How to Make a Bandana Bathing Suit

Not all bathing suits require a great deal of sewing and experience. One casual type of bathing suit, perfect for the beginner, is made mainly by folding and tying square bandanas together to create a loose, chic style perfect for lounging around in the summer. This tied bikini style is reminiscent of an earlier era, when many young women made their own easy clothes out of existing items. To make your own bandana bathing suit, follow these steps.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Four bandanas
• Matching thread
• Sewing equipment and supplies

1. Take two of the bandanas and lay them flat on a table or other work surface. Fold each of the bandanas into right triangles, and lay them side-by-side with the long, folded sides facing you and the inside corner of each bandana touching the other.

2. Tie the inside corners together in a small, tight double knot. Tug on the knot to make sure that you cannot untie the bandanas. Fold the top corners of the bandanas down, so that you have slightly curved tops. Put the bandanas around your body, making sure that your bust is sufficiently covered, and tie the remaining ends at the middle of your back. Readjust the bandanas if necessary, and tie again.

3. Take the remaining two bandanas to use for the bathing suit bottoms. Once again, fold each bandana into a right angle. Thread your sewing machine with thread that matches the remaining bandanas and stitch the top cornered sides of the bandanas together, several inches from the corners themselves. Backstitch at each end and clip all hanging threads.

4. Fold the bandanas together, with the sewn side as the folded edge. Tie the free corners on each side together in small knots. Slip the bandanas on, putting your legs through each of the holes, and adjust the knots to fit you.

Tips & Warnings

• Instead of folding the tops of the bandanas down flat, you can also attach ribbon to each top corner and tie them around your neck like a halter top. Larger-busted women may want to avoid the tying method of making a bandana bathing suit, and should instead sew the bandanas with a bikini top pattern for more support. If the bottoms are too small for you, or do not provide enough coverage, you can make a pair of bottoms using an old pair of bikini underwear as a pattern. Take the underwear apart at the seams and lay the pieces on the bandanas, then cut and sew the bandana together in the same way. You can also line the bandana bottoms with swim mesh if they are too transparent.

Resources

• eHow video of "How to Make a Sarong Bandana"
• Tips for making a bandana top