How to Make a DIY Swimsuit From Leggings - Super-Easy Tutorial

Tools and materials:

• Leggings
• Scissors
• Measuring tape
• Pins
• Sewing machine

These are the leggings I'll be using to create my DIY swimsuit.

1. Measure and cut the leggings

To begin, I folded my leggings in half and made sure they were lying flat, with no bumps or wrinkles in the fabric. Then, I measured about 3 inches from the crotch and cut at a slight angle.

This created the bottom half of my swimsuit, which I cut in a boyshorts style. If you want bikini bottoms, I recommend starting the cut about 1 inch down from the crotch and cutting at a slightly sharper angle. And if you want regular shorts, you can simply cut them straight across.

2. Tuck and sew the pant legs

Next, I took the two pant legs and laid them end to end, with the bottom edges facing each other, and the side seams lined up. I tucked about 1 inch of the bottom edge of one leg into the opening of the second leg.

Once I was satisfied with the positioning, I pinned and sewed them together with a straight stitch. 

3. Cut the edges straight

After sewing the pant legs together, I neatened up the wider ends by cutting off the angled edges, leaving me with straight edges. 

4. Measure and sew the center seam

Next, I folded my leggings in half, then measured and sewed down 6 inches along one side of the fabric, starting at the wide end. This will be the center seam of the top half of the swimsuit. 

5. Attach the bottom and top of the DIY swimsuit

To connect the top and bottom halves of the swimsuit, I turned the bottoms inside out and laid them with the front facing up.

Then, I turned the top half so the wrong side was facing up, lined up the center seam on the top with the center seam on the bottoms, pinned the bottom edge of the top about 1 inch in from the top of the waistband, and sewed them together.

Depending on the size and cut of your leggings, you might want to try on the top and bottom together, and mark where to connect them before pinning and sewing.

6. Cut the tie straps

From the excess fabric, I cut two long strips, each about 18 inches in length. These will be straps that tie in the back of the swimsuit.

7. Mark where the straps will go

Next, I tried on the swimsuit. I marked the places on the sides of the top that were a bit loose and flappy, where I wanted to connect the straps. 

8. Fold and sew the strips

Then I folded the strips in half lengthwise and sewed them down along the open edges. 

Once the straps were ready, I sewed them to the points on the sides of the top that I had marked previously. 

DIY swimsuit from leggings tutorial

And that’s it! I am so happy with how this turned out, and I absolutely love the pattern and colors.

I hope you enjoyed my tutorial on sewing a swimsuit made from leggings. I’d love to hear what you think of this idea.