I’m obsessed with swimsuit matching with my kids just like the rest of Instagram! Get the details on these cute lemon swimsuits I made for me and the preschooler! Read on for tips on how to make matching DIY swimsuits!
Matching swimsuits with little kids is the like the best thing ever! It’s the hot new trend on Instagram and I decided it was time to try my hand at making one for me and Mimi!
Initially I wanted to make matching ones for me and all 5 of my little girls but then when I woke up from that dream (where I have 47 free hours in a day to just sew, dinner magically appears on the table and my children are all perfectly behaved) I decided to just stick with making ONE kid’s suit for now. Especially since it’s been at least a year since I’ve made one at all and I wasn’t even sure if I could remember all my hacks for how to make a swimsuit!
(Although I did snag some amazing banana print swim fabric on sale recently and maybe one of these days I’ll make it happen!)
This swim fabric is from Blackbird Fabric and it’s so good! A great thickness, good recovery and just an overall great quality. I’ve found in the past that handmade swimsuits tend to last 2-3 times as long as storebought so I was excited to put the time and effort into these suits with a great fabric!
The patterns I used were both from Made For Mermaids; mine is the Alexandria swimsuit ad Mimi’s is the Allie swimsuit. Both were incredibly easy to sew up and the instructions include lots of hacks and tips for getting a great fit.
Notes about fit
As for sizing, I blended the indigo and green sizes (indigo for the bottom and green for the bust) and it seemed to work well! For reference, my measurements are currently 41.5″ bust, 33″ waist, 41″ hip.
I did add a full 2″ to the bodice of my suit because I have a fairly long bodice for being only 5’5″ and I HATE having a swimsuit that rides up in the back or exposes all my cleavage in front. In retrospect, I could’ve gotten away with only adding 1″ but the added fabric on this one turned out to look a little like it was ruched on purpose and I was fine with that!
I also made the view with a tie front and straight straps but I didn’t really like how the top half of the wrap didn’t feel super secure on my XL nursing bosoms, so I stitched that top half down after sewing it all together. I do love the look of the side tie though, so next time I think I’ll make the faux wrap but add a tie just for aesthetics!
Mimi’s suit was super self-explanatory and her amazing 4 year old body didn’t need any modifications. Doesn’t she look SO cute??
I also used a thin neutral colored swim fabric for the lining and cotton swimwear elastic which I liked TONS better than the plastic elastic I’ve used in the past.
Overall a big success! There aren’t a lot of swimsuits I enjoy wearing 4 months after giving birth but this is at the top of my list.
Hurray for matching DIY swimsuits!
You can see the suit I made for myself last year here and some I made for my girls in the past here and here too!
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