We are celebrating all things swimwear in the studio this summer. We started out by turning the Josie Bra & Pants into a bikini and now we’ve done a hack of the Lottie bra into a bikini top too. This version provides great support and coverage for any of you who want to get some serious swimming in.

The construction is mostly the same as what you will find in the Lottie Bra booklet. The only major change is that instead of binding the armhole and neck we have decided to use swimwear specific rubber elastic. This means that you only need to cut the front and back bodices (pieces A&B) to begin!

I hope the photographs below help make the process crystal clear.

1. Pin front and back bodice (A/B) right sides together along side seams and shoulder seams, overlock, zigzag or straight stitch.

2. Zigzag stitch rubber elastic to the inside of the neck hole, stretching the elastic slightly as you sew.

3. Now flip the elastic inwards so it is hidden and zigzag again.

4. Repeat this process for the armholes.

5. Next refer to the Finished Garment Measurement Chart to see how much elastic you will need for your size. The length given includes 3cm seam allowance. We recommend you wrap the elastic around your underbust to check you are happy with the fit before you cut. Then overlock or zigzag elastic to right side of bottom hem, stretch elastic slightly as you sew and overlap by 2cm to complete the circle.

6. Flip elastic twice so that it is encased on wrong side of the bra, zigzag or coverstitch along upper edge of elastic, stretching elastic slightly as you sew.

7. Thats it you made a bikini top! Time to put it to the test by diving in the pool I reckon.