sewing for the “girls”: bathing suits

if there’s one thing more stressful for a big-boobed girl than buying bras, it’s got to be buying a bathing suit.

cups that don’t fit, tops that show 7” of old lady cleavage, elastic “shelf” bras that are a joke. find a top that actually fits and the bottom is 5 sizes to big. summertime can quickly turn into a nightmare of epic proportions—leading us to throw up our hands in frustration and don a pair of shorts and a tank top instead of a swimsuit.

first of all: you can buy swimsuits that fit. there are stores online that cater to swimsuits for large busts.

big girls bras offers cup-sized swimwear up to a K cup. i have bought from them in the past, but it’s not cheap. if you splurge on a top go for a patterned top. then you can buy a coordinating bottom from a cheaper store to cut the cost.

but i’m not looking to spend $60 or more for a bathing suit every year. i’m not a professional swimmer—these suits are for trips to the beach and pool with my kids this summer. so i want them to fit and cover and be comfortable. which is why i was really excited to find these:

these bathing suit tops are fully lined. they have cups and UNDERWIRES, and they are not too low cut. but the very VERY best part?

that’s right—they were $16 a piece from walmart of all places! BUT—as you can see from the tag, i bought a 1x—which is not my normal size. (and i bought the blue plaid in a 2x for even more breathing room)

i’m going to have to paraphrase stacy and clinton from what not to wear here—buy and dress your BIGGEST part, and then tailor the rest to fit. this even holds true with swimwear.

i am fitting the cup size—and that’s it. the rest of it we can work with.

when i turn the suit inside out, you can see they’re decently made, but not overly complicated.

foamy-type cups, underwires, lining, serged side seams.

DON’T BE AFRAID—you can do this. we’re talking a couple of seams and you’ll have a supportive, comfortable suit for cheap.

all i did was take in as much as i could on each side seam, and a couple more inches on the back seam.

use a stretch stitch—this is a bathing suit, after all. ;)

it doesn’t have to be exact—the suit will stretch. in all i took about 5” off of the 2x. it’s not super tight in the body area, which makes me more comfortable.

i paired these suits with bottoms i got from land’s end on clearance for $3.97 at the end of last season. (walmart also carries bottoms that coordinate with these tops)

and for $20 each i have two bathing suits to take me through the summer! seriously—$20 for a decent swimsuit??!?!?! that’s a win in my book.

so how about you? where do you shop for swimsuits for bigger gals?