Can I sew on designs on swimwear?

Question

I have a pair of white board shorts and a tankini that are pretty bare and plain. I was wondering if I could sew on a design or a patch of a band or something.

I really want to put a picture (transferred onto a patch or cloth) on my board shorts and sew in their name around the waist of the tankini and I was just wondering if I needed to use special needles or thread or what not.

Before you ask why I don't just buy my own, it's because the band doesn't sell swimwear and I just thought it would be cute.

I really hope I'm making sense...

Answer 1

i dont think so as of the meteral used

Answer 2

The fabric of your swimwear is probably a very stretchy lycra blend (probably nylon and lycra, maybe poly and lycra).  So if you're relying on any of the stretch of the fabric for fit (and you most likely are), you're going to need to use a fabric of equal stretch for your applique (your picture).  

The problem is, there's really only a couple of ways to make a recognizeable picture on fabric at home -- one is embroidery (which will not allow the sort of stretch you're going to need) and the other is to make a heat transfer, which will destroy the lycra as the ink is transferred, leaving you with a baggy swimming suit.

The only other method I can think of that might work would be to use a stretchable fabric paint like the Jones Tones stretchable fabric paint... you'll need to be a good artist, though.

If you're going to be sewing with swim knits, you'll need polyester or nylon thread, a stretch stitch, and a ballpoint (stretch or jersey) needle.