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Cost: $ $ $ $ $

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Time: 3h00

What can you get out of a bra and a maternity dress? Well...
Since my son was born I have been looking everywhere for a cute bathing suit, or tankini that will discretely hide the new-mommy belly I still have and support the new-mommy boobs that don't seem to be going anywhere anytime soon. There are tons of retro suits that match this description...however none of them met my new-mommy budget. Since I'm generally not inclined to theft I did what I almost always do in these situations. I turned to my beautiful, very old, but still running sewing machine, Mercedes.

Posted by Mikelina S. from La Cañada Flintridge, California, United States • Published 20th December 2013 • See Mikelina S.'s 7 projects »

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Pimke added Retrp Swimsuit Refashion to Upcycling 27 Jan 09:09
Nicole B. added Retrp Swimsuit Refashion to i need to make this! 11 Jun 16:54
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Step 1
First step is to gather the raw ingredients. In this case an old maternity dress and an ill fitting bra.

Note: Make sure the material of your to-refashion garment is not cotton jersey, as it is easily waterlogged and can become heavy and shapeless. Ideally bathing suits would be made out of lycra but this polyeter/viscose combination has worked well for me.
Step 2
Cut the bottom of the swimsuit off so that it measures from your hips (as high or low as you want it) to just below your bust. I also took it in so it fight tighter. Loose fabric in water is not so good unless your filming an overly-romantic scene in movie. In which case maybe just wrap a flowy white sheet around yourself?
Step 3
Using the top of the dress you'll want to cut out four pieces for the bust. Since I had stripes to work with I cut them on the bias and got a cool chevron look. You'll also need a waist band to create a more finished look and to support the girls.
Step 4
I sewed the two halves of the cups down the middle with zig zag stitch then pinned them around the outside of the bra cup and folded the hem in so that it looked clean from both sides. I ended up sewing this piece by hand. The thought of trying to manipulate a bra in that tiny space under the presser foot was daunting. Plus I can hand sew an invisible stitch pretty well, little pat on my back (my hand sewing used to be atrocious).
Step 5
Next I sewed the waist band from the outside of one cup to the outside of the other so that it had it's own support separate from the body of the bathing suit.
Step 6
Sew the former-bra-now-bathingsuit-bust to the body of the suit with zig zag stitch.
Step 7
And for that final touch I sewed a tightly stretched piece of elastic up on side and sewed two long ties just underneath so that it looked like it was gathered but without the danger of unpleasant ungathering.

Oh, and we'll need some straps.

And, one more touch...

I used scraps to make a cute little bow to go across the bust because everything (almost) is better with bows!