- \n
- Day 1:<\/strong> Cut out your fabric and practice your sewing. Find the right stitches and techniques for your suit.<\/li>\n
- Day 2:<\/strong> View A: Assemble the tie front and front facing. Finish the upper edge.<\/li>\n
- Day 3:<\/strong> Finish View A, start View B.<\/li>\n
- Day 4:<\/strong> Finish View B, start View C.<\/li>\n
- Day 5:<\/strong> Finish View C.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Tag your in process photos of your swimsuit with #sewlisette<\/a> and #B6296<\/a> or #B6360<\/a> on Instagram so we can all see.<\/p>\n
So let\u2019s begin, shall we?<\/p>\n
Day 1: Cut out your fabric and practice your sewing. Find the right stitches and techniques for your suit.<\/strong><\/p>\n
If you haven’t read it yet, you might want to review my blog post about selecting swimsuit fabrics and trims<\/a>.<\/p>\n
Are you ready? Today we’ll work on sewing techniques and find the best stitches to use for your suit, using the sewing equipment you have available. Then we’ll cut out our fabric so we can start sewing on Day 2.<\/p>\n
Fabric<\/strong><\/p>\n
So let’s talk about fabric for a minute before we start. When you cut out your swimsuit you’ll be arranging your pieces with the grain arrows going from side to side, pointing to the selvedges, like this.<\/p>\n
![\"a\"](\"\/\/o.osimg.net\/community\/content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/a-580x463.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nThis is because swimsuit fabrics, like many knits, have the most stretch from selvedge to selvedge. We want to take advantage of that stretch.<\/p>\n
Also, be sure you check the number of pieces you need to cut. I got all confident and neglected to double-check the layout, resulting in a fabric shortage for my one-piece suit. You’ll see that I had to piece together some lining and some of my main fabric for the center front facings. (Moral of the story: don’t do what I did.)<\/p>\n
Also, if you don’t want to include the little stays for the bra cups you can absolutely skip that part! I included them just in case I decide to use them.<\/p>\n
Getting a good fit<\/strong><\/p>\n
One more point before we get started. There isn’t really a good way to make a muslin for knits. That’s because knits really require the same fabric, with the same amount of stretch, to check the fit. So there’s a distinct possibility that you’re going to finish your suit and want to change things about it, and that’s perfectly normal. I would encourage you to approach your first suit as a learning opportunity. Experiment, practice, and when you’re finished use what you’ve learned to adjust the pattern and your sewing techniques so you can make another, better suit. I’d love to tell you there’s another way to do it, but there just isn’t. The good news, however, is that your second suit will go much faster and you’ll feel much more confident in your sewing skills, so look at it as a great learning experience and it will all be worthwhile. Ok?<\/p>\n
Sewing<\/strong><\/p>\n
Let’s talk about sewing.<\/p>\n
Obviously it’s nice to have a serger when you sew knits, but it’s not absolutely necessary. I sewed part of all of these suits without a serger, and if your sewing machine has a mock serger stitch you’ll be in really great shape! If it doesn’t, a simple zigzag works wonders. I would suggest trying different methods with some fabric scraps to see what works best for you.<\/p>\n
Here’s the general run-down from Butterick about the different stitches you can use for sewing swimwear. (Whenever I’m using instructions directly from Butterick I’ll add my notes in italics<\/em> so you can tell what’s what.)
\n<\/em><\/p>\nGENERAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR TWO-WAY STRETCH KNITS<\/p>\n
Use one of the following methods to stitch seams in two-way stretch knits. These seams will help prevent stitches from breaking when garment is worn.<\/p>\n
STRAIGHT STITCH:<\/p>\n
Use straight stitch, 8-9 stitches per inch (3mm stitch length). Stretch fabric evenly in front and back of needle while stitching.<\/p>\n
Stitch again 1\/8″ (3mm) from first stitching, stretching fabric while stitching. Trim seam allowances close to second stitching.<\/p>\n
This is the stretch-and-sew method. You literally stretch the fabric and you stitch it with a regular straight machine stitch. Easy peasy. While I didn’t construct the entire suit this way, I did use it in several places, like to edgestitch the ties on View A.
\n<\/em><\/p>\n![\"14\"](\"\/\/o.osimg.net\/community\/content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/14-580x353.jpg\")
<\/a> ![\"straight-stitch\"](\"\/\/o.osimg.net\/community\/content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/straight-stitch-580x478.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nZIG ZAG STITCH:<\/p>\n
Use narrow zig zag stitch, 12-15 stitches per inch (2mm stitch length). Stretch fabric evenly in front and back of needle while stitching.no number<\/p>\n
Stitch again 1\/8″ (3mm) from first stitching, stretching fabric while stitching. Trim seam allowances close to second stitching.<\/p>\n
Many newer machines have a stretch stitch that mimics this setting, which is what the instructions refer to below. I used this knit stitch quite a bit on the suits I sewed. It’s easy and quick and not as bulks as a serger stitch, but it can be tricky to get it started since the fabric tends to get sucked down into the machine. In order to avoid that, cut small squares of tracing paper or tissue paper and place them under the fabric when you start each seam. You can also chain-stitch seams like quilters do, sewing directly off one seam and onto another one. This helps to prevent the fabric from getting pushed down into the needle plate because the thread chain is supported by the fabric and stitching directly behind it. <\/em><\/p>\n
SPECIAL KNIT STITCH:<\/p>\n
Use the stitch on your machine designed for sewing knits. Follow instructions in your machine manual for specific information about stitching knit seams.<\/p>\n
Like I said, the special knit stitch is more or less the same as a small zigzag. For either of these stitches, you’ll want to hold the fabric taut as you stitch, which means you’ll be stretching is a little bit but not a lot. This just helps with sewing and makes the stitches more even. Plus, it helps to prevent your fabric from getting pushed down into the throat plate. If you have trouble with this–and I did, especially when sewing the lining fabric–place a small square of tissue paper under the fabric to stabilize it. <\/em><\/p>\n
![\"zig-zag-stitch\"](\"\/\/o.osimg.net\/community\/content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/zig-zag-stitch-580x497.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nOVERLOCK STITCH:<\/p>\n
Use your overlock machine. Follow instructions in your machine manual for specific information about stitching knit seams.<\/p>\n
If you have a serger, lucky you! Construction will be fast and easy. But you’ll still want the sewing machine for some stitches, so I would suggest that you practice with some scraps before you get started. <\/em><\/p>\n
![\"2\"](\"\/\/o.osimg.net\/community\/content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/2-580x374.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nNOTE: Where DOUBLE-STITCHED seams are indicated, seams will be illustrated in double straight-stitched seams.<\/p>\n
SEWING THE ELASTIC<\/p>\n
And here’s another technique to practice before we get started. When you sew elastic to finish the edges of the suit, there are several steps to the process.<\/em><\/p>\n
First, you’ll be sewing the elastic to the inside of the suit. Line up the edge of the elastic just inside the edge of the fabric and use a large-ish zigzag to attach it, stretching the elastic as you sew. It will look like this after you’ve sewn the first step.
\n<\/em><\/p>\n![\"zig-zag-elastic\"](\"\/\/o.osimg.net\/community\/content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/zig-zag-elastic-580x362.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nFor our swimsuits we’ll be attaching elastic both flat and in a loop, like this:<\/em><\/p>\n
- Day 2:<\/strong> View A: Assemble the tie front and front facing. Finish the upper edge.<\/li>\n
![\"13\"](\"\/\/o.osimg.net\/community\/content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/13-580x270.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"52a\"](\"\/\/o.osimg.net\/community\/content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/52a-580x427.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n