Bathing Suit Tutorial

This is a tutorial to make a toddler swim suit from an adult swim suit. Well, the bottoms, anyway.

I have had this suit for forever and I am finally doing something with it. 

Cut all the seams out including the "fleshy" liner. This is after all for a 2 year old. 

I whipped up the pattern from a suit I already have just a little tweaked.  

Cut out your pieces Give yourself some seam allowances. 

Sew the back together and serge around the edges.

Sew the front to the back, again, if you can use a serger, use it. The side seams and crotch seam, leave the leg seams open. 

Hem the leg seams. I stretched the fabric just a little while I was sewing because I wanted to make sure there would be some give to the fabric. 

Get some elastic, either 1/4" or 1/2" like I used here. Measure your toddler, her waist is about 20, so I cut the elastic about 19 1/2" 

Make sure you have thread in your bobbin...... I ran out, one of my biggest pet peeves ever! 

Turn the waist over about an 1" sew around the waist, but leave a place for the elastic to through!! Don't forget, so you don't have to pick out any stitches. Thread the elastic through the little tunnel you have made for it. 

I like to sew my elastic flat, I don't know about you, but I hate when elastic bunches. I like to use a zig-zag stitch a whole bunch of times on the elastic to hold it tight. Sew the rest of the waistband closed 

Ta-da! you are done! Try it on your little one and see how she likes it! 

 I also made a top to match and will have that tutorial maybe later. I really wanted the bottoms because I like her to wear rash guards because it is easier to put sunscreen on that way.