As some of you know, I’m a school librarian in my “day job,” and of course, school has begun here in Idaho, where I reside. So I’m sorry to drop the ball like this, but I need a little time to get my ducks in a row for school. So today’s post is a re-blog of an older blog post.

It’s still relevant though, as swimsuits are a great topic for August!

Here’s how to make the bikini top for this set. And although it’s only a JPG image, not a PDF, here’s the free, printable pattern you’ll need to make the bikini. This set will fit Mattel’s Barbie, but it also fits Spin Master Liv Dolls, Queens of Africa dolls, and many other fashion dolls in this size range. (Please see credit at the bottom of this blog post.)

Today I’m showing you how to make the shorts/bikini bottoms. Of course, back in the 1950’s women’s bikini bottoms looked a lot like bootie shorts! So that’s what I’ve created here for my retro bikini set.

You can use this same pattern to make a bra and elasticized panties, and I’ve got the pattern-plus-tutorial for the panties right here. I’m sure I’ll revisit this pattern someday, to turn it into a PDF, but with school just getting underway during a worldwide pandemic (it’s 2020 y’all), I don’t have enough time to put that together today. So sorry!

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Credit:

Queens of Africa dolls are products offered by the Slice by Cake company, which holds the trademark for them (™). They were designed by Taofick Okoya. Please visit the Queens of Africa website to learn more about their company and its trademarked toys, books, and fashions.

Momoko dolls are products offered by Petworks, which holds the trademark for them (™). Please visit the Momoko Dolls website to learn more about their company and its trademarked toys.

Barbie, MTM Barbie, Skipper, Francie, Petite Barbie, Tall Barbie, DC Superhero Girls, and Vintage Barbie dolls are products offered by Mattel, which holds the registered trademark for them (™). Please visit the Mattel Toys website to learn more about their company and its trademarked toys.