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Sew a Tie-Dye Watermelon Swim Cover!

Today’s contributor is Crystal from Stitched By Crystal. All posts written by Crystal for Make It and Love It can be found HERE.

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Hi there! It’s Crystal here, from Stitched by Crystal, with a fun summer project to share!  I love watermelon in the summertime and we have been eating a lot of it this summer!  So when I decided to make my daughter a swim cover to wear over her swim suit for the pool and beach, I gathered some inspiration from our favorite summer snack.  This tie dye watermelon swim cover was a really easy and cheap project and I love the end result!

How to sew a Tie-Dye Watermelon Swim Cover! | via makeit-loveit.com
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I used some inexpensive cotton fabric, fabric dye, and fabric paint to create the watermelon look.  And my daughter got to get in on the fun and help dye the fabric!

How to sew a Tie-Dye Watermelon Swim Cover! | via makeit-loveit.com
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In my tutorial for this tie dye watermelon swim cover, I show you how to take some measurements and whip one up, so you can make them in any size…even make one for yourself!

How to sew a Tie-Dye Watermelon Swim Cover! | via makeit-loveit.com
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The sewing is to make this swim cover really simple, it’s really just one big piece of fabric with a neck hole. I love how the curved hemline makes it look like a giant slice of watermelon!

How to sew a Tie-Dye Watermelon Swim Cover! | via makeit-loveit.com
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Want to make a tie dye watermelon swim cover for your kid? Or for you? Great!

Let me show you how!

 

You will need…

  • Plain white cotton fabric, the amount depends on the size you make, I used about 1 ¼ yard for my daughter’s (she is almost 5), you may need about 2 yards for an adult size.
  • White double fold bias tape (I recommend making your own from the same fabric as your cover so it takes the dye the same.  You can find a tutorial to make it HERE)
  • Fabric dye in red and green
  • Cardstock
  • Black fabric paint.
  • Sewing machine and basic sewing supplies (here’s a list of common sewing supplies, in case you need a few ideas) ***As always, if you need a bit of help with the basic sewing skills used in this tutorial, don’t hesitate to check out the Sewing 101 post for more help.

Start by getting your measurements.  Measure your kid across the back from wrist to wrist for your width measurement then determine how long you want the cover and measure from the back of their neck to the length you want for your length measurement.  (by the way….I used the same tie dye technique I show you beloew to make her cute watermelon tank, too!)

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With a fold at the top of your fabric (which will be the top of your cover) use your width and length measurements to cut your fabric, you will need a 1” hem allowance so add 2” to your width measurement (for the right and left sides) and 1” to your length measurements.

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Fold your fabric to line up all the corners and cut the corners on a curve.

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Cut and finish the neck hole using this poncho tutorial.

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Hem the bottom of the cover by folding the raw edge up ½” to wrong side and then another ½” and sewing along folded edge.

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Now we are ready for dye! Fold your cover aligning the corners again.  Gather the bottom of the cover up around the curve, keeping the hemline even.  

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Place a rubberband around your gathered cover about 2.5” from the bottom, this will be your green watermelon rind.

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Place another rubber band about 1.5” from the first, the area between the bands will be left white.

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Add a few more rubberbands to keep everything in place while you dye and to give it a fun tie dye look.

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Mix up your fabric dye according to the instructions on your dye.  And dye the top of your cover red and the bottom green.  Let your cover dry.

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Cut a seed shape in a small piece of cardstock to make a stencil.

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Place your seed stencil on your dry cover up and using a sponge brush dab black paint on the stencil to make the seeds.  You want to dab the paint, not brush it so it doesn’t get under the stencil.  Also make sure you put some extra cardstock behind the fabric to catch any paint that goes through.

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After trying the cover on, my daughter said the neck was too big, so I added a little elastic loop and button closure to the top.

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Allow the seeds to dry and your tie dye watermelon swim cover is ready to hit the pool!

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Thanks for reading and happy sewing!

-Crystal

blog-contributor
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For even more DIY swim attire ideas, check these fun tutorials out:

Women’s Beach Cover Up Tutorial 

Women’s Beach Cover Up Tutorial (PDF pattern pieces included, S-XL)
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DIY Pom-Pom Swim Cover-Up

DIY Pom-Pom Swim Cover-Up
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DIY Swimming Towel Poncho

DIY Swimming Towel Poncho
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Hi, I'm Ashley

Hi, I’m Ashley—the DIY-enthusiast behind this crazy blog!

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