The new Bay Swimsuit sewing pattern is free, gender-neutral, and surprisingly versatile! Including two separate garments with multiple length options, this pattern can be used for swimwear, activewear, or even to hop on the bike shorts trend! The top can be cut into a high neck or scoop neck and it can be cropped above or at the waist. Similarly, the bottoms can be high-waisted with the optional waistband. Plus, you can easily choose how long you’d like the inseam! Pair yours with any one of Mood’s new compression tricots.
Purchase Materials Used Below:
MDF259 – The Bay Swimsuit (free download below!)
View A:
- 1 yard Lime Zest UV Protective Compression Swimwear Tricot with Aloe Vera Microcapsules
- 1 yard Black High Compression PowerNet Mesh
View B:
- 1 yard Deep Ultramarine UV Protective Compression Swimwear Tricot with Aloe Vera Microcapsules
- 1 yard Black High Compression PowerNet Mesh
View C
- 1 yard Tie-Dye Tricot (Coming soon!)
- 1 yard Black High Compression PowerNet Mesh
Alternative Recommended Fabrics:
Sewing Instructions for Top:
Step 1
Cut out the fabric as well as the lining.
Step 2
Pin front and back pieces together at shoulder seams and sew using a stretch or overlock stitch. Repeat for the lining.
Step 3
With right sides together, pin the lining to fabric and sew around the neckline. After sewing, trim and clip seam allowances.
Step 4
Turn the shirt right side out through the neckline, lay flat, and roll the bodice to one side.
Step 5
Pin right sides together and sew along the armscye.
Step 6
Trim and cut to help ease the curve.
Step 7
Now, flip right side out, then repeat for the other side.
Step 8
Sew the sides seams face to face with a regular stretch seam.
Step 9
If desired, add the lower band to the main layer of your top, right sides together.
Step 10
Pin raw edges of lining inward along the hem of your shirt and top-stitch.
Sewing Instructions for Shorts:
Step 1
Cut pieces out from both fabric and lining.
Step 2
Pin and sew the center front seam and center back seam. Do the same for the lining.
Step 3
Pin the crotch seam and sew. Repeat for the lining.
Step 4
Pin and sew the side seams. Do the same thing for the lining.
Step 5
Create your waistband by sewing the front and back at the side seams.
Step 6
Fold band in half and pin face to face along the waistline of your outer shorts layer.
Step 7
Pin the lining to the outer layer, right sides together, along one of the hems of the shorts and sew.
Step 8
Turn right side out.
Step 9
Pull the raw edges of the second shorts hem inward between the main layer and lining so that the right sides are facing. Sew along the second hem. (If desired, you can also top-stitch with a stretch stitch or long straight stitch.)
Step 10
At the waistband, pin the lining to the main layer, tucking the raw edges inward. Top-stitch with a stretch stitch or long straight stitch.
A crotch gusset would make these shorts more suitable as swimwear
Thanks N.SB., that’s a great point! This is especially true if you want to eliminate the center front crotch seam for a smooth look. A crotch gusset usually compensates for a shallow crotch depth, but I drafted these shorts with a normal “J” crotch shape. For your idea, I think about a 1.25″-wide single continuous straight strip can be sewn into the leg inseams and across the crotch point would give that extra room and comfort you are looking for. Meaning, the strip would start at the hem of one leg at the inseam and continue to the hem of the other leg.
It would also be nice to insert some foam cups for larger sizes in the top.
Thank you so so much for these patterns, thanks to you I started sewing and i love all of your paterns
Hola consulta me podrían ayudar ? Nce donde estan los patrones y como descargarlo gracias
Hola Natacha, El patrón se puede descargar en la lista de materiales del patrón. Cuando completes la información, la descarga se enviará a tu correo electrónico. Si aún tienes problemas, envía un correo electrónico a info@moodfabrics.com y ¡te enviarán el patrón directamente! 🙂
Free patterns are such a lovely way for Mood to support customers’ creativity and find the perfect combinations of fabric, style and patterns! Thank you very much!
Thank you so much for sharing!!!
merci beaucoup pour votre disponibilité et votre partage
the geometry of this is pretty tricky. could we add some gifs or a video for steps 4-7 on the top?
Hello, Jaelin! Unfortunately we aren’t able to enhance instructions on older posts, however, if we ever redux this pattern we will update!
Please do a redux!
If anyone is still confused about steps 4-7, go to YouTube and search “Burrito Method sewing” and you should find plenty on tutorials!
Hey, thx for the pattern. I am recently doing this pattern but I struggle at some points. I sewed the lining and the outside fabric at the neckline. Than I turned the Inside out and sewed along the neckline to provide the lining from slipping through. Now I have to sew the Armholes together… and that is the point where I am stuck. I cant figure out how to position wich fabric. I startet sewing the lining onto the outsidefabric but then I can see the sewing line. But I cant sew this with right sides together because than I am no longer able to turn this…. could you help me?
Hello there!
Thanks for visiting the Mood Sewciety Blog! We’re proud to have released over 350 free sewing patterns, and we hope you’re enjoying them.
Behind the scenes we’re a dedicated team of three, and we want to be able to offer top notch support. We have exciting plans for our patterns on the horizon, and as we continue to grow, we’ve decided to focus our sewist support on patterns from the last 2 years. If this pattern hasn’t been recently reduxed or updated, we won’t be able to respond to technical questions on these older posts.
If you come across any pattern errors, rest assured our team is on it – just let us know!
Don’t miss out on our Mood Sewciety Facebook Group – a fantastic space for fellow sewists to connect, share wins, and tackle challenges together.
Thank you for your understanding and happy sewing!