Marin swim trunks: which fabrics? And where to find them?

Waiting for the sun? Let’s help him come by preparing next summer!

The pleasure of sewing swim trunks rises from visualizing summer holidays.

I want to clarify before starting this article that this is no advertisement. I wrote this post to save you from spending hours searching the internet for the fabric you’ve been dreaming of.

Actually, if you know addresses I haven’t mentioned, please write down a comment at the end of this post so that everyone knows ;-).

Not every online store have launched their summer collection, I’ll probably complement this post when needed.

1. The main fabric

It’s usually called «swim short fabric». In online store, you’ll find it in the «swim short fabric» or «microfiber fabric» category.
It should be inextensible woven fabric. It’s thin, sturdy, fast drying. It’s chlorine, salt and sun resistant!
It’s made of 100% polyester, 100% polyamide, or a mix of both. Its weight is usually between 100 and 150 gsm (2.95-4.42 oz/yd²).
Be careful: lycra can’t be used instead of these fabrics, it would’nt look the same at all.

I’ve sewn these models with fabrics coming from Mercerine. You can find them here : Tissus maillots de bain Mercerine. I sewed two swim shorts during Easter holidays last year, therefore the fabrics may not be available any more.

Mamzelle Fourmi also supplies nice patterns. She should add new ones within a while. You can discover them here: Tissus maillots de bain Mamzelle Fourmi.

You can also look at Butinette who supplies swim short fabrics.

Les tissus du chien vert also has nice patterns.

Self Tissus has solid color but there aren’t many of them.

2. Lining

We usually use a mesh lining. Made with 100% polyester or 100% polyamide, it’s perfect to line swim trunks since it’s water, chlorine and salt resistant and it dries very fast. Moreover, water can flow through it.
Note : a swim trunk lining shouldn’t be replaced with a standard swimwear lining fabric (named “mousse Claudia” in French).

On Mamzelle Fourmi’s website, you’ll find such lining fabrics searching for “doublure résille“: they are exactly the ones needed to line swim trunks. What’s cool is that Sandra also supplies nice printed microfiber fabrics, so you can make a single order therefore saving on shipping costs.

You can also find some at Tissus Actifs:

…and at Motif Personnel :

I hope this post will help you have a better idea on the fabrics used to sew “Marin”.

Remember, the patterns are available in the shop:

Have a nice day! I’ll be back very soon to present Bohème… I’m eager!

See you soon

Viviane