I may have gone a little overboard here, but I just couldn't help myself! My local warehouse fabric store that mostly stocks home dec fabrics, happens to have an amazing selection of swimwear fabric.
If you are thinking about making one, I think what you want is either nylon/spandex or polyester/spandex, not cotton/spandex. I'm certainly no expert, so feel free to correct me if I'm wrong. The first suit I made was a polyester/spandex blend, but all of those fabrics above are nylon/spandex. It's a little thicker, but the poly/spandex worked just fine and might be easier to find.
After searching around for swimwear sewing tips, I came across this site. I wish I had seen their tips before. I had bought some fancy elastic that I thought was the right kind, when in fact the regular elastic I had in my drawer says right on the back that you can use it for swimwear. Go figure!
Before I had a chance to really read over the Creative Chicks tips, I tried making a pair of bottoms for myself. They came out pretty good, though a little small.
I folded the top over twice and then did a zig-zag. It looks much nicer than the leg openings which I just folded once.
The seam flattens out when it's on my body, but is still a little wonky. With the Creative Chicks tips in hand, I'm confident the next suits will be just right.
Are you inspired to make your own yet?
