went down into the earth; casting different colors that signaled the day's end. I’ve watched the sunset every night since by brother's passing and it always reassures me that if a sunset on earth is this beautiful then heaven must be a million times more lovely…and that’s where my brother is.

Today is exactly one month since he went to live forever in happiness with Jesus Christ…it’s been the hardest month of my life, and all I know is that the many prayers that people have been praying have been holding me up right now during this time. Thank you all for your words of encouragement and prayers…it truly means a lot to me.

Isaiah 25:8

Sorry I’ve been so quite lately…last week was my trip to New York, but it didn’t turn out the way I was planning it to. My older brother, Daniel, passed away the Monday that I left. I found out about it on the flight to New York. My dad wanted my mom and I to go on with the week, but by Tuesday we were both really homesick and we just wanted to get home to be with family.

Thursday morning, once I woke up my mom called me over to come and talk. She had the dress that I had made to wear to Carnegie Hall. I thought that she was going to say that she wanted me to wear it to the funeral, but instead she said that she wanted me to wear it to Carnegie Hall.

That morning while I was still sleeping she asked my sister Ruth if she would go with me to New York. My sister said yes and my mom made all the plans by the time I woke up. So Friday morning we took an early flight and made it to the award ceremony 10 minutes before I had to be there. It was very special and even though my brother passed away I like to think that he received part of that award as well.

(photos taken by Ruth)

Max and Joslyn from the Fort Wayne Museum of Art. They've always been so helpful and supportive of me and I'm so thankful for them.


My brother was 21-years-old and he’s now in Heaven with his beloved Jesus Christ who he believed in with his whole heart. I miss you Dan.