Summertime calls for swimsuits. However, you may notice that last year’s swimsuit doesn’t fit you as well anymore or that your new swimsuit doesn’t look the same at home as it did in the store. So, if you love your swimsuit and don’t want to replace it, you may wonder if you can get a swimsuit altered or tailored?
You can get a swimsuit professionally altered. However, this will likely cost more than buying a new swimsuit, as they are challenging to work with. For example, a swimsuit with an inner layer will require more work. However, you can alter your swimsuit at home if you have some sewing skills.
As you might have guessed, altering a swimsuit isn’t as straightforward as altering other garments. Therefore, having a swimsuit professionally altered may cost a lot of money. Fortunately, there are many DIY hacks for altering a swimsuit at home. We will discuss various options for altering a swimsuit without breaking the bank.
How To Alter A Swimsuit
Altering a swimsuit might seem like a daunting task. Therefore, you might ask a professional sewist or tailor to help you. This is an option if the swimsuit is too big or too small and you don’t have the sewing skills to fix it yourself.
However, professional sewists often charge a lot of money to work on swimsuits because they usually require many alterations. In addition, most swimsuits have an inner layer that results in even more time spent altering the swimsuit. Therefore, we recommend only having your swimsuit professionally altered if you really love that swimsuit and don’t have the skills to alter it yourself.
There are many kinds of alterations you can do to a swimsuit. Nobody is built the same way, and this becomes clearer if you need to buy a swimsuit. Some common problems with swimsuits that may require alterations are:
- The swimsuit is too big or too small.
- The straps are too long.
- The chest area is too big.
- The torso is too long.
- The style doesn’t suit you as well as you thought.
- The swimsuit is outdated.
- You are bored with the swimsuit’s design.
You can solve most of these problems if you buy a new swimsuit. However, if you’ve spent a lot of money on your swimsuit or love the color or style thereof, you might not want to part with it. In this case, you can consider altering the swimsuit to fix any issues you have with it. Here are some swimsuit alterations worth considering.
1. Use A Sewing Machine To Make It Bigger Or Smaller
Using a sewing machine is the first way you can alter your swimsuit. Making a one-piece smaller is the easiest modification on a swimsuit. However, even this takes some skill. Swimsuit material is challenging to work with because it is slippery. In addition, there aren’t big seam allowances in swimsuits, which makes altering them more challenging.
However, taking in the sides of a one-piece is the easiest way to make it smaller. You can also take the sides of men’s jammers in quite easily to make them smaller. For a bikini, you can make the bottom half smaller by taking in the sides as well.
Making a swimsuit bigger is a bit more challenging because there aren’t any seam allowances. The easiest way to make a swimsuit bigger is to add some paneling. Buy swimsuit material and add panels into specific places of the swimsuit where you need it to be bigger.
Regardless of what alterations you need to be done on your swimsuit, you must remember to use polyester thread and do a stretch stitch. This is crucial because the seams must have some stretch in them to move with the swimsuit without tearing.
If you don’t have the skills to alter a swimsuit by yourself, we recommend taking it to a tailor. The last thing you’d want to do is ruin your favorite swimsuit by trying to alter it yourself when you don’t really know what to do.
However, suppose you don’t necessarily want to sew your swimsuit to alter it. In that case, there are various other DIY hacks to change the style or design of your swimsuit that require much less skill and more creativity.
2. Add Lace Panels
Lace trimmings are a great way to change your swimsuit style without taking the entire thing apart. You can use lace in many parts of the swimsuit. For example, add lace panels to make a swimsuit bigger. Or you can add lace to transform your swimsuit from a bikini to an edgy one-piece.
When adding lace to a swimsuit, use a stretchy lace to ensure the correct measurements. Some sewing will be required to add lace to a swimsuit. But if you do it right, you can have a beautiful, unique swimsuit.
3. Turn A One-Piece Into A Bikini
If you’ve grown tired of your one-piece, you can easily turn it into a bikini. This is the perfect way to create a bikini that fits exactly how you want it to. For example, you can determine how high you want the bottoms to sit and what style of top you would like to have.
Of course, you will have to do some sewing for this technique. Use an overlock machine to ensure the swimsuit won’t fray. Also, take your time with the measurements to ensure the swimsuit fits perfectly when you are done.
4. Add Cup-Enhancers
If the chest area is too big, we recommend adding padding or cup enhancers instead of altering the swimsuit. Making the chest area smaller requires a lot of sewing, and you may ruin the form of the swimsuit if you sew incorrectly.
You can stitch or glue the cup into place, and they will take up some extra room, filling the chest area out. Many swimsuits come with padding. Therefore, adding cup enhancers won’t look odd.
5. Adjust The Straps On Your Swimsuit
Another way to make your swimsuit longer or shorter is to adjust the straps. For example, you can cut them off to make them shorter. In addition, you can add some extra material to make them longer. Similarly, you can shorten or lengthen the tie-backs of your bikini for a tighter or looser fit.
Remember to use stretch material whenever you make alterations to the swimsuit to ensure the swimsuit can still stretch once altered.
6. Add Embellishments To Your Swimsuit
If your swimsuit isn’t the wrong size and you want to alter it to change the look, you can add embellishments to the swimsuit. For example, adding material flowers or trimmings will change the entire look of your swimsuit and make it feel new again.
You aren’t required to sew for this hack and can add the embellishments using appropriate glue. However, you can also use polyester thread for a more secure finish.
7. Turn The Swimsuit Inside Out
If you’re bored of the color of your swimsuit, you can turn it inside out and use the inside for embellishments. You can also use dye to color the inside of the swimsuit or create an ombre effect. This will enable you to wear the swimsuit in multiple ways, as you can now wear the swimsuit inside out and the right way around.
Conclusion
You can have a swimsuit professionally altered. However, this may be an expensive decision. Swimsuits aren’t as easy to alter as other garments. If you have some sewing skills, you can make swimsuit alterations yourself.
In addition, you can add lace or embellishments to the swimsuit to alter its look. Altering the straps and inserting cup-enhancers can also help transform your swimsuit and fit better.
