Whether it’s a trip to your local beach or backyard kiddie pool, there’s no wrong way to soak up some sun when you’re wearing handmade swimwear! Want to sweeten the deal? Make it a mix-and-match suit like Wilmington, North Carolina-based sewist Morgan Sitton. See how Morgan made four different swimsuits (with eight total mix-and-match combinations!) for her growing family using two yards of Sport Lycra® and the Fill-A-Yard® Cheater Quilt template.

How to Make a Mix and Match swimsuit with Fill-A-Yard | Spoonflower Blog

Morgan: This swimwear project comes on the heels of a very similar project I completed last summer for our son Fletcher, aka Biscuit boy. I had a vision for versatile swimwear that could offer full sun coverage when necessary, less coverage in shadier situations, and could coordinate without being super matchy-matchy.

We’re a bunch of water babies so I knew I wanted more than just one option for when things needed to be laundered, but also didn’t want to spend big money on items I knew I could make myself. I turned to Spoonflower for their unique designs and settled on a solid and sea creature theme that believe it or not, still generally fits our chunky now 30 pound toddler! 

How to Make a Mix and Match swimsuit with Fill-A-Yard | Spoonflower Blog
How to Make a Mix and Match swimsuit with Fill-A-Yard | Spoonflower Blog
How to Make a Mix and Match swimsuit with Fill-A-Yard | Spoonflower Blog

Featured designs: Gray Green by erin__kendal and Shark by katherine_quinn

Why I Love To Sew Clothes

This year I declared that making the season’s swimwear would be a new “to-do by Easter” tradition and I’d document the ins and outs of the design selection, printing process, sewing pattern choice, and eventually the final products! I have a passion for reducing textile waste in the form of sewing worn out or unwanted clothing into new clothes for kiddos + babies. Plus Spoonflower’s goal to only produce what’s needed speaks to my sustainable soul. I highly recommend anyone interested in their on-demand, sustainable, water-based printing process do a little research via their site.

With our second bvabe on the way, I was even more excited than before to find designs and colors that could coordinate while also checking the above-mentioned boxes. I quickly settled on four designs by Erin Kendal because she has so many easy-to-coordinate options also available in more than one color!

Tips to Make Mix and Match Toddler Swimsuits

Use Fill-A-Yard To Incorporate More Designs

Since each swimsuit pattern (more on that below!) didn’t require a full yard of each design I chose to use the 2 Yard Cheater Quilt Fill-A-Yard template. This allowed me to print four different designs on two yards of Sport Lycra®, the perfect choice for swimwear.

I knew I’d be challenging myself with the stripes being a directional design but felt up for the challenge. When setting up the Fill-A-Yard project, I made sure the two rust designs were touching and the two mustard designs were touching just in case I needed to squeeze parts of pattern pieces out of the “wrong” design. Spoiler alert: I did.

Want More Fill-A-Yard Tips?

Morgan is sharing one of our many favorite things about our Fill-A-Yard tool. See more tips here.

How to Make a Mix and Match swimsuit with Fill-A-Yard | Spoonflower Blog
Here’s a look at my Fill-A-Yard fabric.
How to Make a Mix and Match swimsuit with Fill-A-Yard | Spoonflower Blog
After cutting out my patterns, you can see a yard goes a long way.

Find Your Sewing Patterns

Now for the sewing patterns: I decided to keep things consistent and make the same patterns from Brindille & Twig for Fletcher and babe on the way. Bonus: Two of the three patterns I used are free digital downloads!

How to Make a Mix and Match Swimsuit with Fill-A-Yard | Spoonflower Blog

Since I was sewing with a stretchy material I completed most seams with a serger/overlocker, but a regular sewing machine set-up with a ball point needle and zigzag stitch is also totally acceptable! If you were to sew a stretch material with a simple straight stitch, the material would no longer stretch.

More Swimwear Sewing Tips

Motivating to give stitching up your own swimwear a try? We’ve got more details on the fabric and supplies you’ll need. See the tips here.

Test Your Patterns First

I highly, highly recommend testing patterns (making a muslin) before cutting into your Spoonflower fabric, especially when wonky toddler bodies are involved! After testing the 2-3T patterns on Fletch I needed to take a few inches in on the length of the harem pants and shirts, then also the waist and length for the bummies. The leg holes were right on the money. I don’t think these are pattern flaws whatsoever; kiddos just don’t come all the same size! Had I not made a muslin, I’m not sure I would have had enough material to make all of the 2-3T items and I definitely would have wasted some precious material!

How to Make a Mix and Match swimsuit with Fill-A-Yard | Spoonflower Blog
A quick try-on before hemming!
Featured design: Medium // Sunshine Linen Rust Suns by erin__kendal

The Exciting End Results

With these patterns I was able to make a pair of harem pants, a long sleeve top, short sleeve top, and bummies in both the rust and mustard colors; 2-3T in rust for Fletch and Preemie/0-3m in mustard for our little one on the way because I make itty bitty babies and want these to get used this summer! In case you didn’t catch that, I can make four different swimsuit combinations for each child using just two yards of fabric.

How to Make a Mix and Match swimsuit with Fill-A-Yard | Spoonflower Blog

How to Make a Mix and Match swimsuit with Fill-A-Yard | Spoonflower Blog

I opted to not put cuffs on the tops to ensure I would have enough material and to keep things simple. Instead of the cuffs I serged/overlocked all the raw edges, folded them under, and then top-stitched with a zig-zag stitch to secure in place.

How to Make a Mix and Match swimsuit with Fill-A-Yard | Spoonflower Blog
How to Make a Mix and Match swimsuit with Fill-A-Yard | Spoonflower Blog

Our sea-Biscuit has already put miles on his swimwear between his backyard pool and quick dips in the ocean, and the itty bitty mustard pieces are on a shelf patiently waiting to be worn by someone we can only pray also loves the ocean as much as we do!

How to Make a Mix and Match swimsuit with Fill-A-Yard | Spoonflower Blog

Frequently Asked Questions

What fabric is best for making swimsuits?
Our Sport Lycra® is best for sewing swimsuits. It’s a durable and stretchy fabric ideal for swimwear and athletic apparel.
What are some tips for making swimsuits for toddlers?
Morgan is able to make mix-and-match swimwear using these tips:
1. Using Fill-A-Yard to purchase her favorite Spoonflower designs
2. Finding the right patterns for her project
3. Testing the pattern before using her Spoonflower fabric
What designs are best for summer clothing?
Check out this collection of summer inspired designs to find the perfect print for your summer projects.

Want More DIY Swimwear Posts?

Read the Posts


About the Guest Author

Mama to one extra special rainbow boy named Fletcher (nicknamed Biscuit) after years of infertility, one equally special super surprise missing-IUD babe on the way, and wife to one for real crazy special Kameron Ray, Morgan Sitton has been sewing for upwards of 15 years. While she loves a detailed plan/pattern, she also considers herself a professional “Eh, I’ll just wing it”-er. Follow Morgan’s sewing and family adventures on Instagram @morganasitton.