Wet Suit Bag Tutorial for Summer Fun Week

Hi, it’s Amy here today from During Quiet Time. If you swim a lot at the beach, pool, or gym, you have to deal with traveling home with a sopping wet bathing suit. I am sharing a tutorial today to make a Wet Suit Bag. The bag is fully lined with waterproof vinyl so it keeps the rest of the items in your larger pool bag dry.

Wet Suit Bag

To begin, choose one fabric for the bag exterior and one for the lining. Choose a large scrap for the bathing suit applique. It is important to take the time to prewash these fabrics before starting so that your ThermOWeb product work properly.

Cut 2 pieces each from the exterior and interior fabrics 11 1/2″ x 14 1/2″. Cut two pieces of Iron-On Vinyl to the same dimensions. Fuse a piece of HeatnBond Lite to the wrong side of your large scrap and cut out your bathing suit applique. The pattern can be downloaded here. You will need one zipper that is at least 10″ long, coordinating thread, and a Teflon foot only if you decide to make the exterior of the bag waterproof too.

To apply the vinyl, peel off the backing and place the sticky side of the vinyl on the right side of the prewashed bag interior fabric. Use the paper backing to protect your iron from becoming a sticky mess, adjust your heat setting to wool, and eliminate the steam. Then run your iron over the paper for about 8 seconds. Do this till the vinyl is fused, then run the iron over the wrong side of the fabric for another 4 seconds.

Properly applied vinyl should have no wrinkles or bubbles. It seems a little intimidating but it is really effortless. Just be sure to make sure your iron doesn’t make direct contact with the vinyl. Always use the paper backing.

Swim Applique

Next, fuse the applique to the center front of the bag and using your free motion quilting foot, edge stitch. If you so choose, you could apply the vinyl to the bag exterior pieces now too. If you do this, make sure you use a Teflon foot for the rest of the project.

Now it is time to assemble the bag. Place one exterior piece right side up on the work surface, next place the zipper, right side down. If your zipper is shorter than 11 1/2″ you will need to add to the length with zipper tabs as I did here. Then place a bag interior piece right side down on top. Pin along the upper edge making sure the pin holes remain in the 1/4″ seam allowance. Stitch a 1/4″ seam.

Fold the bag interior piece to the back and press along the zipper edge and topstitch.Now place the remaining piece of lining right side up, followed by the zipper right side up and the last piece of exterior fabric right side down. Pin across the top. Stitch with a 1/4″ seam. Fold back the lining piece and top stitch.

With right sides together, sew along the exterior edges of the bag. Make sure your zipper is partially open for this step! Normally, we leave an opening for turning in the lining but today we will leave the opening in the exterior piece at the bottom. This way, the waterproof interior remains tight.

Turn the bag through the opening. Now it is time to hand-stitch the opening in the bag exterior with your neatest stitches.

Toss your wet bathing suit into the bag after changing to bring it home. When you hang the bathing suit to dry, simply turn the bag inside out and let the vinyl dry off and you are all set for next time.