Today's make is the Maggie swim top by Seamwork. I know, it's not exactly "in season" for November (in the Northern Hemisphere) but I needed to share it before I forgot all the details. I made this swim top last month to take on a trip to Hawaii. The trip was lovely, very covid safe (thank you vaccines!) and this swim top was a favorite. I've made a fair number of swimsuits over the years and probably have a 50/50 success rate. So, I was really glad that this one works. Read on for all the details, and at the end of the post I share my top five tips for sewing swimwear.
The Seamwork Maggie is what I would call a full coverage bikini. The pattern includes both a swim top and a high-waisted bottom. I only made the top because I have two bikini bottoms that came out of my failed attempt to make the Soma Swimsuit one piece (blogged here). The Maggie top features wide straps, an under bust band and bust darts.
The hardest thing for me with swimsuits is bust support (it was also the reason the Soma one piece did not work for me). Since that failure, I've had some success with more traditional one-piece suits that have a shelf bra. Last year, I made one from a Stretch & Sew pattern that's become a favorite. It’s a classic design and I’ve worn it so much that it's actually starting to wear out, which is why I made a new top for the trip.
Anyway, I've also made another Seamwork swimsuit before, the Reno (blogged here). It's a vintage style halter neck with boning at the side bust that really helps support. I've really loved that swimsuit. The only drawback is the tie at the back is not comfortable when sitting down.
So, back to the Maggie. Since I've made a Seamwork swimsuit before, I felt comfortable choosing my usual size and went for a size 10. Seamwork drafts for a C cup bust and for woven fabrics, I normally do a full bust adjustment (FBA). I skipped it for this (I think because I figured the fabric would stretch). It definitely fits but it does feel a little more revealing than what I'd normally wear. I think an FBA would give a little more coverage to the breasts, which would be great. For reference, my upper bust is 35.5", full bust is 39" and I wear a RTW 36D US bra size.
The construction of the swim top went really smoothly. I did neglect to topstitch the straps and may go back and do that. I somehow just missed that step in the instructions. But, I think the topstitching would help the straps lay flat. You can see, especially in the back view photo, that they are a bit shifty. But, I love the wide design of the straps with two pieces of elastic in each strap. They felt really secure and did not even think about falling off my shoulders.
If you're not familiar with Seamwork it's an online community and monthly magazine with two new patterns every month. The articles are available for anyone to read. You can purchase the patterns without a subscription. But, if you have a subscription, you get monthly credits to download the patterns of your choice and you get access to the community and classes.
I think it's a great place for beginning sewists to get access to quality patterns that have a lot of helpful sewing support. Plus, the online community is really active. If you'd like to sign up and get $3 off your first month, click right here (this is my referral link and if you sign up, then I get a free month). I've been a Seamwork member since they first started five or so years ago. They've really grown into a great sewing resource and I highly recommend it.
Back to the Maggie. One of the great things about swimwear is that it doesn't use very much fabric. I bought maybe two yards of this teal blue fabric years ago and have made a lot with it. The two Soma bottoms, one Soma top, a Stretch & Sew one-piece and now this swim top. And I still have some left. My biggest tip with swimwear fabric is to check the stretch percentage and make sure that there is enough stretch for your pattern. The pattern should tell you how much stretch you need. If you don't know how to test stretch percentage, I have a tutorial here.
For the elastic, I used a combo of 1/4" wide and 3/8" wide swimwear elastic. The pattern only calls for the 3/8" wide but I was running a little low on it. So, I used the narrower elastic for above the bra cups and I believe for the straps as well. For under the bust, I used the 3/8" wide elastic.
The ultimate test for the swim top was to actually swim in it. Other swim tops I've made have straps that fall off my shoulders while swimming or let too much water in and get all weird. I'm happy to report that I had many successful swims in the pool and the ocean with no wardrobe malfunctions or need to adjust the top. I even went on a water slide! I felt comfortable and secure the entire time I was wearing this swim top. I would definitely make it again. It might even qualify as my favorite swim top ever! I know, quite a declaration.
I wanted to leave you with a few tips for sewing swimwear. It probably deserves its own blog post sometime. But, I couldn’t resist sharing today. :)
FIVE TIPS FOR SEWING SWIMWEAR
Use a stretch or ballpoint needle. This will help prevent skipped stitches
When topstitching, try to stitch close to the edge of the elastic. This will help prevent it from rolling to the wrong side during wear. (Btw, this is a tip I learned from a Stretch & Sew book or pattern.) To topstitch, you can use a zig zag stitch or a three step zig zag stitch. I used both in this swim top.
Double check the stretch of the fabric. Swimsuit patterns are designed with negative ease so you really need it to stretch enough to get on your body and feel comfortable. (Trust me, I know this from experience.) Learn how to calculate fabric stretch in this tutorial.
At first, it can feel really awkward stitching the elastic but with practice, it will feel more natural. So, practice a lot and make sure to practice stitches on a scrap of fabric before sewing your swimsuit.
For seams that will have a lot of strain, I recommend using a lightning stitch. It will stretch with the fabric but it's very sturdy. In my experience, it's sturdier than serging/overlock stitches and zig zag stitches. But be aware that it's really challenging to unpick it. So baste with a long zig zag stitch and try it on before using the lightning stitch.
I hope that these tips are helpful. Making swimwear can really be fun, especially compared with swimsuit shopping. I love that I’m able to whip up a swimsuit in just a few hours. Even better when it’s as supportive as this one. I might try making the Maggie swim bottoms one of these days. The bottoms I made before tend to fold over at the edge (because I hadn’t yet learned tip number 2 above). I think the waistband piece in the Maggie design might also help prevent that.
That’s it for today. I hope that this post was helpful. If you’d like to support the content, you can visit the shop here or through the links below. And, if you want to sign up for a Seamwork membership, use this link for $3 off your first month. Happy sewing!
