Bee bikini top: Sewing Instructions

WARNING

Make sure to use a stretch stitch

NOTE

When making a reversible top the second colour will be referred to as the lining fabric.
The notches in this pattern act more like dots so do not clip them to mark them.

Step 1: Construct the Neck Ties

Neck Ties One Colour Method

  • Fold one of the neck tie pieces in half lengthwise, right sides and raw edges together.
  • Sew along the raw edges, leaving one of the short ends open.
  • Trim the seam allowances and clip the corners.
  • Turn inside out and press.
NOTE
Repeat this for the other neck tie

Neck Ties Two Colours Method

  • With right sides together, sew one main neck tie to one lining neck tie leaving one of the short edges open.
  • Trim the seam allowances and clip the corners.
  • Turn inside out. Press.
NOTE
Repeat this for the remaining neck tie pieces

Step 2: The Cups

Band Tie Variant

  • With raw edges and main fabric together, baste one of the neck ties to the top of one of the cup pieces making sure that the tie goes towards the bottom of the cup.
  • With the neck tie sandwiched inside, pin a lining cup piece right sides together to the main cup piece.
  • Sew the lining to the main cup between notches along the front, top and side seams, making sure not to catch the neck tie and to reinforce the stitch at the notches.
  • (Optional) Fold to the wrong side and edgestitch the seam allowance down between notches on the front and side seams. Do not sew the allowances together.
  • With good sides together, sew the lining to the main fabric along the bottom, leaving a gap between the side notches making sure to reinforce the stitch at the either end.
  • Trim the seam allowances of the sewn edges whilst leaving the seam allowance between the notches. Clip the corners. You may also need to clip the curved seams.
  • Turn inside out by pulling the neck tie through one of the gaps. Press.
  • (Optional) edgestitch the top, sides and bottom of the cup leaving the gaps between the notches open.
  • Stitch along casing line to create band channel.
NOTE
Repeat this for the other cup
TIP

If your seam allowance is wide you may find that you need to trim the gaps’ seam allowances a little to reduce bulk.
If you are having trouble turning the cups you can try one of these methods:

  • Create a 2.5cm (1”) gap in the front or side seam and turn through that, either -ing the gap closed or edgestitch-ing it closed during Step 7.
  • Widen one of the existing gaps and turn through that. Then when turned edgestitch or the widened part closed.
NOTE

Whilst certainly optional it is recommended to edgestitch the top and sides of the cups but the bottom is entirely optional.

Cross Back Ties Variant

  • With raw edges and main fabric together, baste one of the neck ties to the top of one of the cup pieces making sure that the tie goes towards the bottom of the cup.
  • With the neck tie sandwiched inside, pin a lining cup piece right sides together to the main cup piece.
  • Sew the lining to the main cup along the front, top and side seams, making sure not to catch the neck tie.
  • Turn the cups right side out and press.
  • (Optional) edgestitch the top and sides of the cups.
  • Sew a line of basting stitches along the bottom of the cups, just inside the seamline.
  • Gather cups along the basting stitches.
TIP

The amount you gather the cups is a matter of preference and cup size, but you can hold them up to yourself before stitching in place to ensure the fit is right.
There are also notches on either side of the band piece’s midpoint to help give you an idea of how much to gather by.

  • Find the midpoint of the band piece, this is marked by a notch, then pin the gathered bottoms of cups to band piece, right sides together. You’ll want the cups to meet at the band’s midpoint.
  • Stitch the cups to the band. Once they’re stitched in place, check the fit of the cups once more before continuing. Unpicking swim fabric is a pain, so it’s better to make sure the cups fit just right before moving on.
NOTE

You may prefer to wrap the one cup over the other at the midpoint. To do this place the sides of the cups at the outer notches and lay their fronts pass the midpoint with the left on top.

  • Now it’s time to finish the band. To do this, fold in the seam allowance on both sides of the band. The raw edges of your swim cups should be turned to the inside of the band. Then, fold the band in half lengthwise, aligning the long edges and enclosing the seam allowances. Swim fabric can be slippery, so you may need extra pins or clips to hold the fabric in place.
  • Stitch along the top of the band, securing the seam allowances within the band.
TIP

For extra support, you can also add swim elastic into the band, either by stitching clear elastic into the band’s seam allowance, or by threading swim elastic through the band at this point.

  • At this point, the band is a long tube with open ends. Next, we’ll be sewing those closed while providing a loop to thread your neck ties through. To do this fold over one end of the band towards the inside of the swim top. The amount you fold over should be, at minimum, the width of your neck ties plus a seam allowance. Stitch the end down to create a loop at least as wide as your neck ties. There will be a lot of pressure on this point, so make sure your stitching is secure, and consider running a second line of stitching next to the first, for additional support. Repeat for the other end of the band.
  • To thread your neck-ties for cross back ties, take the tie from the left cup and thread it through the loop on the right side of the band, from top to bottom. Thread the tie from the right cup top-to-bottom through the loop on the left side of the band. Then tie the neck ties at center back to secure the swim top.
  • Skip to “Step 5: Enjoy!”

Step 3: Band tie

You only need to do this step if making the band tie variant.

Band Tie One Colour Method

  • Fold the band tie piece in half lengthwise, right sides and raw edges together.
  • Sew along the raw edges, leaving one of the short ends open.
  • Trim the seam allowances and clip the corners.
  • Turn inside out. Press.

Band Tie Two Colours Method

  • With right sides together, sew the main band tie to the lining neck tie leaving one of the short edges open.
  • Trim the seam allowances and clip the corners.
  • Turn inside out. Press.

Step 4: Putting it all together.

  • Thread the band tie through the gaps along the bottom edge of the cups, making sure the front sides of the cups are in the centre and that the main and lining sides are on the respective side.

Step 5: Enjoy!

Hooray, your Bee Bikini Top is finished!

Bee bikini top: Required MeasurementsBee bikini top: What You Need