Sewing Swimsuits: The Supportive One-Piece with Beverly Johnson

SUPPLIES & RESOURCES

INSTRUCTOR WEBSITE & BOOK
• Beverly Johnson's website: braandcorsetsupplies.com
• At Bra-Maker's Supply, Beverly Johnson offers books, patterns,
fabrics, notions, trims, elastics, kits and much more for making bras
and swimwear, including Beverly’s book, Make & Fit Swimwear.

SWIMWEAR PATTERNS
Please note that no pattern is included with the class. Beverly is demon-
strating with patterns from her own line (the Denise Swimsuit, available
at braandcorsetsupplies.com). Many independent and mainstream
sewing pattern companies offer swimwear patterns that can be used
with the techniques shown in this class.

SUPPLIERS OF SWIMWEAR FABRICS

• Hart's Fabrics: hartsfabric.com
Wide range of fabrics, including a selection of swimwear fabrics
• Mood Fabrics: moodfabrics.com: moodfabrics.com
Wide range of fabrics, including swimwear fabrics
• Sew Sassy Fabrics: sewsassy.com
Stretch fabrics for swimwear, pre-formed foam cups and more
• Spandex House: spandexhouse.com
Wide range of stretch fabrics

SUPPLIERS OF PRE-FORMED FOAM CUPS, CUT & SEW FOAM, BRA

SUPPLIES & BRA NOTIONS
USA
• Bra Essentials: braessentials.com
Pre-formed foam cups and other bra-making supplies
• Bramaker's Supply (Beverly Johnson): braandcorsetsupplies.com

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 Sewing Swimsuits: The Supportive One-Piece with Beverly Johnson
Canada
• Bramaker's Supply (Beverly Johnson):
braandcorsetsupplies.com
Patterns, supplies, swimwear and bra fabrics,
books, pre-formed foam cups, cut & sew foam
and more
Europe
• B.Wear By Women for Women: bwear.se
Patterns, books, elastic, clips, lining, pre-formed
foam cups, cut & sew foam and more
RECOMMENDED MATERIALS & NOTIONS
General Swimsuit Shopping List
• ¾ yd (70 cm) main fabric (or as needed for your
pattern)
• ¾ yd (70 cm) swimsuit lining fabric (or as needed)
• 3 - 5 yds (2.75 - 4.5 m) swim elastic
• 1 swimwear clicker or g-hook for a suit with a
bra back
Pre-Formed Foam-Cup Bra Shopping LIst
• 1 pair of foam cups in your size
• Rectangle of fusible interfacing to fuse to lining,
as shown in Lesson 2
• ½ yd (45.7 cm) of Powernet fabric (optional) for
the bra-back lining, if using a bra back
• 1 yd (91.5 cm) of ½" or ¾" (12mm - 18mm) elastic
for under the bra
• 1 pair of underwires in your size if your pre-
formed cups will accept wires.
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SUPPLIES & RESOURCES
Built-In Bra Shopping List
• ¼ yd (23 cm) of stable knit fabric for the front
bra frame
• 1/3 yd (30.5 cm) of cut & sew foam for the bra cups
• 1¼ yd (114.3 cm) of fold-over binding for the
neckline edge
• 1 yd (91.5 cm) of tricot tape or stay tape for the
neckline and armhole edges
• 1 yd (91.5 cm) of wire casing (channeling) for the
bra cups
• 1 yd (91.5 cm) of ½" or ¾" (12 mm - 18 mm)
swim elastic for under the bra
• ¾ yd (68.6 cm) strap elastic for straps
• 1 pair of underwires in your size if using wires.
• Note: See Beverly's website
braandcorsetsupplies.com)
• Optional: ½ yd (45.7 cm) of Powernet fabric for
extra support, added to the bra-back lining as
shown in Lesson 3
• Optional: strips of swimsuit fashion fabric, cut
on cross-grain, about ½" (1.3 cm) wide, to cover
horizontal cup seam as shown in Lesson 3
Additional Supplies & Notions
• French curve or other design curve ruler
• Glass-head pins
• Polyester thread
• Stretch sewing machine needles, size 75/11
• 120" (3 m) tape measure (you'll need the extra
length for the Body Length measurement
• Optional: Odif 505 Spray & Fix Temporary Fabric
Adhesive (to spray-baste fabric and lining pieces)
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 Sewing Swimsuits: The Supportive One-Piece with Beverly Johnson

MEASUREMENTS & EASE

MEASUREMENT CHART CALCULATING NEGATIVE EASE
Record your measurements here. These four mea- Measure and adjust pattern ease for your fit preferences.
surements are all you need for swimwear.
Calculation
Front + Back = - 10% (or whatever ease
Bust
you've chosen) =
Waist
Example
Hip Hip measurement = 42"
Body Length To reduce measurement to 90% of total:
42" - 4.2 ease = 37.8"
OR
Multiply by 90% of hip measurement:
42" x .9 = 37.8"
Adjust pattern to 37.8" total hip measurement plus
seam allowances.

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 Sewing Swimsuits: The Supportive One-Piece with Beverly Johnson

PATTERN LAYOUTS
Pattern layout for swimwear is not difficult, but can get more complicated when working with multiple fabrics
for lining, bra lining, bra frame and foam for the swim cups. Provided here are the layouts for a princess-line
suit plus the built-in bra components (this would be the greatest number of pieces you'd have in one suit) and
the layouts for a tank/maillot style (the built-in bra layouts can be used with this style of suit as well). Both suits
are illustrated with a bra-back modification. Other suit styles will have similar layouts, but may not have as
many pieces.

LAYOUTS FOR A PRINCESS-SEAM SUIT WITH BUILT-IN BRA

Main Fabric `Swimsuit Lining Foam for Built-In

Bra Cups

Frame for Built-In Bra Extra-Strong Bra Back Fabric

(Optional)

LAYOUTS FOR A TANK (MAILLOT) SUIT

Use the built-in bra component layouts from the Princess suit layouts.

Main Fabric Swimsuit Lining

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 Sewing Swimsuits: The Supportive One-Piece with Beverly Johnson

MACHINE SETUP & STITCHING TIPS

TIPS FOR CUTTING SWIMWEAR FABRICS
• Use a rotary cutter, weights and a board
• Beverly recommends a 28 mm rotary cutter; it allows you to zip around the curves but is large enough to
work with two layers.
• Be sure that your rotary cutter blade is sharp! Don't use a blade you've used for paper.
• It's okay to cut the fabric in a double-layer layout, unless you're fussy-cutting a large print where a single-
layer cutting strategy would be optimal.
• You can also use fabric shears to cut your swimwear fabric; be sure that they're sharp. These fabrics are
synthetic and will be hard on your scissors.
• You don't need to prewash your fabric if you're using a good-quality nylon/spandex or poly/spandex blend.

TIPS FOR SEWING SWIMWEAR

• Use a good quality polyester thread for the main sewing (as well as the needle threads of your serger, if
you're using one). Polyester thread will not be affected by saltwater or chlorine as cotton thread would be.
• You must use a high quality stretch needle in size 75/11. Note that ballpoint needles and stretch needles are
not the same. If your stitches are skipping, it's a sign that the needle is bent, blunt or damaged. Most spandex
fabrics are very hard on needles, so your needle may only last for the construction of one or two swimsuits.
• To sew the seams together, use either a balanced four-thread overlock stitch (if using a serger) or a small
zigzag stitch to sew the seams together. You can also use a straight stitch if you use the stretch-while-
you-sew method of construction. To do this, hold the fabric behind and in front of the needle. Put a bit
of tension on the fabric as you are sewing with a straight stitch. You don't need to stretch the fabric very
much — just enough so that the fabric has the ability to stretch along the seams as the garment is being
worn. The seam should shrink back to its original length when the fabric is off the machine. If the seam
is wavy and will not return to its original length, you've pulled the fabric too much in the sewing process.
With a bit of practice you'll get it right every time.

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 Sewing Swimsuits: The Supportive One-Piece with Beverly Johnson

BUILT-IN BRA CONSTRUCTION ORDER

As shown in Lesson 3, this is the order of construction for the interior built-in bra made from a modified bra
pattern of your choice. It's recommended that you have some bra-making experience if using this option, and
a bra pattern that fits you well.
• Modify the back band and frame pattern pieces as shown in class so you'll have long extensions for fitting.
Cut frame from Duoplex, Simplex, or other appropriate material.
• Mark and trim the seam allowances on upper and lower cup pattern pieces, as shown in class. Cut cup
pieces from cut-and-sew foam (also called polylaminate foam).
• Butt the two cup pieces together and zigzag. Edges should touch but not overlap.
• If desired, add a strip of swimwear fabric over the seam as shown in class.
• Sew tricot tape or stay tape to neckline and armhole edges of cups.
• Sew foldover binding to the neckline edges of cups.
• Add swimwear elastic to the bottom of the frame, making sure that the elastic will clear the seam
allowance under the cups. Stitch to the frame as shown in class.
• Sew cups into frame.
• Add channeling for underwires and close one end; topstitch channeling.
• Add foldover binding to armhole edges.
• Add straps made from strap elastic.
• Insert underwires and close underwire channeling at remaining opening.
• Attach built-in bra to your swimsuit as shown in Lesson 5.

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