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My family is a swimming family. We swim year round in pools and swim in the summer wherever we can. I’ve recently started sewing my own one piece bathing suits and bikinis, so I decided that it was time to create a free swim cap pattern for my readers!
Sewing your own swim cap is actually pretty easy and quick, much more so than sewing a bathing suit. If you are just beginning to sew bathing suit fabric, this is a great way to practice. And if you are a veteran at doing it, you NEED a swim cap to match your swimsuits!
Just to make it easier, I’ve created a free swim cap pattern with four sizes, for both kids and adults, so you can make them for everyone in your family!
Let’s get started!
Practice sewing bathing suit fabric
If you’ve never sewn bathing suit fabric, I HIGHLY recommend you first read this post with 10 useful tips and tricks to sew this fabric perfectly.
When you feel confident with this type of fabric, start getting your materials together!
Materials:
- small amount of bathing suit fabric. 2-way or 4-way stretch are both fine. See this post for more information about this fabric and where to buy it.
- Âľ” (2 cm) wide elastic* (enough to go around the head)
- polyester thread
- 90/14 stretch needle*
- ballpoint pins*
- overlock machine / serger (optional, but very helpful!)
The free swim cap pattern is available to all Cucicucicoo newsletter subscribers. Sign up here for the newsletter (which arrives once every two weeks) to receive all the best sewing and creative tutorials, as well as access to the exclusive members-only area with dozens of of FREE sewing patterns, craft templates and other creative downloads, including the swim cap pattern!
GET THE FREE PATTERN!
Sign up for the Cucicucicoo Newsletter. You’ll receive an email with a link to click to confirm your subscription. After you click it, you will receive another email with the link and password to the private area with the free downloads.
If you’re already subscribed, click on this link and insert the password. You can find the password in your Newsletter welcome e-mail or at the bottom of any Cucicucicoo Newsletter. If you still cannot find the password, send an e-mail to lisa@cucicucicoo.com from the e-mail address you used to subscribe. Write “Password” in the subject box, and I will send it as soon as I can.
(If you are an Italian-speaker, sign up here for the Italian newsletter.)
Prepare the free swim cap pattern:
Print out the two pages of the pattern (read here if you need help with printing PDF sewing patterns). If you want to save ink, you can print out just the Child or just the Adult sizes by hiding the sizes you don’t need.
Swim caps are often one size fits all or, at most, kid and adult size. My free swim cap pattern has a regular child size and a regular adult size. If the person to wear the swim cap has a somewhat larger than usual head or a lot of hair, you might want to use the appropriate wide size.
Cut one center piece and two side pieces out along the fold, paying attention to the direction of greatest elasticity in the fabric as shown on the pattern pieces. Make sure you cut around the notches on the pattern.
Sew the swim cap:
NOTE: The seam allowance for this projects is ÂĽ” (6 mm).
1. Match up the wide notches on the center strip and one side piece and pin, right sides facing.
2. Pin together the triangular notches on the two pieces, and then pin between the notches. The center strip will bunch up. That’s fine.
3. Sew along the curved edge. If you have an overlock machine, use it. If not, use a stretch stitch, triple straight stitch or zig zag stitch. (If you need help with choosing stitches to use, read this post on how to sew bathing suit fabric.)
4. Repeat steps #1-3 with the other long edge of the center piece and the other side piece.
Add the elastic:
5. Cut a length of elastic that fits snugly, but not uncomfortably so, around the wearer’s head. If in doubt, lay the wim cap flat, lay the elastic along the unsewn edge (shown above on left), and cut the elastic twice that length.
6. Overlap the elastic ends by 5/8″ (1.5 cm), making sure that it isn’t twisted, and sew the ends together. Then mark both the elastic and the swim cap edge into fourths with pins (shown above on right).
Note: Steps #6-10 are pretty much the same thing as I showed in my no-twist elastic waistband tutorial. If you need more help doing this, I suggest you check out that tutorial.
7. Match up the pins marking the fourths on the elastic and the wrong side of the swim cap, keeping the overlapped part of the elastic in the center back, and pin together (A).
8. Sew fabric and elastic together with a wide zig zag stitch or with the overlocker with the knife disengaged (B).
9. Fold the fabric edge over, covering up the elastic, and pin in place (C).
10. Sew around the edge with thread that matches the swim cap fabric with a zig zag stitch so that the fabric/elastic edge is flattened down securedly (D). I suggest using the free arm for this step.
Here you can see the stitching from step #10 better, and how it catches the edge of the fabric so that it lays flat.
Flip the swim cap right side out, and you’re done!
Make a bunch more!
This is such a quick project that you can now make a swim cap for every member of your family! Kids love being able to choose their own fabrics!
And if you’ve sewn your own bathing suits, you can sew matching swim caps!
This is my new home-sewn bathing suit and matching swim cap that I will be using this year when my swim course starts up again next week. I’ve already tried them out and they are really comfortable and I got a lot of compliments on my matching swim gear!
As you can see in the picture above, these swim caps have enough stretch to accommodate long hair pulled up into a bun. However, if you have very long hair, I highly suggest you sew the wide size.
Now all that’s left for you to do is to find a place to swim and jump right in! Splash!!
This free swim cap pattern and tutorial is part of the syllabus of Cucicucicoo’s Learn to Machine Sew beginner’s sewing course! Don’t forget to share pictures of your work on Facebook or other social media with the hashtags #cucicucicoopatterns and #cucicucicoo!
Click here to save this tutorial on Pinterest!
*All starred links are affiliate links which help fund this blog. All opinions are my own. Please read my affiliate link disclosure for more information.
I have read thru the tutorial twice and cannot find the link for the swim cap pattern, what am I missing??
Hi Sue, the pattern is free to all newsletter subscribers. You can sign up right here if you are interested: https://madmimi.com/signups/132893/join
Let me know if you have any questions! 🙂
This is great! I’m pinning it for later because I haven’t quite worked my way up to that type of fabric yet.
Great, Reece! Don’t be scared of this fabric. It’s only slightly more tricky than regular knit fabric and this is a great project to practice on because there aren’t lots of layers with thick bulky seams, so it’s actually pretty easy! 🙂
Hi Lisa.
Am I missing something. I have subscribed but cannot find the swim cap pattern. What am I doing wrong.
Nikki
Hi Nikki, check your email! I checked and you’ve signed up correctly and the welcome email with the download links has been sent to you! If you don’t see it or you have any problems, please write to me privately (lisa @ cucicucicoo.com). Thanks!
this site is impossible to navigate. I have been trying in vain to get a free pattern. It’s very easy to get a pattern that you have to pay for, though.
I think the ‘free patterns’ are a scam
Rivka, if you look further down here in the comments, you’ll see that I’ve already responded to you on May 23rd and, if you look in your email, you’ll see that I also responded to you privately via email on that same date to explain how to get the free patterns. There is absolutely no scam and I would appreciate your reading my responses before you accuse me of scamming anyone!
I take that back. Not a scam. I’m sorry I said that. But the swim cap pattern is not showing on the free patterns page.
Thank you. That was kind of you to say that. I just responded to your private email with the file. As always, let me know if you have any questions!
Hi Lisa, I have subscribed for the newsletter but cannot find the frree pattern too. Everey link I tried links to this page where I can sign on.
Where exactly can I find the pattern itself?
Thank you!!
Agnes
Hi Agnes! I just sent you a private email, so please check your inbox! 🙂 Lisa
Hi, I too have signed up and activated my subscription but can’t find any links/email for pattern download, please help, thanks.
Hi Yeelin, you should have received a welcome email with all the links. I’ve sent you a private email to explain better! 🙂
Hello, i have signed up and cannot find link to swimming cap either
Hello, i cannot find any links to download swimming cap, Barb
Hi Barbara, thanks for signing up! You have received a welcome email with a link to the private page and the password to insert in order to access it. In that page there are all the links for downloading whatever patterns you’d like to use. Please send me an email (lisa @ cucicucicoo.com) and we’ll figure out the problem! 🙂
I am with all the people that never got the link sent to my email. I have filled it out twice.
Hi, Judi, I just sent you a private email with information. Please let me know if you’ve received it and if you need any further help! 🙂
Hi I just signed up can you send the swim cap pattern?
Abilene, I just sent you an email 🙂
Hi, I mailed you two days ago I click and signup for the other site too twice but still didnt get the links. And I cant email you I dont know why can you send me this pattern?
Hi Seyma, sorry, I am just seeing this now. I did respond to your original e-mail and just emailed you again. If you don’t see them, please check your spam! 🙂
Hello. Signed up. Got the instructions. Unable to PRINT the swim cap pattern. I did email you,but have not had a response as of yet. Checked my inbox and spam. Your assistance would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you.
Sorry for not having responded sooner, Peri, but I was without internet access for quite a few days. I have just sent you a private email. Please let me know how it goes! 🙂
I HAVE JUST RECEIVED DE LINK BUT I CAN’T ACCESS THE CAP PATTERN
Hi, Maria, I just sent you a private email 🙂
Hi I just signed up can you send the swim cap pattern?
Hi, Huyen! I just sent you a private e-mail. 🙂
I have just signed up and can’t download or see a link for the swim cap
Andrea, I just sent you a private email with the link!
Hello I cant get the file to download either!
Hi Salma, I don’t think that you’re signed up for the newsletter. My free patterns are available only to subscribers. I’ve just sent you a private email to explain how to do that. If you have any questions, just respond to that email!
Hey,
I was hoping you can help me 🙂
When I use my overlocker and put the cap on my little one the seam pulls and you can see the thread. Is that normal or am I doing something wrong with my machine?
Hi Karin, I’m pretty sure that’s normal and I don’t know if there’s any way to fix it. I would suggest setting your machine to a shorter stitch length, which will make the stitches stronger and help them hold together.
I too have signed up but am unable to find a link for the swimcap pattern.
Have you checked your email for the welcome email? It has the link and password to use. I’ve sent you a private email to explain.