Sewing: How to Downsize a Bathing Suit

You can buy a bathing suit one size bigger on sale and take it in to fit you.

If your favorite bathing suit has become stretched out with time, give it a few nip and tucks to make it fit like new again. Downsizing a bathing suit is also a brilliant idea in these tough economic times. Downsizing consists of making two new side seams to create a snugger fit.

Things You'll Need

• Sewing machine
• Bathing suit
• Pins
• Chalk

Instructions

1. Turn the bathing suit inside out and put it on.

2. Pin the excess fabric at the left side seam from top to bottom. Repeat the pinning with the right side, making sure that both side seams are pinned at the same width.

3. Take off the bathing suit, being careful to keep the pins in place, and draw a line with the chalk where you've pinned the seams. Remove the pins.

4. Sew the side seams along the chalked line using a serger or the stretch stitch of a home machine.

5. If you use a home machine, make another line of stitching 1/4 inch outside (towards the edge of the fabric) the first line of stitching. Clip the fabric just outside the second row of stitching.

Tips & Warnings

• The best way to create the seam is with an overlock machine. If you don't have a serger or merrow machine, a stretch stitch on your home machine will suffice.