Hey guys! It’s been a little while since I’ve posted, but I’m going to have to blame grad school for that one. If you saw my last post, you know that I recently started grad school at Cambridge and it’s been an adjustment! But now I’m back and ready to share some fun posts with you, starting with this strappy one piece tutorial.
Though this design is slightly more complicated than some of the simple bikinis I’ve posted on here, it’s definitely still beginner-friendly. So pull out your sewing machine and let’s get started!
First things first, here’s what you’ll need to make this one piece:
Materials:
Just so you know, I’ve linked most of the materials below so you know where to find them. I’m not an affiliate for any stores mentioned; these are just the products I use.
- Fabric – You’ll need about one yard of swimsuit fabric and lining fabric for this one piece (half a yard might be enough, but I’d get a yard just in case). Here’s where I got this fabric:
- The Fabric Fairy: if this exact fabric is gone, just check out all the others. What I love about this brand is that they have tons of choices, both solids and prints, that are all really high-quality and reasonably priced. Everything I’ve gotten from them has been great!
- The lining fabric is from Joann Fabrics. They often have coupons online or in their app, so it’s a great place to buy lining fabric in bulk.
- For sustainable recycled swimwear fabric, go here to Fabric.com or also check these out at The Fabric Fairy.
- Matching thread – I like to use 100% polyester thread for swimwear, since it’s nice and durable.
- Braided elastic – This is for the straps. I generally use 1/4″ or 1/8″ braided elastic for all of my straps.
- Sewing machine, of course! If you’re in need of a sewing machine, here are my favorite affordable options that are also beginner-friendly.
Total Cost of this one piece:
Just to be totally transparent with you guys, I like to share the total cost of each of my swimsuits. Here’s what this one added up to:
Palm tree fabric: $12.49
Lining fabric: $3.99/yard
100% polyester thread: $2.99
Braided elastic: $1.99
Total cost: $21.46
Considering the fact that I was able to use the thread and elastic on other swimsuits as well, $21 isn’t too bad of a price. But keep in mind, that’s just the cost for the materials alone; not the time/labor that went into making it.
I always think this is a good reminder that, if you’re buying a swimsuit for $10 from a fast fashion brand, there’s no way the person who made that suit was fairly compensated for their time and work.Â
(Even when materials are bought in bulk and don’t cost as much as they do for me. I mean, if a suit is being sold for that price and they’re making any profit at all, that means the garment-maker behind that swimsuit had to have made much less than $10.)Â
I just like to point that out because I’m a huge advocate for sustainable and ethical fashion, and those facts put things into perspective for me. If you’d like to do your part in counteracting the negative impact of fast fashion, check out these posts about easy ways to do so:Â
- 5 easy (and cheap) ways to quit fast fashion & build a sustainable wardrobe
- What is fast fashion? Here’s what you need to know
But that’s enough blabbing about sustainable fashion and materials. Check out the video below to see how to actually make this swimsuit.
Here's how to make this one piece step-by-step:
If anything is unclear in the video or if you have any questions, please feel free to comment here or on YouTube! I get back to all of my comments and am always happy to help. 😊
And that's all there is to making this strappy one piece!
Like I said before, this really isn’t too complicated of a design and should be doable for beginner to advanced sewers.Â
I really hope you try it out and if you do, please let me know how it goes! My Instagram page is linked below and if you take a picture of your finished design, I’ll share it to my page as well. Can’t wait to see it!
This is the first one piece tutorial I’ve made so I don’t have any posts like it yet, but I have lots of bikini tutorials posted if you’re looking for another project. You can check out my other tutorials here.
That’s all I’ve got for you today. I hope you’ve enjoyed this post!
Happy sewing and see you next time.
Love,
Emily