The weather is warming up in the northern hemisphere and that means pool parties, beach trips and lakeside picnics are on the agenda. It also means: swimsuit season. Cue Jaws theme song.
Swimsuit season can strike fear in the heart of any woman, but it can be particularly heart-wrenching for us curvy ladies. Finding a swimsuit that meets all of our curvy needs, from style to support, can be difficult and daunting. Fear not, though, my fellow sewists! We at the Curvy Sewing Collective have resources for you that will ensure your summer swimsuit search will be painless, whether you decide to purchase ready-to-wear or sew your own!
Today I am going to cover swimwear sewing patterns that range into curvy sizes. There are increasingly more options for sewing curvy swimwear these days… hurrah!! Check them out below:
- The Nautilus Swimsuit from Seamstress Erin includes sizes up to a 51″ underbust and 55″ hip, with a variety of bra sizing options, from AA to DD+. The Nautilus was well reviewed by fellow curvy sewist Elaine here!
- Maison Fleur #8101 has options for one- or two-piece swimsuits up to size underbust 43″, waist 43.5″, hip 52.5″, with cup sizes B/C, D/DD, DDD/E! I sewed up this cute swimsuit here, and found that the pattern ran a little bit large, so you could probably fit even if you found yourself outside the pattern’s size range.
- Jalie has a variety of swimsuit patterns, both one-piece and two-piece, that range in size up to 50″ bust, 44″ waist, 53″ hip. Some of their patterns are more sporty, but they have a few casual/beach-worthy styles, too, including Jalie 3350, pictured below.
- Pin-up Girls, from Beverly Johnson of Bra Maker’s Supply, has several one- and two-piece swimsuit patterns that go up to a 52″ bust size. Beverly also has an online course on Craftsy that is highly relevant to a curvy sewist looking to delve into swimsuit sewing: Sewing Swimsuits: The Supportive One-Piece. I reviewed this class on my blog if you’re interested learning more about what it covers.
- Butterick has a handful of swimsuit patterns (and their patterns tend to run large, though, so the sizing may be more generous than the charts suggest):
- B5759 goes up to size 32W (54″ bust, 49″ waist, 56″ hip) and has options for a one-piece, tankini or swimdress.
- Lisette has a new swimsuit pattern, B6360, which ranges up to size 24W (46″ bust, 39″ waist and 48″ hip)
- Gertie’s retro one-piece, B6067, is available up to size 22 (44″ bust, 37″ waist, 46″ hip)
- B4526, which offers one- or two-piece options, goes up to size 20 (42″ bust, 34″ waist, 44″ hip)
- Seamwork has a high-waisted bikini that goes up to size 3X (bust 52-54″, DD cup, 44-46″ waist, 54-56″ hip). The top, Reno, and the bottom, Dakota, are sold as separates for mixing and matching with other patterns.
- The Bombshell Swimsuit from Closet Case Files is a classic style that was updated and regraded last summer to range up to size 20 (46″ bust, 39″ waist, 48″ hip). Our own Jenny also has some excellent tips and tricks on how to grade up the Bombshell pattern to a larger size.
- 5 out of 4 Patterns‘ X-Factor tankini/bikini pattern goes up to size 3x (50″ bust, 46″ waist, 53″ hip) and can be paired with the Riptide reversible shorties or Ultimate Bikini Bottoms (both up to hip size 53″)
- Laela Jeyne Patterns has the Lola swimsuit, a lined swimsuit with optional bra cups, optional boning for support, and either a circle skirt or tiered ruffle skirt. The pattern runs up to size 22 (47.5″ bust, 39.5″ waist, 49.5″ hip).
- Simplicity has 2 swimsuit options:
- Mimi G’s one-piece, S1116, goes up to size 28W (50″ bust, 44″ waist, 52″ hip)
- Patty Reed’s two-piece bikini or tankini, S1374, ranges up to size 24 (46″ bust, 39″ waist, 48″ hip)
- McCall’s has 2 swimsuits with limited size ranges, although, like Butterick, their patterns tend to run large, so might be more forgiving:
- The M7168 mix and match bikini goes up to size 22 (44″ bust, 37″ waist, 46″ hip).
- The M5400 bikini has cup sizes up to D, but only goes up to size 18 (40″ bust, 32″ waist, 42″ hip)
- The KwikSew 3072 tank suit goes up to size 4X (57″ bust, 49″ waist, 59″ hip) and has a handful of other swimsuit sewing patterns that go up to XL (45″ bust, 37″ waist, 47″ hip)
- Patterns for Pirates has the Siren Swimtop (50″ upper bust, with cup sizes A – G) and the Hello Sailors high waist bottoms (50″ waist, 58″ hip)
- Vogue 9192 has lots of options and goes up to size 22 (42″ bust, 34″ waist, 44″ hip)
- Peek-a-Boo Patterns has a whole collection of swimwear separates (blouson top, peplum tankini, colorblock tankini, boyshorts and bikini bottoms) that go up to size 3X/24 (50″ bust, 42″ waist, 51″ hip).
- Burdastyle has a plus-size swimsuit sloper for sizes up to 56 (52 3/4″ bust) if you’re very confident with your swimsuit sewing and drafting skills.
- As an alternative, you could use your favorite lingerie patterns to create the perfect swimsuit. Check out our round-ups of curvy bra and panty patterns from Lingerie Month!
Are there any I missed? What’s your favorite swimsuit sewing pattern?
I tend to rely on Stretch-and-Sew for swimsuits, but the ones I use are from the 90s and long OOP. KwikSew has a lot of options — some of their leotard patterns work very well as swimsuits. especially if you are not large-busted. You get a lot more coverage with them (the sun is not my friend) and the strap options are often designed to avoid unfortunate slippage incidents.
The reason I sew my own one-piece swimsuits is for better fit: not around my curvy body, but in the length. (I have both a long torso and a deep rise.) Commercial suits tend to cut into my crotch so much, and also dig into my shoulders so much, that the pain is not worth the trouble of wearing them. Rather than only ever wearing a two-piece suit, I sew my own maillots.
Remember that negative ease also applies in 4-way stretch fabric. You may not need to add 4″ of extra length to your pattern pieces, you may only need to add 2″. Test each fabric separately, they all have their own personalities.
Thanks for the round up – just looked at the Patterns for Pirates gallery and am so sold on that combo – so many pictures of awesom, happy ladies rocking their suits!
Definitely some cute suits on their site!!
So many patterns to choose from! (And then I remember I haven’t swum in 5+ years?)
Yep, lots of pattern options these days. But why no swimming, Gillian?
Thank you for a great post! I can’t find anything RTW that works for me so this lineup wil be most helpful.
Hopefully you find something you like, Marike! There are some great options, I think.
Any ideas for a triangle not halter neck bikini top? I’ve developed the need for one since I started free diving – would be great to have when I “wriggle” into and out of my wetsuit to retain some semblance of dignity. My full bust is 48, I’m a 38H and haven’t found any patterns that fit the bill…
I have no helpful suggestions but just wanted to say *high five!* from a fellow 48″ 38 H-er 😀
I feel you on the wetsuit issue, Christina- I find when I am scuba diving, the swimsuit I wear underneath my wetsuit can’t be flimsy or have too many danglies or extra fabric bits, like ruffles or ties. They just get in the way or get stuck when I am pulling the wetsuit on and off.
As far as triangle tops, I don’t think I saw any in my swimsuit pattern research, especially non-halter neck, but I do think halter neck suits can be fairly easily altered to have straight straps (is there a word for that?), even adjustable ones.
I completely agree with Meg. I’ve been diving for years and found that a simple tank style one piece swimsuit is easiest and stays in place best under wetsuits (both wiggling into and then again out of the wetsuit, often on a rocky boat). Also, you can buy separate thin lycra dive skins to wear over your swimwear and under your wetsuit that make the whole wiggling procedure a lot easier as it helps the wetsuit slide on and off easier. Happy diving!
Hi Sewphisticated and thanks for your advice. I dive in really cold water (Norway) so use a 7 mm open cell wetsuit that I have to “wiggle” on with a little help from soapy water… I was wondering about the Lycra dive skin (which I hadn’t heard of before). Can you use them with open cell wetsuits? My instructor actually has advised us to “go au natural” under the wetsuits to get most benefit/warmth from the open cell suits…so that’s actually why I’ve been looking for a pattern for string tie bikini so I can get in/out easily. But I’m also looking at maybe making a more athletic 2 piece scuba swimsuit – I’d like one with a zipper up front but it might damage the suit so maybe velcro is a better option?
Hi Christina, I hear you! I used to dive off the coast of North Carolina, Virginia, California etc. so used to have a 7.5 mm wetsuit. (Yeay Caribbean – I’m now down to 2-3 mm since I moved to Florida – and I’m always the first one to get cold.)
I’m not sure what you mean by open cell – do you mean neoprene as opposed to a sealed dry suit?
The lycra skin works well underneath neoprene as a base layer as it is very form fitting. Just to give you an idea, here’s an example:
https://www.amazon.com/Wetsuit-Snorkeling-Swimming-Spearfishing-Ivation/dp/B013HANP4W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1465938511&sr=8-1&keywords=diving+skins+for+women
All things considered they are not terribly expensive and they do help a lot in the wiggling process. Neoprene wetsuits generally work best to keep you warm when they are really form fitting, minimizing the amount of water flow underneath the suit. It is this little bit of water that your body has to work hard in cold water to keep warm. So a loosely fitting suit is easier to put on, but would allow more water flow between you and the suit, thus making the suit less warm as your body works harder to keep the layer of water warm. But I haven’t really found that wearing a lycra skin makes much of a difference in temperature, as it literally fits like a second skin and does not take up a lot of room. It’s not like you’d need a bigger size wetsuit when you wear a skin under it.
If you really get cold easily (like I do) you might want to consider a two piece wetsuit instead of a one-piece. This gives you a double layer and more protection on your core.
I hope this helps.
I have made the Pin Up girls swimsuit. I was lucky enough to take the swimsuit class in person with Beverly! The suit turned out great and the bra inside gives great support. I will put some pictures on the CSC ficker site.
I bet that’s a great class, Elaine! Awesome that you got to take it in person! Heading over to Flickr to check out your swimsuit…
I know I’m not curvy, but I can easily confirm that M5400 runs large–my measurements put me at a size 12, but I am making a size 8 and it fits well. I definitely recommend going down two sizes. Also I think their cup sizing is fairly accurate. I wear a 32D and I am using the C/D cup, after basting in both options to see the difference.
Thank you for posting that information. Swimsuits can’t easily be ‘cut down’ a few sizes, there should be some negative ease in the first place.
I haven’t done it yet, but I keep thinking about making a three part front swim-short from kwik sew 2723. Which appears to have gone oop, just within the last few days.
Meg, I love the double strap effect. Funny enough, I have also made a suit with those little ties at the hip area. They are such a nice touch.
Thanks for the heads-up on the sizing! I find with the Big 4 that I often end up cutting a size 2 down from what the chart tells me to cut because of all the ease. I figured that rule applied to swimsuits, too.