If you are sewing up some swimwear for your kids you might want to check out my other kids swimwear posts: Sew… Some Stretchy Swimming caps [Pattern-for-pennies], Are freezer paper stencils possible on Lycra/Spandex??,  Super Summer Swim Bottoms [Pattern-for-pennies], and How to Sew $3 Rash Vests for Kids [Pattern-for-pennies].

But for today… high waist swim bottoms.

Now I am willing to admit that this may just be my kids, but even when their swim bottoms fit well, after a bit of swimming/playing at the beach, the fine elastic on the top band of their swim bottoms moves a bit, and, my littlest especially, is not great at fixing things up.

In an effort to alleviate this problem (and keep her modestly covered and not sun burnt) I added a wide elastic band to the top of our Patterns-for-pennies swimsuit bottoms pattern and am super happy with the results. These have been well tested and they cover everything and stay well put – winning!

If you would like to sew a pair of these for your little, read on.

You will need:

• Patterns-for-pennies Super Summer Swim Bottoms Pattern.

You can grab the pattern in the Sew4bub Etsy shop for $0.99 AUD (that is around $0.65 USD)

• Between 38cm and 45cm of swimwear Lycra/spandex and the same amount of swimwear lining depending on the size you are making (this pattern will only use 35cm width of the fabric so you will get multiple pairs from the required length)
• Between 65cm and 75cm of 6mm braided swimwear elastic again depending on the size you are making, and
• Between 50cm and 60cm of 20mm or 25mm braided elastic(waistband elastic)

1. First thing to do is follow the original tutorial (find it here) doing all the steps except attaching the elastic to the waistband.
2. Cut a pattern piece to cover your elastic waistband. This piece needs to be twice the width of your waistband plus 2cm seam allowance. For example: If the waistband elastic length is 50cm and you are using 20mm elastic you will need to cut a waistband piece that is 50cm long and 6cm wide. Fold this pattern piece in half right sides facing, and serge the shorts ends together to form a loop.
3. Cut your elastic length according to the elastic length chart in the original pattern and sew the ends together (overlapping by 2cm) to form a loop.
4. You should now have a matching waistband piece and elastic as shown in the pic.

1. Fold your waistband pattern piece around the elastic, lining up the raw edges of the pattern piece, keep these edges clear of the elastic with pins.
2. With the seam in the center back, place the waistband (with elastic enclosed) over the waist of the swim bottoms and line up the raw edges. Pin the 3 fabric edges together and serge the waistband to the swim bottoms, making sure that the elastic is not caught in the seam.
3. Fold the waistband seam towards the main swim bottoms and top stitch with a zig zag stitch or double needle.
4. Enjoy your new swim bottoms 🙂

If you make some Higher Waist Kids Swim Bottoms, be sure to grab some pics and hashtag them #SEW4BUB I would love to see your creations!

As always, thanks for reading.

Liz xx