How to sew a swimsuit?

Settings for your sewing machine, techniques for applying the laminate, choice of thread and fabric: here are all our tips and techniques for sewing your swimsuit. The objective of this article is to make you comfortable with the sewing of the lycra mesh because really, it is not that complicated. Follow the leader !

Techniques and materials for a swimsuit

What is lycra mesh?

A swimsuit fabric is a knitted fabric, stretch in both directions (height and width), with at least 15% elastane. This type of fabric is called lycra mesh. It dries quickly, resists chlorine, salt and sun. In short, it's a fabric to go in the water! There is a wide variety: glossy or matte, plain or printed. Some lycra knits, like the ones we offer, are also UV resistant which makes them ideal for sewing protective clothing in addition to swimwear. At Ikatee, we prefer matte lycra knits that will slip less when sewing.

What to sew with lycra mesh?

Lycra mesh can be used for a variety of projects: swimsuits of course, but also anti-UV protective clothing, for skating or gymnastics. You can probably use patterns that you already have in your pattern library: sewing patterns for T-shirts or leggings declined in protective clothing against the sun, patterns for bodysuits for dancing or for a baby swimsuit, jumpsuit patterns to protect children from the sun...

At Ikatee we offer two dedicated swimsuit patterns: Paulette, one or two-piece swimsuit for little girls and Sébastien, underwear pattern for boys that you can use as a swimsuit.

See the patterns suitable for lycra

Which haberdashery to sew swimsuits?

The swimsuit liner

For a question of comfort, the swimsuit being worn close to the skin, the garments sewn in lycra are often lined. For the lining, you have several options: lining with the same fabric for a very neat result, or lining with special swimsuit lining or Claudia foam. Very thin and stretchy, it comes in several colors: white, black or nude. It allows you to opacify your fabric if necessary and is less expensive than a lycra mesh. Nevertheless, you will have to remember to remove 5 mm from all the turns of your Claudia knit pieces: very stretchy, this fabric will stretch more than your outer fabric once wet. 

The laminette: a specific elastic

The swimsuit being made to go in the water, you will have to opt for an elastic resistant to chlorine, salt and sun. This elastic is called laminette. It is a rubber band that exists in different widths depending on your project. 6mm is enough width for swimwear. The laminette is a fairly firm elastic, which will allow the swimsuit to lie well against you. Don't worry about comfort, it will never come into direct contact with your skin. 

Microtex needles

To avoid damaging your fabric and respect its weave, we advise you to use microtex needles. They have the particularity of being thin and pointed for us only to cross the fabric cleanly but also to place the laminette with precision.

foam yarn 

Given the proximity of the swimsuit to the skin, we advise you to opt for a foam yarn. It is a fluffy and bulky yarn. It is stretchy and soft against the skin. This thread is to be installed in the bobbin of your sewing machine or in the loopers of your sewing machine. It will allow you to give elasticity to your point while keeping comfort against your skin.

How to sew lycra mesh?

Now that you are equipped, it is time to move on to sewing lycra mesh. This fluid and slippery material can scare you at first, so here are all our tips for assembling your garment. Be careful, you will have to be precise. 

The lycra knit can be sewn with a sewing machine as well as with an overlocker. The key is to have stretchy seams so they don't creak when you go to stretch them! If you assemble your swimsuit by machine, you will use two different stitches: 

- the stretch stitch which will be stretchy and looks like a lightning bolt (CF video) for the assembly seams,

- the zigzag stitch for the laminette and the visible seams.

Swimsuit fabric won't fray, so there's no need to overcast!

You can also completely sew your project together with the serger, the stitch will automatically have more stretch which is perfect for a swimsuit. Do not forget to use microtex needles and foam thread for your sewing machine bobbin or the loopers of your serger, your garment will be even more comfortable. 

Laying the laminate

 This is probably the most technical stitch for sewing Lycra knit. The laminette is generally applied to the thighs, armholes and necklines according to your needs. As it is very well illustrated in the video, the laminate is placed edge to edge on the wrong side of your fabric with a 2.5 mm wide zigzag stitch. The little trick is to slip the swimsuit fabric under your presser foot and start sewing in order to plant the needle in the fabric to block it. Once this operation is done, you can lift your presser foot without fear since the fabric is held by the needle. Then slide the laminette just in front of your needles, edge to edge with your fabric and resume sewing. This trick will allow you not to fight too much with the fabrics which slip and escape from your hands before being under the presser foot. 

During your sewing, you will need to stretch the laminette slightly. In order to gather the fabric very very slightly so that it sits well against your skin. We advise you to do some tests beforehand, because if you stretch the elastic too much, then the fabric will form quite unsightly folds. Rest assured the helping hand is taken quite quickly.

Once the laminette is assembled with the first seam, fold your fabric upside down so that it is “sandwiched” in your fabric. Topstitch with a zigzag stitch on the sewing machine along the entire length. 

We hope that this video and the accompanying article have provided you with all the details you need to start sewing your swimsuit or any other lycra knit project. All you have to do is jump into the water. Show us all your beautiful creations with #ikateecouture.