Josie Bikini

Hello all you swimmers and sun worshippers,

It’s been hot hot hot in Bristol this week and the MMW team have been cycling down to the river for swims after work. To celebrate we have designed a hack of our Josie Bra & Pants pattern to turn it into the ultimate supportive bikini. The construction is very similar to the original Josie Bra & Pants pattern we’ve simply switched up the fabric to our 100% recycled nylon and added rubber to the pants rather than elastic. To make it super easy for you we have put together some kits with everything you need to make your dream swimwear.

Below is a step-by-step guide on how to make the bikini hack. We hope this turns out to be a game changer for you! We promise swimwear is not as hard to make as you think.

  1. You will need to cut out a slightly different number of pieces to make the bikini than the original pattern because it is lined with the same fabric as the outer. Using a four-way stretch swimwear fabric cut the following:

    Bra

    A - CF Bust Cup - Cut Two Pairs

    B - Side Bust Cup - Cut Two Pairs

    C - Lower Back Strap - Cut One Pair

    D - Longer Underband - Cut One

    E - Shorter Underband - Cut One

    Pants

    F - Front pants - Cut Two

    G - Back pants - Cut Two

    H - Gusset - Don’t Cut

    I - Front lace overlay - Don’t Cut

    J - Back Lace overlay - Don’t Cut

    K - Leg Lace trim - Don’t Cut


2. All seam allowances are 7mm unless otherwise stated. Back stitch at the start and end of the seam to secure the stitches. Remember to repeat instructions for both the left and right side. Make sure you watch the Sewing Elastic film on our online tutorial and have a practice at sewing some elastic on to your leftover scraps of fabric before you start. You can sew this entire bikini on a normal domestic sewing machine you just need to make sure if has a straight stitch and a zigzag stitch.

Pants

3. To begin pin and straight stitch the side seam and and crotch seam of the front and back pant (F&G) with the fabric right sides together. You should end up with two pairs of pants which you will then sandwich together to make an outer and a winning.

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4. Now sandwich the pants together and pin with the wrong sides together.

5. Next we apply running to the waistband and leg openings. Begin by zigzag stitching the rubbering to the inside of the bikini then flip the elastic over to conceal it and zigzag again. If you find to stitch is skipping it might be because you need a fresh sharp needle on the machine to get through the rubbering. Gentle stretch the running as you sew.

6. That’s it! how quick was that!

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Bra

7. Top Tip: Before you start making the Bikini Bra we recommend you watch our online video tutorial here where will break down the elastic techniques step by step.

8. To make the bra begin by sandwiching the side cup (B) between the CF bust cup (A) and straight stitching the bust seam right sides together matching at the notches. You can then flip the CF bust cup (A) over and see how the cup fits on your bust.

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9. Sew a piece of FOE elastic along the CF edge (A) of the jersey, to enclose the raw edge using the technique in the SFRE section.

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10. Sew elastic all the way along the armhole (A/B) using the technique in the SFRE section.

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11. On the lower back strap (C), first sew FOE elastic to the upper edge using the technique in the SFRE section. Make sure you start the cut edge of the elastic on the drill hole. Then, using the same elastic sewing technique, sew FOE elastic along the second side of the triangle (not the under bust seam which has a notch). This time ignore the drill hole and sew the elastic all the way along the edge. When you flip the elastic to stitch it again it should cover the raw edge of the first piece of elastic you sewed on at the drill point.

11. Overlap the lower back strap (C) of the side bust cup piece (B) along the under bust line, matching up the side seam notch. Straight stitch them together along the under bust seam, 5mm from the edge. Then lay them flat and straight stitch in a triangle along the elastic, to secure them together.

12. Pin the cup pieces (A/B) and lower back strap (C) onto the top edge of the underband (D or E); following the notches, the CF elastic should be just meeting. Sew the band on with zigzag stitch. We strongly recommend watching our online video workshop for these next few steps as they are hard to photograph but much easier to see on film.

14. Pin the CB seams on the underband (D or E) right sides together. Sew using a straight stitch or overlock.

15. Using the technique described in the SFRE section, with the wrong side up, sew FOE elastic all the way along the top of the underband to cover the seam allowance. Overlap the elastic by 1cm at the end to create a complete circle.

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16. Using the same sewing elastic technique, sew FOE elastic on to the lower edge of the underband completing the circle with an overlap as you did before.

17. Pass the point of one of the lower back straps (C) through the ring and sew in place using a short topstitch. Measure the other strap against the one you’ve sewn and mark with a pin the point where it goes through the ring. Then pass it through the ring so that they are the same length and topstitch the same as before.

18. Try on the bra and pin the front straps onto the ring in the position that feels comfortable. Sew the font straps on to the ring using the same method as before, ensuring that the straps are the same length.

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19. And you have smashed it! Well done on making an epic bikini!

We are off for a swim!





































































Lydia HigginsonComment