Have you ever wanted to make your own swimwear, but feel daunted by the fabric, fit and construction?
Join Tanya King to make your first swimsuit in a small group with demonstrations and guidance. Learn how to better handle stretch fabrics, work with elastic and create beautiful edges using a regular sewing machine as well as a serger.
Skill Level: Intermediate - Advanced
Skills Experienced:
- Intermediate Sewing or equivalent +
- A confident sewer who has made many garments, is comfortable with using trickier fabrics, and has some experience with fitting and minor alterations to patterns.
- Experience successfully completing several sewing projects. This class will not cover basic sewing machine operation such as threading a needle, switching needles, how to adjust stitch length, locking stitches, reverse stitching, pivoting corners, winding bobbins etc. Students should be capable of performing these procedures without assistance.
- Experience sewing with knits, applying elastics, making underwear and bralettes
Must be aged 16+
Learning outcomes:
Students will learn step-by-step how to make their swimsuit. We will cover everything you need to know to make a professional looking swimsuit using a sewing machine and serger. Here's what we'll cover:
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Learn the basic properties of nylon and spandex swim fabrics
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Learn about the different types of swim elastic
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How to construct seams
- Hemming specific to swimwear
- Creating details like ruching and ruffles
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How to line your swimsuit
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Working with a twin needle
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What stitches to use when using a regular sewing machine only
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How to apply swim elastic
- Adding hooks and eyes
- Making adjustable straps
*** Please note: This is a beginner swimwear class. It will provide a good starting point for you to make swimwear for yourself, but please note that as with any sewing pattern, you may need additional alterations to achieve a perfect fit for future makes. We will take you as far as we can with those alterations inside of this course. ***
What we provide:
- 12 hours of instruction time (some homework may be required).
- Pre-class consultation with Tanya to plan your project - We will contact you once you have registered to set up your consultation.
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The use of our class sewing machines and tools - though we strongly recommend bringing your own machine.
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Opportunity to purchase more supplies and kits to make future swimsuits discounted by 20% (before & during the workshop)
What you provide:
- Swimsuit pattern of your choice. You can view our pattern selection here
- Nylon/spandex blend (see your pattern for quantities) You can view our full selection of fabrics here.
- Swimsuit lining - see your pattern for requirements
- Powermesh - see your pattern for requirements
- Swimsuit elastic - see your pattern for widths and quantities
- Findings - (eg. hooks and eyes etc.) - see your pattern for requirements
We offer a 20% student discount on all your supplies for this workshop! Contact us for the code to use online once you've registered for your class!
Equipment requirements: We highly encourage you to bring your own sewing machine, however if you don't own a machine, one will be provided for you. If you’d like to bring your home machine, please remember to bring the manual (and foot pedal/power cord) and arrive 10 minutes prior to the scheduled time.
Group size: Maximum 5 guests to keep our classes cozy and fun!