How to Sew a Two-Piece Bathing Suit

The two-piece bathing suit, or bikini, is popular among women and girls alike. Versatile in the amount of styles available, two-piece bikinis can consist of a tank and briefs, a tank and shorts, a bandeau and shorts, a triangle top and briefs, or any number of combinations. But shopping for two-piece bathing suits can sometimes be a nightmare; despite mix-and-match capabilities, it can be hard to find the style you like in the size you want. To avoid this issue, you can make your own bikini on a home sewing machine, tailoring the swimsuit to your exact needs. Complete the following guidelines to sew your own two-piece bathing suit.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Pattern Swimwear fabric and swimwear lining fabric Sewing equipment and supplies Ball-point needles Serger Polyester serger thread Swimwear elastic

1. Choose a pattern in the swimsuit style that you like. The Kwiksew and Jalie pattern companies have some great options for swimwear, including some no-sew patterns, and in the summer you can often find patterns from major companies such as McCall, Vogue and Simplicity.

2. Choose the proper swimwear fabric in a pattern and color that you like. Swimwear fabric and lining fabric should be stretchy. Often, patterns will come with stretch requirements for the fabric, so be sure to check before you buy anything. You will also need swimwear elastic, hook closures and bra cups, depending on the pattern.

3. Take your measurements for the bathing suit. Swimwear measurements should be taken at the bust, above the bust, below the bust, at the waist, at the hipbone, at the fullest part of the hip, crotch depth, back shoulder and neck girth. Choose the pattern size that best fits your measurements for the top and bottom.

4. Cut the pattern and pin it to your fabric, allowing for the fabric design to fall exactly in the places you want. Keep in mind any additional instructions on your particular pattern.

5. Cut the fabric as directed in the pattern instructions and baste the outside pieces together from start to finish. Try the suit on to make sure that it fits in all the ways that you want, and make any necessary adjustments. If the suit is too small, you may have to re-cut some of the pieces or start over completely. If the suit is too big, simply take in the overlarge pieces.

6. Take apart the basting, noting adjustments, and sew the whole swimsuit together properly, using the serger and polyester thread. Be sure to add lining, bra cups and other support details in the directed places. Put the bathing suit on to test the fit again before binding the edges. If the suit fits, bind the edges with extra or contrasting fabric and finish all details.

Tips & Warnings

• Your lining should be just as stretchy, if not more, as your outer suit fabric. Take into account the stretch of the fabric as your size. You may find that some swimwear fabric stretches well only lengthwise or width-wise, so plan ahead. Four-way stretch swimwear Lycra is best. Always buy a little extra fabric, just in case the fabric design requires a particular arrangement of pattern pieces. You may also need extra for binding edges. Choose swimwear top patterns by bust size first, then fit the rest. Make sure that bra cup inserts lay properly and can be removed for adjustment. The bust of a swimsuit can be altered larger by cutting slits along an armhole-to-bustline line and spreading the pattern there for extra fabric.

Resources

• Tips for Sewing Swimwear
• About Sewing Swimsuits
• Sewing a Swimsuit
• How to Design and Make a Bikini Video
• Martha Stewart Free Bikini Pattern