Happy Summer!!! YAY Summer! I’m joining in on a fun sewing series hosted by the amazing Alex of My Sew Bliss. You can find her fantastic sews shared on Youtube and Instagram. She’s putting together a great celebration of swimsuit patterns, swim fabrics and lots of tips and tricks along the way! Be sure to check out her channels for the full sewbration details including giveaways!

She asked that I share a recent me-made swimsuit and a little bit about my experience with sewing swimwear. This project gave me a great reason to try to re-create a swimsuit style I’ve been seeing all over my IG and Pinterest feeds. When Megan of Made for Mermaids posted a picture using the newest M4M release, Naomi, as a swim top it was a must for me!!! I hopped over to her blog to find how to re-create the look and within an hour I was photo-ready. One of my favorite aspects of sewing swimwear is that it really is SO fast to make a suit from start to finish! Let’s take a look…

The Pattern

As I said earlier, I used the Naomi dress pattern to make this swim top! I love the cross back straps, the flattering v-neck front and the sporty look of a full coverage top.

I followed the blog post that gives a little hack on how to make the backless dress pattern into a swim top. Super easy to modify, super fast to sew! Gotta love that! I have yet to find a good swim bottom pattern that fits my rear nicely without a ton of modifications so I tend to just stick with my tried and true store-bought swim bottoms. If you have any suggestions for a good coverage, low rise swim bottom pattern…please let me know!

The Fabric

I love using a sturdy swim knit. I’ve sewn with some slippery, shiny swim knit before and it was a hot mess. Some of my favorite swim knit retailers are Spoonflower (order the Sport Lycra), Raspberry Creek Fabrics and the Fabric Fairy. For this project, I used up my scrap athletic knit fabric from the first me-made athletic tights I had shared earlier this year. I used swim knit lining from Joann in a nude color. I prefer the slinkier swim lining as I feel like it holds up better over time.

The Tips & Tricks

I feel like these few extra gadgets and gizmos will really help you to sew swimwear with ease!

• Rotary Cutter versus Scissors- The glide of the rotary cutter prevents jagged edges and gives you a smooth edge to sew with.
• Pattern Weights- These little weights will keep your pattern in place while you cut and will prevent shifting.
• Sewing Clips versus Pins- I don’t know if it’s just me, but sewing pins and swim knit don’t seem to play well together. I love these plastic clips for holding the fabric together.
• Knit Elastic that is chlorine and salt water safe- I love using the Dritz swimwear elastic instead of the clear elastic. I find that my overlocker and overstitch love it more too! I use the knit elastic to stabilize straps, waistbands, leg openings and necklines where applicable.

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I hope you enjoyed reading about my recent me-made swim top! Be sure to follow along for the next few weeks of the #SwimsuitSewbration! Big thanks to Alex for organizing this fun event!!!! XOXO.