A Vintage Swimsuit for Baby Ellis - Sew Beautiful Magazine

A Vintage Swimsuit 

for Baby Ellis 

By Amelia Johanson 

Our vintage-look swimsuit for a baby boy 

keeps more of his delicate skin safe from the 

sun while letting him splash around in 

old-fashioned style. 

© 2012 Sew Beautiful | www.SewBeautifulmag.com 

TECHNIQUE: Embroidering on Lycra 

MATERIALS (for Bathing Suit) 

Pattern 

• Sizes 3 months to 24 months 

Fabric 

• 5/8 to 1 yd Lycra knit suitable for swimwear* 

• 1/8 yd red Lycra knit suitable for swimwear 

(for sand pail appliqué only) 

• 5/8 to 1 yd swimwear lining 

Equipment and Notions 

• Sewing machine with embroidery 

capabilities (Husqvarna Viking #1 used) 

• Serger with cover stitch capabilities (preferred) 

OR 

• Double needle for topstitching 4.0/80 size 

• Embroidery design of your choice 

Embroideries shown are: 

• Snoopy Surfing design #8 from Peanuts® 

Summertime Fun Husqvarna Viking Multiformat 

CD-ROM 

• Sand Pail appliqué SIG37018 from Cactus 

Punch 

• Race Car design TRN019 from Embroidery.com 

Threads 

• Sulky® Machine Embroidery Threads (colors 

depend on design selected and can be 

altered to suit background fabric as desired) 

• Polyester thread to match swimwear fabric 

• Optional: Wooly nylon 

*Fabrics and linings were purchased from 

Carol’s Fabric Shop, 1325 N. Carpenter Rd., 

Brunswick, OH 44212, phone (330) 225-4436 

MATERIALS (for Cover-Up) 

Pattern 

• Jon-Jon pattern from Martha’s Favorite 

Appliqué book by Martha Pullen 

Fabric (according to book) 

• Terry cloth with frayed selvage 

• Scrap of red Lycra knit suitable for swimwear 

(for sand pail appliqué) 

Equipment and Notions 

• Sewing machine with Embroidery capabilities 

(Husqvarna Viking #1 used) 

• Sand pail embroidery design (see bathing 

suit materials) 

• One large red and one large yellow button 

• Sulky® Solvy TM 

• Sulky® KK 2000 Temporary Spray Adhesive TM 

• Sulky® adhesive stabilizer 

Thread 

• Sulky® Machine Embroidery Threads 

(specific for swimsuit and cover-up; stitching 

color order is in ( ) 

#1037 red for appliqué stitch line (1) 

and pail (6) 

#1149 tan for sand (3) 

#1001 white for pail line (4) 

and highlights (7) 

#1237 dusty red for pail (5) 

and shading (10) 

#1037 red for pail (6) 

#1049 green for spade (8) 

#1187 yellow for spade handle (9) 

#1028 blue for pail handle (11) 

1

NOTE: Working with Lycra knit takes special care, as does machine 

embroidering on the stretchy material. Read over the tips provided 

before attempting suit construction. 

I’ve never cared for the look of swimsuits for baby boys. 

Their little tummies are constrained by a band of elastic; their 

swimmy diapers hang out the back. Manufacturers cut the legs 

too long so that they reach way below baby’s knees making it 

difficult to toddle. Even worse, however is all that baby fresh 

skin on the torso is exposed for inevitable sunburn. That being 

the case, I set out in search of a one-piece, old-fashioned 

suit for my son. I found them online at high-end sites that 

carried baby apparel – imagine something that takes less 

than a yard of fabric going for upwards of $50. Considering 

he’d wear it one summer and probably snag the seat after the 

first wearing, I couldn’t justify the expense. Instead, I decided 

to fashion my own vintage swimsuit for baby Ellis. I made 

one suit the first summer with a matching terry cloth cover 

up, then made three more the next summer all embellished 

with cute machine embroidery. I doubt the cost for all four 

amounted to much more than $50. 

GENERAL TIPS 

Working With Lycra 

• Wash and dry yardage before cutting out pattern. Lycra 

fabrics will shrink. Swimwear fabrics should be hand washed 

or machine washed in the gentle cycle in cool temperatures 

and hung to dry. 

• Determine the stretch of the fabric and lay the fabric with 

the most stretch going around the body. 

• Use very sharp pins to secure pattern and cut out with 

sharp scissors or special scissors with a serrated blade (reduces 

slipping). 

• Use a 75/11 or 70/10 ball point needle. 

• Sewing Machine: Stitch length needs to be a 2 to 2.5, with 

a slight zigzag of 1 to 1.5. If your machine has stretch setting 

options, choose medium stretch. Finish seams with a zigzag 

or a three- or four-thread serger with wooly nylon in both 

loopers. Double needle topstitching with a stretch stitch 

option lends a nice look around arm, neck and leg openings, 

but does limit the Lycra from stretching some in those areas. 

• Serger: The best finish for hems around neck, arm and leg 

openings is a cover stitch option on a serger with good-quality 

polyester serger thread or wooly nylon. 

EMBROIDERING ON LYCRA 

The biggest challenge in making these swimsuits is 

learning to machine embroider on Lycra without causing 

puckers. The key, as in all machine embroidery is in the 

stabilizing process. 

1. Determine where you want to place embroidery. On 

suits shown with single embroidery motif, design center was 

placed approximately 5-1/2 inches from traced neckline 


edge. On race car suit, top race car center was positioned 4 

inches from traced neckline edge, and there are approximately 

3-1/4 inches between race car centers. NOTE: If you have 

excess fabric, it’s much easier to simply stitch out the motif on a 

larger rectangle, then worry about positioning the pattern over 

the embroidery afterwards. 

2. Securely hoop a piece of adhesive tear-away stabilizer. 

Score with a pin to expose sticky surface. 

3. Cut two sheets of Solvy larger than the embroidery design. 

Spray right side of bathing suit fabric in area to be embroidered 

with temporary spray adhesive and attach a sheet of Solvy , 

lightly spray again and attach the second sheet. 

2

Crotch 

WS 

Fabric 

Figure 1 Figure 2 

Fold under 

and cover 

stitch 

Image by Gary Harwood 

Fold under 3/4” 

& coverstitch 


Baste 

stitch 

Lining 

RS 


4. Adhere bathing suit fabric with Solvy to hooped stabilizer. 

You should have a sandwich of two layers of Solvy , a layer of 

fabric, and a layer of hooped stabilizer. If you’ve traced the neckline 

off before this step, it is necessary to align fabric so that the 

embroidery center will stitch according to the placement suggested 

in step 1. If you are tracing off the pattern after the embroidery 

process, be sure to leave enough fabric around the embroidery to 

be able to position the pattern properly. 

5. Take hoop to machine, which has been set up for chosen 

embroidery. Before beginning to embroider, choose the FIX 

function (if available) to baste an outline around the embroidery 

area. This will further keep the stretchy fabric from puckering 

during the embroidery process. 

6. Stitch out design. NOTE: The bucket design is a machine 

embroidered appliqué. If chosen, you will need to use temporary 

spray adhesive to position and stitch contrasting appliqué fabric (red 

Lycra) into place. Once the outline stitch has been stitched, carefully 

trim around the shape and proceed with embroidery. 

7. Remove adhesive stabilizer from back of design, using a 

pin to lift up edges of stabilizer and being careful not to snag 

fabric or distort stitches. Cut away excess Solvy from front, 

and soak embroidered fabric to remove remaining Solvy stabilizer. 

Trace or retrace pattern front onto embroidered fabric. 

SWIMSUIT CONSTRUCTION 

1. After completing embroidery and carefully cutting out 

front of suit, cut a suit back and crotch panel out of fabric. 

2. Cut a front, back and crotch panel out of lining fabric. 

3. With right sides together and a slight zigzag or stretch 

stitch, sew shoulder seams of suit and side seams of suit. 

4. Again, with right sides together stitch one long side of 

crotch panel to bottom opening of front, and the other long 

side of crotch panel to bottom opening of back (fig. 1). 

5. Repeat this procedure with the lining pieces. 

6. With wrong sides together insert lining into suit, raw 

edges even. 

7. To keep lining and suit from slipping while finishing edges, 

pin around edges and machine baste, one opening at a time. 

It is also helpful to lightly spray between layers with KK2000 

to temporarily adhere lining and suit together and avoid fabric 

slipping (fig. 2). 

8. Finishing option (A): A cover stitch on the serger will 

provide the most give and make it easer to slip the child in 

and out of the suit through the neckline. Simply turn under 

neckline edge 1/2 inch, and starting at a shoulder seam, cover 

stitch completely around neckline. Pull end threads through to 

wrong side and tie off. Do the same for the armhole openings 

starting and ending cover stitch at the underarm seam (fig. 

3).Turn up edges of leg openings 3/4 inch and again secure 

with the cover stitch function beginning and ending at inside 

leg seam (fig. 4). Carefully remove basting threads. 

3

6-1/2” 

3/4” 

4” 

5” 

9. Finishing option (B). If you don’t 

have a cover stitch function, after basting 

edges to secure, serge around raw 

edges with a 3-thread finish or a machine 

zigzag. Carefully remove basting 

threads. Set up sewing machine with 

a twin needle and thread to match or 

contrast with suit fabric. Turn under 

neckline edge 1/2 inch, and starting at 

a shoulder seam, double needle stitch 

completely around neckline. Backstitch 

to secure. Do the same for the armhole 

openings starting and ending stitch at 

the underarm seam. Turn up edges of 

leg openings 3/4 inch and again secure 

with the double needle topstitching. 

TERRYCLOTH COVER-UP 

1. Cut pieces for one Jon-Jon from 

terrycloth. Cut a second Jon-Jon from 

terrycloth but this time cut all pieces 

4” 

Figure 5 


Jon-Jon 

Front 

(RS) 

Jon-Jon 

Facing 

Pattern 

Solvy TM 

WS Pocket 

Facing 


down only to about 4 inches below edge 

of underarm (fig. 5). This second “half ” 

Jon-Jon will serve as the suit facing in 

place of a complete lining. 

2. Machine embroider a rectangle of 

terrycloth for a pocket so that pail will 

lie approximately 3 inches from top 

frayed edge (selvage) on a 6-1/2 inch 

long pocket that will be 5 inches wide 

(finished) (fig. 6). 

3. Place pocket right side down on 

piece of Solvy . Stitch around sides 

and bottom edge with a 1/2-inch seam 

allowance. Leave frayed selvage for top 

of pocket (fig. 7). 

4. Turn right side out. This will automatically 

turn back the pocket edges 

(like a pillow). 

5. Pin pocket on left front of Jon-Jon 

so that it will fall approximately 4 inches 

from finished leg edge and 3/4 inch 


from side seam line. Topstitch 1/8 inch 

from edge of pocket to attach to Jon-Jon 

(fig. 8). 

6. Stitch together pieces of Jon-Jon 

as instructed in Martha’s Favorite Appliqué’s. 

For facing, stitch shoulder seams 

and side seams of “half ” Jon-Jon. Finish 

lower edge by serging or zigzag. 

7. Place facing right sides together 

with Jon-Jon and stitch around top 

edge and armhole openings (fig. 9). Clip 

curves, corners and underarm seam allowances, 

flip facing to inside and press. 

Turn up leg edges of Jon-Jon 3/4 inch 

and hem. 

8. Stitch buttonholes on back shoulder 

pieces and close with one red button and 

one yellow button stitched on front at 

shoulder. -SB 

About the designer 

Amelia Johanson is associate editor of Sew Beautiful. She lives in 

Ohio with her husband and three sons. 

4

1" 

0 1" 

Please use this scale to verify 

that you are printing at 100% 

BABY ELLIS’S SWIMSUIT 

FRONT 

Match A to A and align 


A 

5


1" 

0 1" 



Match B to B and align 


A 

B 

6


FRONT 



1" 

0 1" 



B 

7

1" 

0 1" 




BACK 



A 

8


1" 



0 1" 



A 

B 

9

1" 

0 1" 



BABY BOY'S SWIMSUIT SIZE CHART 

Actual pattern measures smaller than body 

measurements given, as stretch of fabric is factored. 

Size 12m 18m 24m 

Chest 19" 20" 21" 

Weight 18-21lb 22-25lb 26-29lb 

Height 27-28" 29-30" 31-32" 


BACK 

Match C to C and align 


C 

10

A Vintage Swimsuit for Baby Ellis - Sew Beautiful Magazine

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