Replacing elastic in bathing suit

[Mum2Mercury]

Warning:  tough question ahead: 

 

I have a wonderful swim dress, which I'm pretty sure I bought for our 20th wedding anniversary cruise.  We're approaching our 34th anniversary, so this swim suit is far from new, but I really like it.  It looks great on me, fits like a dream.  It was expensive, I still like it, and I don't want to discard it.  It's basically a one-piece swimsuit with a dress sewn over.  

 

When I put it on before our last cruise (I always try on every outfit before packing it), I heard /felt a "crinkle and crackle", and I said to myself, "Uh-oh, this thing's old."  Upon inspection, I figured out that the top portion is in fine condition ... the leg holes of the under-suit are the problem.  The elastic around the leg holes is shot, and the leg holes are now too large; the bottom of the swimsuit no longer clings to my rear.  I didn't pack that swim dress.  

 

My questions: 

- My sewing skills are pretty basic, but the leg holes aren't really "visible" ... at least when I'm standing up.  The under-suit is dark brown, so I'm sure I'd have to use narrow black elastic ... I'm imagining removing the existing stitching /hand sewing a narrow elastic channel and running elastic through that new channel.  

- I'm thinking that since the bottom portion of the suit is covered by the upper swim dress, a less-than-perfect sewing job wouldn't really show.  

- Or is this something a seamstress could do?  

- Or am I kidding myself that this swim dress is salvage-able?  

 

 

Edited February 25, 2023 by Mum2Mercury

[Daisyloo]

I think you could do it.  It might not be perfect, but if it's hidden underneath the skirt that probably won't matter. 

I did something similar to a pair of swim bottoms I bought. It was a loose swim short with an attached panty and the panty legs were too wide.  I bought black elastic specifically meant for swimsuits (chlorine resistant).  I didn't insert it into a channel as the elastic that was on the original panty was not in a channel but stitched directly on to the fabric.  So I just sewed the new elastic onto the edge of the fabric.  It worked well.  Be aware that if you sew through the elastic like I did, it loses some elasticity as the needle pierces the elastic,  meaning you need shorter length of elastic than the actual distance of the leg opening.  As an example,  if the leg opening is 20 inches, you might only need 15 inches of elastic.  I had to redo mine a few times until I got it right, but I am happy with the end result. 

Hope this helps and that I didn't confuse you!

I say go ahead and try it.  You can't wear it the way it is so you might as well give it a go.

[Mum2Mercury]

56 minutes ago, Daisyloo said:

I think you could do it.  It might not be perfect, but if it's hidden underneath the skirt that probably won't matter. 

I did something similar to a pair of swim bottoms I bought. It was a loose swim short with an attached panty and the panty legs were too wide.  I bought black elastic specifically meant for swimsuits (chlorine resistant).  I didn't insert it into a channel as the elastic that was on the original panty was not in a channel but stitched directly on to the fabric.  So I just sewed the new elastic onto the edge of the fabric.  It worked well.  Be aware that if you sew through the elastic like I did, it loses some elasticity as the needle pierces the elastic,  meaning you need shorter length of elastic than the actual distance of the leg opening.  As an example,  if the leg opening is 20 inches, you might only need 15 inches of elastic.  I had to redo mine a few times until I got it right, but I am happy with the end result. 

Hope this helps and that I didn't confuse you!

I say go ahead and try it.  You can't wear it the way it is so you might as well give it a go.

I wasn't aware chlorine resistant elastic existed -- I'm off to Amazon in a moment.  

 

No, your explanation wasn't confusing; makes sense to me.  It does occur to me that if I create a channel, it would enlarge the size of the leg holes.  On the other hand, I'm more confident of my ability to create a channel than to sew the elastic on directly. 

 

I'm also thinking now of cutting away the under-suit (it's an empire bust-style, so the bust portion would remain intact) and buying a pair of brown bikini bottoms.  Not a popular color, but the dress portion is floral, so it wouldn't have to match perfectly. 

 

You're exactly right though:  as it exists now, it's not wearable.  I can't keep the skirt down 100% of the time, and with the legs "stretched out", it's not a decent thing to wear.  So anything I attempt will be a low-risk proposition.  The only thing I can lose is my time. 

 

Thanks for your thoughts.

[Daisyloo]

I think your idea of getting a pair of bikini bottoms is a great idea!  If you can cut away the under-suit without it ruining the suit, that might be the easiest route to take.  Good luck with whatever you do. 

[Reina del Mar]

Maybe look at sewing around the legs with shearing elastic ???

[PurpleHays]

You wouldn't have to create a channel. You sew the elastic to the back side of the fabric, turn, sew once more. A simple zig-zag stitch would work. All the ones I've made are sewn unstretched on the front side and stretched on the back. Most of the time, the patterns have called for 3/8" elastic. I've made multiple skating dresses with attached panty, so I have some experience.

 

You wouldn't need to cut the fabric. If you have a seam ripper, carefully remove the original stitching. I mean, I'm not really sewing if I don't rip out at least one stitch.

[jsn55]

Lots of good advice and different approaches.  I've never had problems sewing new elastic directly on to waistbands, with a zig-zag stitch.  But I'd take the easy route, cut the thing apart and buy a 'swimsuit bottom' or even wear a pair of panties with it.  

[Mum2Mercury]

Thanks for the advice, All. 

 

I'm dragging my feet on starting this project because I'm afraid of ruining a swimsuit I've enjoyed for years -- and this makes no sense because, as another poster wisely pointed out, I can't wear it "as is", so I have nothing to lose.  

 

I'm definitely going to cut away the "under suit" and buy a pair of brown bikini bottoms -- I'm an easy fit for bottoms, and mix-and-match things are easy to find on ebay.  No way I'd wear it with panties -- it's a swim dress, but the dress portion just barely covers the bikini bottoms.  

 

I'll update you when I find the nerve to bring out my scissors.  

 

Again, thanks for the advice.  

[mrgabriel]

Options if you can't find bottoms that work. 

 

You can pick out the elastic but it will take hours and chances are good that you will nip the fabric. ASK ME HOW I KNOW THIS!

 

An alternative is to leave the old elastic where it is and add swimsuit elastic over the old elastic. It might be a bit bulky but this would be my first attempt. Use a very long zig zag stitch to test it out first. If you like the result, see if your machine has a zig zag for elastic and stitch the elastic on with that. If you don't have a stretch zig zag, use a wide regular zig zag. Be careful not to stretch the elastic when you stitch. 

 

Otherwise, I'd go with cutting off the elastic rather than trying to unpick and then stitching on the new elastic as above. You wouldn't lose that much of the fashion fabric around the leg. 

 

Third alternative if you're not going to be super active and will mostly be lounging is to stitch a row of round elastic that will just tuck in the edges of the legs enough that you won't feel exposed. 

 

Good luck!

[geocruiser]

Try you tube, they have a lot of ways to do it.

Edited March 25, 2023 by geocruiser

[NikiPinkston]

I can sew pretty well, but I'm a perfectionist (and a bit lazy) so I usually take garments that I don't want to be less than perfect to a tailor or seamstress. They're very easy to find on yelp and not expensive. I'm sure you could do it by yourself, but it seems like the process is becoming a bit stressful.

[57redbird]

On 2/26/2023 at 6:52 PM, jsn55 said:

Lots of good advice and different approaches.  I've never had problems sewing new elastic directly on to waistbands, with a zig-zag stitch.  But I'd take the easy route, cut the thing apart and buy a 'swimsuit bottom' or even wear a pair of panties with it.  

That's what I did when I liked the top of my one piece swim suit/dress but wanted to be able to use the restroom without having to struggle out of & back into my suit...I pinking sheared off the bottom part of the suit & bought a pair of swimsuit bottoms - I left some of the inner portion of the top to tuck into the bottoms --- it worked great.

[Mum2Mercury]

I started this discussion, and -- finally -- I'm coming back to tell y'all what I did:  

 

I tried on the swimsuit again with an eye towards cutting away the lower /under half ... and when I did, I decided this isn't a project that'll work.  The swimsuit is empire-waisted; that is, it is made up of a bust area + a skirt that flows from under the bust area.  I realized that the skirt flows not from the bottom of the bust (where a bra's lower band would sit) but mid-way under-boob.  Does that make sense?  Anyway, once I was wearing the suit, I realized that my breasts would not be supported at all and would be likely to, um, slip below the bust line.  

 

So I said goodbye to the swimsuit.  I really did like the idea of adding a bikini bottom + an upper dress, but this particular suit just wasn't going to work out.  I am shopping now for a replacement ... hopefully in pink!