As soon as I saw the Maui I knew I wanted it in swim as a swimsuit! I can barely even call this a hack, because I followed the pattern almost exactly with just two additions: an extra layer of swim lining and removable swim cups!
I made my measured size and I love the fit! It’s just perfect for a swimsuit, tight enough to not shift in the water but not at restricting, and very comfortable! The tankini’s straps felt supportive for me and stayed in place as I swam. The racerback bikini also allows for a great range of motion!
For these swim tops, I used swim fabric (the floral and the aqua) and swim lining (the lavender), which, if you haven’t used it before, is a kind of squooshy and soft almost net-like material. I also used regular white braided elastic. You can use swim elastic but I actually prefer the strength of braided, and it stands up to the water just as well.
For the cami tankini, I cut the cami pattern out using the directions to include a shelf bra, using the floral for the cami and the aqua for the front and back of the shelf bra. I also cut out just the front of the shelf bra in the lavender swim lining. I cut the swim lining ¾” shorter than the shelf bra, to allow room for the elastic, and I also cut a small notch from the side. This will give you an opening to insert (and remove) your swim cups! You can finish this edge, either with an overlock stitch or a serger. I did not on these, but I probably would next time, just to neaten the inside a bit and since it stretches a bit with use.
The front of the shelf bra in aqua with the lining in lavender.
To assemble the cami tankini’s shelf bra, I basted the swim lining to the front of the shelf bra at the sides, wrong sides together, and stitched a line down the center of the shelf bra in order to keep the cups on their assigned side. After that I treated the shelf bra front as one piece and followed the rest of the directions to assemble the cami!
The only difference with swim is you can’t iron it! Well, you can, it just doesn’t do you much good! Instead I just folded carefully and clipped *a lot.*
For the cropped tank racerback bikini, I cut out the Maui tank’s shelf bra front and the racerback back in my floral swim fabric and just the front in swim lining, again with a small notch for the removable cups. I basted the swim lining to the front of the shelf bra, wrong sides together, all the way around. After that, I treated it like one piece and followed the directions to assemble the tank’s shelf bra.
Then I added the binding directly to the shelf bra to finish it!
Once I finished sewing, I inserted swim cups (you can also recycle these from old swim suits!)
If you make a tankini or bikini using the Maui, please share it in the facebook group, we’d love to see it!
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