- Olivia One Piece PDF Pattern
- 1-1/4 yard up to 2 yards swimwear fabric
*Optional: 3/8" elastic for thicker, more supportive straps
- Cutting tool like scissors or rotary cutter
- Loop turner
- Overlock machine OR zig-zag stitch on a regular sewing machine
First you will need to decide which coverage option you will make, and cut the appropriate pieces. Please consult the initial instruction pages of your PDF file to see the "Pieces Included" and "Pattern Assembly" sections. If you are using the A0 file you will need to access the US Letter or A4 version to read this section.
Cut 2 in each of your pattern pieces, regardless of which view you're making. If you're making a version that includes a dart, do not cut the dart out.
If you'd like yours to be made reversible, pick out two different fabrics and cut one in each pattern piece in each fabric
At this step you'll also be cutting your 2 shoulder straps. Inside the pattern there are exact measurements for the straps.
The extended sizes have darts on the bust, which you will need to sew before continuing with these directions. Take your paper pattern piece with the dart cut out, then trace each dart onto the wrong side of the front panel.
Working one dart at a time, match the dart legs together. Using a straight stitch, start at the dart point and sew along your traced dart legs until you've made it to the edge of the fabric. The dart legs you traced are the seam line. Make sure you're sewing on the wrong sides, right sides should be together! Once you're finished, trim the excess. Repeat this with both darts, and do this for both the lining and the outer piece.
Now we have all our pieces and our straps, and we’re first going to sew things up and attach our elastic.
For the straps you’re going to treat them both the same and fold them in half lengthwise, and sew and attach elastic to the raw edges.
For the front and back pieces, match them with right sides together and sew and attach elastic to each of the following areas marked in the images below.
You will use either an overlock stitch or a zig zag stitch for this, attaching elastic at this step. For more information on how to sew elastic, click here.
Take out the loop turner or safety pin and turn each strap to the right side.
Then, take your back piece and with it still inside out, insert each strap into each strap opening.
Then, using a straight stitch on a sewing machine (or an overlock stitch on a serger if you don't have a sewing machine), sew down each strap into place. We encourage you to use a straight stitch for this, because later we’ll go back and be able to trim the excess. This is going to make our strap openings come out a lot cleaner and help us avoid any of the bulkiness that can happen if you don’t trim up the excess.
Once your straps are sewn in, trim the excess.
Before we move on, flip your back piece to the right side. The straps should be securely into place. Now using a basting stitch, sew closed both of the sides as well as the gusset.
This is going to make it much easier in the next step, where we'll be attaching the front and back together.
With your back piece still right side out, insert it inside of the front piece, which is still inside out. Align the straps into the strap openings, and also align both the sides and the gusset.
Then, use a straight stitch to sew across the straps, the sides, and the gusset. This will fully attach the front and the back together.
Once you've sewn, trim the excess.
Now everything is attached and we now need to take the entire suit to the right side and finish it off.
To do this, seam rip a 1-2" hole somewhere along an existing seam. Then, through this hole take the entire suit to the right side.
Your final step is to finish off this hole, you can use either a straight stitch on your machine or an invisible stitch by hand.
That completes the Olivia One Piece!
