Endless Options Bikini Top

I know most bloggers out there are already thinking about Halloween and Christmas but around here summer is pretty fleeting so I'm living in the moment and enjoying the hot sunshine for as long as possible.

With that in mind....today we're going to make a bikini!  Before you say, oh no, that's not for me, let me just say, if you want to wear a bikini you go ahead and wear a bikini!  I've travelled to a lot of different countries and I think it's only in North America that we're so uptight about these things.

Today's project was inspired by the bathing suits I found in Thailand, and let me tell you, EVERYONE was wearing them.  It didn't matter how old, what size, or how many rolls people had, we were all wearing bikini's.  Sometimes you just need to let it all hang out.

All right, enough lecturing, let's get sewing!

I'm going to break it down for you in two parts, making the pattern, and then sewing it up.

Here's what you need to make your pattern.

Materials:
- Craft or tissue paper
- Ruler or measuring tape
- pencil and paper scissors

Steps:
1) Make a rectangle.  This will be the body of your top.

2) Make a long lopped off triangle.   This will be the straps of your top.

Here are all of your pattern pieces:

Now, here's what you need to make your bikini top.

Materials:
- your pre-cut pattern pieces
- spandex fabric (something with two way stretch)
- scissors, pins, thread, and a sewing machine

Look at the glitter on my fabric!! hee hee!

1) Cut out your pattern pieces.  Fold your fabric, selvedges and wrong sides together.  Cut out the body once (you'll have two pieces) and cut the straps twice (you'll have four pieces).

2) With right sides together, sew your body pieces together by sewing the long edges.

3) You can finish the edges if you want and turn right side out.  (By 'finish the edges', I mean serging or zigzagging.  You don't have to do this though because the spandex won't fray.  You may want to trim a bit so there's no bulk though.)

4) Do the same with the strap pieces and only leave the wide bottom of your triangle open.  Sew all the other sides together (right sides together).

5) Trim the corners at the narrow end of your triangle and turn right side out.

6) Now, back to the body piece.  Run a long basting stitch along the short edges of your body piece and gather to the length of the open end of your strap.

7) Pin the body to one side of the strap and sew together.

8) Fold over the unsewn side, folding over the seam allowance, sew (by hand is best but you can do it with your machine if you need to) closed.

Tah dah!  That's it!  Easy peasy and it can be worn sooooo many ways.

Twist it!

Bandeau style!

Get fancy and add a brooch~

As for the bottoms, this you will need a pattern for.  I ended up using my trusty Kwik Sew undies pattern because I know it fits me perfectly.  I just made a few minor alterations to it and added some ties to make sure they don't look like undies.

I'm thrilled with the way this turned out.  Every other bathing suit I have ever made has never fit properly.  Usually the bottoms are way too big and the tops are way too small.  But guess what...this one fits just right!

Don't be shy.  Make your own suit and get out there and flaunt it girl!  And because I always like to practice what I preach, he's what it looks like in real life.

 

Have a great sunny weekend everyone!

This project was featured here: