If you are looking for more than your average support in your swimsuit the sports bra is a great choice. The sports bra is finished on it’s own and can be secured to the swim top or left as a separate.
There is some enclosed magic going on to help give balanced support. I find it very comfortable to wear jogging! These extra steps are optional, of course, so you may opt to not use them.
When making a sports bra for exercise you don’t need swim approved fabrics. However, I recommend at least one layer is a more stable athletic/yoga pant type knit. Full disclosure the sports bra with support options makes an ugly flat lay–the magic happens when you are wearing it.
Transfer any adjustments from the swim top to the sports bra. If you will be wearing the sports bra on it’s own you may prefer to grade in slightly to make it more form fitting-see page 7 for the simple adjustment. For the sample I graded the sports bra for a snug fit.
Time to sew! First, line up the narrow elastic to the support strap and mark the length with a pin. At this point I recommend holding the elastic length up to your body–just in front of your arm on the bust line is great. The elastic should be able to comfortably stretch from the bust line to where your shoulder seam would be. Take into account that it will not stretch quite as much when you sew it to the support strap piece once the stitching is added. If it is too tight or only just right add additional length. Cut two of the desired length.
Pin the elastic to the fabric strap, equally dividing the elastic if needed. In this one instance it’s fine if the elastic is longer than the fabric. Use an elongated zig zag stitch to attach it to the edge of your support straps, centering the presser foot on the elastic. Only stretch if needed to flatten the elastic and fabric while you sew.
If you would like to use foam cups now is the best time to sew them in. As this is a lined piece you do have the option to cut a small slit on the lining when finished to be able to slip a foam cup inside without having to sew it in (I prefer this actually). I do not love the rigid foam bra cup options that you typically see at a fabric store. I recommend foam cups you might find in a sports bra. If you don’t have extra lying around they are available to purchase online–search “bra cup inserts” for many options.
The pattern includes a bust point as a starting reference, but it is always great to hold the piece up to yourself and make needed adjustments. There are some great videos demonstrating different tips on how to sew on the cups – the swimmer queen Katie Makes A Dress has a really helpful video on sewing swim cups to your lining.
Next we will add a little shaping. I find it’s more comfortable to have a little separation when wearing a tight fitting sports garment, but you may omit this step if you wish. On the wrong side of the front lining mark a line down the center front. Mark 3″ from the neckline and 1″ from the bottom.
Take a length of narrow elastic – 6″ or longer and place at the top mark. Using a standard zig zag stitch make two stitches and backstitch. Stop with your needle down. Hold/pull behind the fabric and pull the elastic as tight as you can while you stitch. Stop at the bottom mark and backstitch again. Trim elastic.
Pin the support straps to the wrong side of the lining front 1″ away from the edge. Baste the straps to the lining front sewing near the edge with an elongated zig zag stitch.
Pull the support strap up to the lining shoulder, centering the elastic in the strap. Baste in place near the edge. From here on out things will look squashy and odd. When worn things will stretch and do their thing.
Pin the sports bra front and back piece, right sides together, at the side seams. Sew at 1/2″ with a standard zig zag stitch. Do not attach the shoulder seams yet.
Repeat with the sports bra lining front and back pieces.
Shelf bra band – first consult the elastic length recommendation for the 1.5″ under bust elastic on page 5. Pin this length around your under bust area and decide if you need to make any adjustments. You will overlap the elastic by 1/2″, so keep that in mind. Once you have a snug but comfortable length go ahead and cut the elastic.
Now you can either use the raw band or cover it. I prefer to cover it because it looks extra, and it’s a fun place for a pop of color. If you wish to cover the under bust band you will need a strip of the main swim fabric that is 2x as wide as your elastic (3″ if using 1.5″ elastic) and as long as the under bust elastic.
Overlap the elastic by 1/2″ and stitch in place (any stitch your heart desires) to form your loop. For the band match right sides together and sew with a straight stitch a 1″ seam allowance.
Wrap the band around the elastic loop with right sides facing out. Pin like crazy keeping the band as even around the top of the elastic. I know you want to ignore this advice, but the mass of pins will save you some grief.
Using an elongated zig zag stitch, stitch around the very edge of the band to secure layers together. Double check that you caught the fabric on both sides – quickly zig zag any offending areas that escaped the first pass around.
Take the sports bra lining hemline and mark the 1/2, 1/4, and 1/8th points with pins. Do the same for the under bust band.
If you are unsure how to do this I have a Midline Swimsuit Instagram highlight reel that includes a classy l video demonstration on dividing an area to evenly space elastic and fabric.
Match up the pins in both pieces and pin in place. I prefer to add additional pins in between to make it easier to sew. Use an elongated zig zag stitch at 1/4″ seam allowance. It helps to hold the fabric behind the machine while you pull from the front, stretching the elastic to be flat with the sports bra fabric as you sew.
Flip the piece inside out and attach the sports bra main fabric to the under bust band in the same fashion as above. Try as best you can to stay on the same seam you sewed while attaching the lining.
Now we are going to attach the 1″ strap elastic that will cross cross in back to balance support. See the elastic length on page 5 and cut the length in half to make two straps (for instance if the chart says 28″, cut in half to make two 14″ pieces). In my sample you will see stitching on my elastic – I cut a wide piece of elastic I had on hand. I am always a fan of using what you have.
Pin in place on the narrow seam allowance and sew in place securely. Keep your stitches to the seam allowance only. I prefer to go back and forth a few times to make sure.
To enclose the seams we will now layer the fabric and pin the shoulders. The order is very important!
- Sports Bra back (right side up)
- Sports Bra front (wrong side up)
- Sports Bra lining front (right side up)
- Sports Bra lining back (wrong side up) –due to necessity this piece will be wrapped around the under bust band to complete the stack
Here is another closeup of the order. To double check you should have main right sides together and lining right sides together in the stack.
Use a straight stitch at 1/2″ seam allowance to secure the shoulder seams.
While the raw shoulder seams are still exposed pin the strap elastic top the seam allowance as shown, taking care not to twist the elastic. In the instruction booklet on page 16 the straps are greatly exaggerated to better show this step.
Double check that the elastic is not twisted and will lie flat. Stitch the strap elastic securely on the seam allowance only.
Flip the sports bra right side out. Your supportive pieces and seams should all be enclosed, how satisfying!
The bust shaping elastic is only secured on the lining side currently. It is optional, but I like to have the top layer secured as well. Smooth out and pin the layers above and below the elastic. There will be excess main fabric.
You will now need to do a little sewing by feel. I know–it’s weird. Arrange the piece on your machine and do a standard zig zag stitch or two before backstitching and stop with the needle down. Grab the fabric behind the presser foot and stretch the fabric in front until the top layer and lining layer are flat. You will need to keep pulling from both ends while you sew. I like to extend a finger over the elastic line so I can continue to feel where the elastic line is between layers. Stitch until you feel the elastic has come to and end and backstitch.
Trim 3/8″ off the seam allowance for the armscyes and neckline to help reduce bulk of the elastic when worn with your swim top.
Pin and baste both layers of fabric on the neckline and armscye with an elongated zig zag or a serger. Try your best to not catch the internal support pieces, it may be helpful to pin it away from where you are sewing. It is ok if you do find you’ve sewn into it towards the shoulder seam, there’s only so much room of play on the straps.
Time to pull out the narrow elastic to finish the sports bra, elastic chart is on page 5. As always, I recommend pinning the length needed and trying it on the area to be sure it’s not too tight. Once you like the length go ahead and cut to length. Overlap each elastic piece 1/2″ and stitch to create three loops. Mark the 1/2, 1/4 and 1/8 points around each loop and on the corresponding areas on the sports bra. Match the pins to the sports bra to evenly distribute the elastic to the fabric.
Important! Red alert! The elastic should never be longer than the fabric for this step. If you needed to increase the elastic needed it can be the same size or smaller than the fabric it is being matched with. If you finish with too long elastic your edges will be wavy and look ill fitting. I have done this when I was rushing and rationalized that it would even out when I finished the edge (it didn’t). It is very annoying to unpick once finished.
If you have never sewn swimwear I find it helpful to watch a few YouTube videos to visualize how to stretch while you sew. This video is a few years old, but a helpful overview of how to equally divide elastic and fabric, as well as how to stretch the elastic while you sew.
Sew the elastic to the sports bra with an elongated zig zag stitch, pulling from behind and in front while you sew to keep the elastic even with the fabric. The elastic should be stretched just far enough to smooth the fabric.
I highly recommend pausing and trying on the garment with at least one armscye basted. Keep in mind the elastic will be folded over during the final step. How does it feel? It’s much easier to unpick here if adjustments need to be made.
For the final finishing I prefer to use a wider twin needle (mine is just under 1/4″ wide) with a slightly elongated straight stitch. The zig zag stitch will also work great. Roll the elastic over (you may pin if desired, I like to guide it by hand) and sew the top stitching with a 1/4″ seam allowance. Pull the fabric as needed to lay flat while you sew.
Your sports bra is done! Snoopy dance! This was the hardest part. If you are making a swim top set this aside until called for in the instructions. The swim top will be available in part 3 (coming soon).
If you would like to share your progress or final make on Instagram: #midlineswimsuit #ginghamhivepatterns @ginghamhive
Midline Sewalong:
- Intro + Swim Top Support – Shelf Bra
- Swim Top Support – Sports Bra (you are here!)
- Swim Top
- Swim Bottoms
