- 1/2 yard swimwear fabric
- Cutting tool like scissors or rotary cutter
- Overlock machine OR zig-zag stitch on a regular sewing machine
- Optional: Regular sewing machine capable of a zig zag or lightening stitch (for optional understitching)
Choose either US Letter, A4, or A0 format, all of which are included inside your download links. Open up your desired file and read through the initial instruction pages for more information on how to print and assemble this pattern. Note that if you're using the A0 verison you will need to pull up either the US Letter or A4 formats in order to access the direction pages.
This pattern is layered, so see the instruction pages for information on how to use the layer feature so that you can print out only the size you need.
Choose what length option you will make and review which pattern pieces you will need. Print and assemble your pattern according to the provided instructions inside the pattern, then you're ready to begin!
This pattern comes with a video tutorial, and we strongly encourage you to use this resource. Some of the techiques in this pattern are better shown versus illustrated, so you may have an easier time by using both the video and written directions. You can find the video at the following link: https://youtu.be/bP4fVHdTLuc
You should have 2 pattern pieces in total, one for the front and one for the back.
For each pattern piece, cut 2 in your fabric. For reversibles or to use separate lining, cut 1 in each fabric. In this tutorial we will be using a yellow "outer" fabric and a brown "lining" fabric.
In the end you should have a total of 4 pieces, 2 for the front and 2 for the back.
Now we have all our pieces, and we’re first going to sew and attach our elastic to just our neckline on the front piece. Doing just this will allow us to understitch the neckline. Understitching the neckline is going to help the top keep its square neck shape. This step is completely optional, and if you choose to forgo it you will skip directly to Step 3, where you will sew and attach elastic to the neckline in that step instead.
Match the front pieces with right sides together. Sew and attach elastic just on to the neckline of the front piece.
Before you begin sewing, we recommend you first make a small cut into the seam allowance where the right angles of the neckline are. Making this cut will allow you to sew the neckline in a straight line, without worrying about having it get cut off during the overlocking process. You can do this with scissors or thread snips, just make sure you cut no further than 1/4" into the seam allowance.
We also strongly encourage you to use a basting stitch (long straight stitch) before sewing the elastic. This will tack down the fabric before you go to sew elastic, and it will make the elastic application go much smoother. Just remember the basting stitch needs to be removed or broken before the suit is finished, otherwise the suit will be too tight and you will likely hear the straight stitch breaking!
Once you're all ready, you can switch to your serger or sewing machine. You will use a 3 or 4-thread overlock stitch for this, or a zig zag stitch if you aren't using a serger. If you have an elastic foot or if you're skilled with elastic, you can sew the seam and attach elastic at the same time. However, some prefer to split the process into 2 steps. Remember that for reversible style swimwear you want your elastic length to be equal to the seam length, meaning you do not want any stretching to occur during the elastic application.
For more information on how to sew elastic, click here. There's much more information than can be encompassed in one tutorial!
Now the neckline is all finished up, and we can move on to the understitching process!
Again, the understitching is optional so skip to Step 3 if you don't want your piece to have it. Understitching is seen a lot in woven garments, and it helps keep the garment's seams laying in an appropriate way. Oftentimes this is done when your garment has a facing. Since swimwear is not a woven, we are smashing together a few different techniques and just going for it! The end result looks great, and really helps keep your lining from peeking out as well as help the neckline retain its square neck shape.
First, open up your front piece to where you can access the entire neckline.
For understitching, you want to flip your elastic onto your lining fabric. Here this is the brown fabric. Then, using a zig zag or lightening stitch (or any other stretch top stitch), sew down the elastic onto the lining side. This is all done from the inside of the garment, so in the picture you are looking at the wrong sides of both fabrics.
Your stitch will be visible on the lining side, but it will not be visible on your outer fabric. This makes it a great technique to keep the fabrics in place while still achieving that "seamless" look from the outside.
This does mean that your lining side may not look reversible, but if you want your lining side to be worn then you can skip all the understitching and go straight to Step 3 in this tutorial. It's up to your preference!
If you skipped the understitching and have come straight to this step, note that in addition to the seams marked you will also be sewing and attaching elastic to the neckline on the front piece.
Now we're going to sew and attach elastic to the rest of our seams, for both the front piece as well as the back piece.
Match fronts with fronts and backs with backs, right sides together. Sew and attach elastic onto the following seams marked in red. (And the neckline if you didn't understitch already).
We also strongly encourage you to use a basting stitch (long straight stitch) before sewing the elastic. This will tack down the fabric before you go to sew elastic, and it will make the elastic application go much smoother. Just remember the basting stitch needs to be removed or broken before the suit is finished, otherwise the suit will be too tight and you will likely hear the straight stitch breaking!
Below is an image on what the basting stitch looks like. This is as long a stitch length as this machine allows, so yours may be able to go longer! As long as it's tacking the fabric together so it's easier to sew elastic then it is achieving its intended goal.
For more information on how to sew elastic, click here. There's much more information than can be encompassed in one tutorial!
Now we're going to prep the front piece so that in the next step we can attach the front and back together. First, take the front piece all the way to the right side. Then, using a basting stitch, sew closed the shoulder seams and the sides. You should be sewing across 2 layers of fabric. This is going to make it much easier in the next step when we attach the front and back piece together, as we will have to deal with less slippery fabric moving around.
For this you only need a basting stitch, as this is not our final seam! It's only purpose is to keep things together and organized so we can do a better job sewing in the next step. As such, this is optional.
Now we're ready to attach the front and back pieces together. To do this, insert your front piece (right side out) inside of your back piece (inside out). Align the front piece so the straps and the sides are in line with the back piece's straps and sides.
Then, sew down each of the shoulder straps and each of the sides. You should be sewing 4 layers of fabric, and this will attach the front and back piece. For this you can use an overlock stitch, but we recommend using a straight stitch if you can. This will allow us to trim off the excess seam allowance and will result in very smooth looking seams.
The final step is taking everything to the right side. To do this, seam rip a 1-2" hole somewhere along an existing seam. Doing this close to the armpit is usually pretty discrete. Then, through this hole take the entire suit to the right side.
The last step is finishing off that hole, and you can either use a straight stitch on your machine or an invisible stitch by hand. It is easiest to finish off this hole if you stretch it all the way before sewing, as this will curl in the edges of the fabric nicely.
That completes the Heidi Top! The longline version is pictured here.
