I’ve gone back and forth on whether I should post this or not, but I decided that maybe it would help someone else out there.  I can’t believe I’m talking about it, but if you can relate to this comic, you might just have the same problem that I do.  I don’t think I’m super “busty”, but for some reason I can NEVER find a swimsuit that is supportive enough!  I have tried every year since my son was born to find something, and he just turned six!  Before that, the last swimsuit that I bought was when I was 19.  That’s right, I haven’t had a new swimsuit since I was 19!!!  Needless to say, my 19-year-old, pre-baby body is a bit different than the one that I have now.  I’ve been tempted by the online stores that claim their suits are supportive, but who wants to buy online and have to return something?  Not to mention that those swimsuits usually cost upwards of $100!  Frustrated, I asked myself, “Why is it that I can find a cheap sports bra that does the job just fine, but no one can make a reasonably priced supportive swimsuit?”  Light bulb!  Why not sew a sports bra into my swimsuit?!  So that’s what I did.  I made a supportive DIY swimsuit.  (And don’t worry, you won’t scroll down to see any pics of me in my swimsuit…NO WAY!)

Supportive DIY Swimsuit Fix

I went to Target and tried on a few swim tops until I found one that I thought would work for this DIY swimsuit fix.  Here she is.  I don’t know how anyone thought that skinny strap was going to support anything!  It was cute though, and black would make it easy to match with a sports bra.

Next, over to the activewear section.  You want to find a sports bra that is made out of fabric that feels the same as a swimsuit so it will dry quickly. The one I bought says it’s made of polyester and spandex.  I also recommend getting one that isn’t super tight.  The one I bought was a little difficult to get on once it was inside my swimsuit.

Depending on the type of swimsuit you bought, this part will be different, but I’ll show you how I made mine.  First thing I did was take off that useless strap.  Luckily that was easy since it was just hooked on.

Turn your swim top and sports bra inside out.  Find the middle of both by folding them in half and marking with pins.

Next, I slid my sports bra over my swim top, lined up the mid points and side seams, and added more pins.  I started at the back and just stitched a couple of inches at each of the three points to tack the bra to the swimsuit.  That’s really all you need. Remember, you are working with stretchy fabric, so I recommend a “walking” presser foot and a stretch or large zig-zag stitch.

Now time to sew the front.  Take some measurements and line the straps up where you want them.  I think I tried it on at this point and carefully pinned them into place.  This swimsuit has ruffles on the front, so I lifted the top ruffle and sewed under that.  Again, I just sewed about an inch or two in the middle and then across both straps using a stretch or zig-zag stitch.

Put the ruffle back down and there you go!  This swimsuit was pretty perfect for what I wanted to do.

Ok, so it’s not as cute as it was with the skinny strap on it, but it looks a million times better when I wear it than it did before!  Sorry, like I said, I won’t be showing you a photo of that. 🙂  Not bad for a DIY swimsuit fix!

I really hope that this helps some other “busty” girls out there!  Please tell me that I am not alone in having to deal with this issue!  I promise, this will not be a frequent topic on my craft blog.  Haha!