Splashing around with Peek a Boo Patterns

Today we have a special treat.  We are interviewing none other but Amy from the Peek-a-boo Pattern Shop! (affiliate link)  As I was putting together this series, I noticed that she had the most and the most fashionable designs out there for children's swim wear.  I particularly appreciated the boy options and how so many of them had sleeves in order to protect the kids from the sun.  (I read once that most skin cancer is caused by burns and sun exposure which occurred before the age of 12.)

affiliate link

Amy, thank you for being a part of this series.  Could you tell us how long have you been designing patterns?

I started sewing 4 years ago shortly after the birth of my first child; nothing like a baby girl to provide some motivation :) I started with a blog and eventually opened up the pattern shop in the fall of 2011.

Hang ten rash guard

A lot of us sew but what made you decide to take the giant step of becoming a pattern designer? 

I am a completely self-taught seamstress and learned most of what I know from bloggers. The more blogs I looked at the more I got the itch to give it a try on my own. One thing led to another and I realized I could make my children almost anything I wanted if I learned how to draft patterns. I definitely get a lot of satisfaction from dressing my children in clothes made with love that they love to wear.

When did you start designing swimwear?

  coney island tankini

I came up with my first swimsuit patterns in the spring of 2012 and I fell in love immediately.

Many of your patterns work well for boys and girls; are having unisex options important to you?

With 2 little boys of my own I definitely keep the boys in mind when I design. I like to do some looks that are just for the girls or just for the boys but I always include some unisex patterns in each of my pattern line-ups for the season. Many people have both boys and girls to sew for and it's always nice to be able to make something special for each child all from the same pattern. 

coco cay colorblock tankini

You have so many varieties of suits, what inspires you so that you can be so creative?

I love designing swimwear! My daughter gets so excited anytime I'm working on a new suit and I have a great time coming up with suits that are fun and also modest. Swimsuits are surprisingly quick to sew and I love that I can make something that will fit her like a glove and that is also unique. Anytime we are at the pool or splash pad I'm definitely on the lookout for new design elements to mix-up and add to future designs. Mostly though I just do a lot of sketching :)

So many designers shy away from the larger children’s sizes; what motivated you to size up to 12yr?

surf's up board shorts 

When I started designing patterns it seemed the industry standard was to go to an 8 so I did that as well. After many requests for larger sizes I now offer almost all of my new patterns up to a 12. So many children need a size 12 at a younger age and I'm glad I can help fill the need for looks that are still appropriate and fun for a child. 


Well,  I am sure grateful that you do provide such a robust selection for both for boys and girls in the bigger sizes.  Thank you Amy for sharing your thought on designing swimwear with us. 

And if any of you are looking for beach wear patterns, peek-a-boo pattern shop has hats and cover-ups in addition to even more suits.

(Update: Sew Cool now has a few affiliate links and Peek-a-boo Patterns is one of them.  We think Amy carries great patterns for tweens so we think the affiliate program is a good fit.)