How to sew a one-piece swimsuit yourself

A one-piece swimsuit is a must-have in every woman's wardrobe: it is needed for swimming pool visits, active swimming in the sea, beach photo session. Sometimes it is difficult to find the right product: the model does not fit or you don’t like the color. In this case, you can sew a one-piece swimsuit yourself.

How to sew a one-piece swimsuit: options

There are many models of one-piece swimwear, which can be divided into main groups:

• Models of one-piece swimsuits without top ties are called bandeau. They fit perfectly women with full hips as it "balances" the lower body.

• One-piece traditional swimwear models are called maillot.
• If the swimsuit has straps cut at the same time as the main body, this is a tank. Wide straps provide reliable support for large breasts.

• In a one-piece halter, the upper ties are fixed around the neck, which creates the visual effect of a fuller chest and wider shoulders. This model "balances" large hips.

• The high-neck swimsuit has a sporty focus. A small cut in the front helps to visually lengthen the body.

• Plunge models are suitable for slender short women with small breasts. They have a large cut in the front and back of the swimsuit. This allows you to create the effect of increasing the height and size of the breast.

• An imitation skirt is sewn at the thigh level of the one-piece swimsuit swimsuit, which helps to disguise the full thighs.

Models with a bodice decorate and adjust the figure due to a leotard sewn from the wrong side. Cups are sewn on for breast comfort. The bodice is cut out of light jersey, stretching in all directions. Or choose non-stretch fabrics to obtain a rigid bodice.

Swimsuit one-piece pattern

For sewing a swimsuit, you can use ready-made patterns, which are easy to find in specialized sewing publications, on thematic forums and sites. Some of them are shown in the photo below.

Experienced seamstresses can build a pattern themselves, based on the basic dress patterns length below mid-thigh. To do this, copy the back and front of the pattern, correct them, design cutouts for the legs. Additionally, a gusset pattern is built.

How to sew a one-piece swimsuit with cups

In order to sew a model's swimsuit as in the photo, you will need:

• colored fabric;
• elastic tape;
• cups;
• bones;
• sewing thread and sewing machine.

The finished pattern is transferred to the fabric, outlined with chalk. Then cut out taking into account the seam allowances. Next, the parts are sewn in the following order:

1. The central parts of the cups need to be sewn with the side ones, then the seams should be delayed. Next, the upper parts of the cups are attached.
2. To obtain straps, the part is folded along the length and grinded. One small cut is also sewn, with the long seam in the middle of the strap. Then it is turned inside out and drained away.
3. To obtain voluminous cups of a swimsuit, foam lining elements are used. The foam cups are sewn to the bodice of the swimsuit from the inside out.
4. The back cut of the leotard should be finished with an elastic tape.
5. An elastic band is sewn to the upper part of the back with a flat seam, slightly stretching it. In this case, the allowance is turned inside out.
6. Then the front and back are sewn together at the side seams. The gusset is overlocked and sewn to the front and back.
7. The cutouts for the legs are processed with an elastic band or inlay.
8. Additionally, you can sew bone tunnels onto the cups. A strip 30 mm wide is cut out of colored fabric, folded in half. Then they sew it to the seam for grinding the cups, turning the strip to allowances. The first stitch should be close to the seam of the strip, the second should be along the free edge. Then the bones are inserted into the resulting tunnels.

A beautiful swimsuit is ready!