Sewing with Swimsuit Fabric

What is swim fabric? Swim fabric is made of polyester or nylon and spandex. It’s stretchy and is meant to hug the body. It’s used to make swimwear or dance wear. KnitFabric.com has a Great Selection of Swim Fabric and Linings to make the perfect suit! They offer a variety of cute prints as well as a good collection of solids to find the perfect match for your project.

All their fabrics contain a UV SPF 50+ which is so nice to prevent sunburns on those days you spend hours swimming outside. Another awesome thing about Knit Fabric's Swim Fabric is some of them are made from Recycled Nylon Spandex. It also has a high chlorine resistance.

If you are worried about coordinating your print with the right solid color KnitFabric.com offers a Color Matching Service!! I love this so much because sometimes it's so hard to tell through a computer screen what really matches and what really doesn't. This is an awesome service!

Yes, the grain line runs parallel to the selvage edge of the fabric. How do I tell which side of my solid swim fabric is the right side? If you pull it a bit you will see the lines. The right side has a slight sheen to it.

Knit Fabric's swim fabric are 4-way stretch. Which means you can cut it on the cross grain, and it will still stretch sufficiently.

Swim lining is the fabric you line your suit with. It keeps your suit from becoming see-through and keeps all the parts you want to keep hidden hiding. Typically, lining comes in 3 colors. Nude, White and black. Knit Fabric's Lining is made of Poly Spandex. It's super soft and dries quickly which makes it perfect to line swimsuits with.

Does it really matter what type of elastic you use when making swimsuits? Depending on who you ask or what you google you will turn up different answers. Typically, elastic is made of Rubber or latex and usually covered in Polyester. Why? because it is versatile, less expensive, and durable. Usually, this type of elastic is fine for any knit sewing project. However, Polyester can break down when exposed excessively to chlorine and sun. It will go brittle (I've had it happen to my handmade suits.)

Cotton Covered Rubber is my all-time FAVORITE swim elastic! It is rubber elastic covered in cotton. I love the 3/8" width of this elastic. Sometimes its hard to find swim elastic in the 3/8" width. Its more common in 1/4" width, which I think is harder to apply. Especially if you are just starting to sew swim. KnitFabric.com also carries 1.5" Swim Elastic and 1.25" Swim elastic. Which is a great width if you are making boardshorts.

For my project today I choose this darling flamingo print! and thanks to this handy pic I could easily see what coordinated quickly. My daughter chose the Pink Swim to go with it.

Sewing swim fabric will be a lot less frustrating if you start with the right type of needle. You should be using a "stretch" or "ballpoint" needle. If you try with a universal needle it can cause snags and skipped stitches. So I always like to put in a new stretch needle before sewing with swim fabric. My preference for needles are the Schmitz brand stretch in a 75/11.

Regular polyester thread works just fine for sewing swim fabric.

Tip #2 you are going to want to use a stretch stitch. Either a overlock stitch on your serger or a type of zig-zag on your sewing machine.

For topstitching you can use a cover stitch machine, a zigzag or a twin needle on your regular sewing machine. A twin needle gives you a look of a mock cover stitch.

Lets start our project! My daughter choose the Pool Party Swim suit from Peekaboo Pattern shop.

For the purposes of this post I chose 3 different ways to topstitch so you can see all the options.

On the bottoms I serged the elastic on. I like the clean finish of the serging. To top stitch I used a zigzag lengthened to a 4. Its important to use a zig zag instead of a straight stitch because it needs stretch. If you use a straight stitch the seams will pop.

For the hem on the swim top I used a twin needle.

Before I bought my coverstitch machine I would topstitch with a twin needle. I learned this trick when I worked for a local custom swim wear company in 2006.

A twin needle fits right into your sewing machine like a single needle but the bobbin forms a zig zag stitch (without switching to a zig zag setting. Use a straight stitch or your needle will hit your foot and break your needle.) But a lot of people prefer to use a good old fashion zig zag and I still think that looks very professional.

You will want to use a STRETCH twin (the blue bar, not the read) You thread a twin needle just like a single needle. Bringing the threads together before you go through the thread guides.

When you get to the needle, thread one thread in the right needle and one in the left. I lengthen my stitch to a 4 but make sure to use a straight stitch. If you put it on zigzag you needle will hit the stitch plate and break your needle.

The nature of the twin needle is when you sew your straight stitch it creates a zig zag automatically on the back which lets your hem stretch.

Lastly, I used my cover stitch machine on the band to keep those seam allowances nice and flat.

The cover stitch machine looks like the twin needle does on the right size and an overlock (serger stitch on the wrong side) and keeps the seams down nice and flat.

I also chose to tack the bow right down that center seam to prevent it from untying and falling off mid swim.

And there you have it! 3 different top stitching ways to finish your swim. Proper needles and elastic make for a professional looking finish to your project.

This was my first time making the Pool Party suit pattern and she's already requested another one! The instructions and fit are great so we are calling it a win!

Before you leave, make sure to check out all of the different swimsuit fabrics we have in stock here at KnitFabric.com. Happy sewing!