Third bit from the right

I really don’t enjoy getting into outdoor swimming pools on cold mornings – winter or summer. So I wear tight-fitting, long-sleeved lycra rash vests over my bathers, at least until I’ve warmed up. 

I started making my own about 13 years ago. One or two a year, plus quite a few for friends … maybe 25–30 so far. Therefore, speaking as the expert I obviously am, let me tell you a thing or two about sewing rash vests. 

This part is a bit of an overview. In Part 2 I walk through the steps for making a rash vest.

The aim

The rash vest needs to fit really firmly through the wrists, arms and the bodice so it doesn’t create a lot of drag in the water while you’re doing laps. It doesn’t matter so much if it’s not tight around hips because it’ll ride up a bit no matter what.

The fabric

I admit lycra’s not a great insulator – it’s no substitute for a wetsuit – but I find rash vests do actually make a difference to how warm I feel in the water. Unfortunately, lycra and chlorine are a bad mix. My rash vests often only last me 6 months before the fabric starts to deteriorate. Some of the thinner lycras have an even shorter lifespan (read my tip on one way to deal with that).

Finding attractive (or, at least, inoffensive) and affordable lycra locally is not easy. In Melbourne, there was a shop in Mentone that carried a huge range of cheap swimwear lycra ($4/metre cheap) but  it closed at the end of 2012.

Trimmings & Remnants in Pascoe Vale is pretty good though expensive. Look out for their discounted end-of-roll pieces. (If you like swimming in sequins you’ll love that shop.) Spotlight and Darn Cheap Fabrics stock some but mostly only in plain colours.

Sourcing chlorine-resistant fabric seems even more tricky but it’s probably out there on the internet.

If the lycra is 150 cm wide you only need about 80 cm–115 cm, depending on your size.

The pattern

I use a leotard pattern with long sleeves and neck band (Kwik Sew pattern 2004 – View B) minus the crotch extension and back zip.

Follow the sizing chart on the pattern to choose the best fit for your body. According to the chart I’m a ‘small’ so that’s what I make. Once I’ve sewn up the sleeve and side seams I try on the top and then run it in a bit more if I think it’s not tight enough (lycras vary a lot in their degree of stretchiness).

To alter the pattern from a leotard to a top I drew a new line down at the hip area to extend the side seams to about 44 cm long (including 3 cm hem allowance), as you can see in the photo below.

Note: If you were wanting just a loose top to pull on while at the beach to stop you getting sunburnt, make a larger size and cut the sides straight, without any shaping for the waist.

Some other uses for rash vests

• I wear them under my sleeveless wetsuit in open-water swims
  (yes, I am in that photo)
• They’re great to wear while you’re bodysurfing, bodyboarding or snorkelling, or just hanging out on some tropical beach

PS: I think there’s an untapped market for rash vests made in patterned fabric. Have you seen what’s out there? Very dull. I don’t want to take on the world, I’m just saying you heard it here first.

Read Part 2