A Tale of Two Bikinis: The Cottesloe by Megan Nielsen patterns and the Vernazza Two Piece by Friday Pattern Company

When I first started sewing in November 2019, I never dreamed that sewing swimwear would be in my future. The idea of sewing with swim fabric seemed daunting (too slippery, too stretchy!). I had the idea that inserting the elastic would be far too technical. And I thought any swimwear I did make would probably fall apart after a couple of washes.

However, I’ve now got two memade bikinis under my belt – the Cottesloe by Megan Nielsen Patterns and the Vernazza Two Piece by Friday Pattern Company – and I can report that it really isn’t too tricky at all.

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I decided to make my own swimwear as I found there to be a real gap in the ready to wear market for flattering bikinis that aren’t flimsy.  I swim regularly with my children and I need something that will stay up when we are having fun in the pool!  Luckily there are some great sewing patterns on the market that really fill this gap. 

The Cottesloe

My first foray into sewing swimwear was the Cottesloe by Megan Nielsen Patterns.  I have made several Megan Nielsen Patterns before and I find the instructions to be very clear and comprehensive.  I had also read that the Cottesloe was a good place to start if you are new to sewing swimwear.  It certainly is, there is a lot of information included in the pattern booklet about the options for swim fabric, swim elastic etc. which is really helpful.

The Cottesloe gives several variations: a classic one piece swimsuit and mix and match bikini sets.  So you get a lot of options for your money. 

I chose to make view D: an athletic bikini top with a wide under bust band and high waisted bikini bottoms with a wide waistband.

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Fabric

I got this olive leaf print swim fabric from The Maker’s Merchant (formally Loubodu Fabrics).  It’s composition is 82% polyamide 8% elastane.  I understand polyamide is more durable than lycra when exposed to chlorine.  I swim regularly in a swimming pool so wanted something that would stand up well to chlorine.

I decided to use swimsuit rubber elastic (rather than woven swimwear elastic) as again I understand that swim rubber is stable and longer lasting. I got the elastic online from Fabricland.

Sizing

I graded between sizes based on my measurements.  My measurements are 32-27-36 so I used size 0 for the bikini top and graded from size 6 (waist) to size 4 (hips) for the bikini bottoms.

The bikini did come out on the snug side but actually it has proven comfortable when swimming and also, importantly, it has stayed put!

The Vernazza two piece

I chose the Vernazza two piece for my second swimwear make as I thought the tie feature on the top was very pretty.  After sewing the Cottesloe, it gave me the confidence that I would be able to tackle a swimsuit with a bit more of a detail.  This pattern has just the one option, a two piece bikini with medium rise bikini bottoms.

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Fabric

In my stash I’ve got some lovely Liberty swim fabric for this bikini, which I purchased on sale.  I’ll be cutting into this come summer.  But in the meantime I had nearly enough of the olive twig print swim fabric leftover from my Cottesloe to make a toile of the Vernazzza. I just needed a bit of extra fabric for the lining and waistband of the bikini bottoms.  (The navy swim fabric I used as lining came from Sewmesunshine.)

Sizing

Each size for the Vernazza two piece covers a range of measurements.  This meant for me that no grading was needed.   My bust fell into the XS size; my waist and hips both fell into the S size.

I found the sizing on the Vernazza two piece to be spot on.  The bikini is fitted enough to be supportive/stable but does not feel too tight.

The only variation I made to this pattern was to add elastic into the waistband of the bikini bottoms.  I didn’t add elastic into the under bust bikini band as it feels pretty secure without it.

Tips/thoughts for sewing with swimwear

Needle, thread and foot – I used a standard stretch needle and guterman polyester thread for sewing both bikinis.  I found my walking foot to be very useful in dealing with the stretchy swim fabric.

Elastic insertion – The Cottesloe and the Vernazza give different methods for inserting the swim elastic around the arm and leg holes.  Personally I found that the Vernazza method gave a better finish, although this was the second bikini I made and therefore having more experience may also have helped.  I also found this video by the Friday Pattern Company very useful for inserting the elastic.

I also found that it is worth spending time over accurate quartering when inserting the elastic to achieve a final smooth finish around the arm and leg holes.

Lining – I fully lined both of my bikinis.  It didn’t take a lot of extra time and I think it does give extra support (as well as ensuring good coverage) so I would recommend it. 

Speed of sew – Swimwear sews up surprisingly quickly!

Summary

Both the Cottesloe and the Vernazza are excellent options for a first foray into sewing swimwear.  The instructions for both are comprehensive and really hold your hand through the process of sewing with swim fabrics. 

As I mentioned above, swimwear sews up surprisingly quickly. It doesn’t require a huge amount of fabric either. And because it is stretchy the fit is forgiving! So don’t be too daunted! It’s definitely worth giving it a try!

Also I talk about another version of the Vernazza I have made in my YouTube vlog.