Hot Fun & Headaches: My Unfiltered McCalls 8502 Bikini Review

McCalls 8502 bikini review: It’s the hottest point of the summer, and that means it’s prime time for some selfish sewing! For weeks, I’ve been on the hunt for the perfect, chic bikini pattern to be the star of my “Next Chapter” summer wardrobe. I wanted something stylish, a little bit glam, and perfect for lounging by the pool. When I saw the McCalls M8502, a gorgeous design by Brandi Joan, I knew I had found the one. Swimwear is my jam.

The pattern is stunning, the sarong is a genius addition, and I had the perfect fabric ready to go. Best of all, it looked like a “cut today, sew in a few hours” type of project—perfect for getting a new suit ready for the weekend. I was ready for some hot fun in the summertime! But like any good summer adventure, this sewing journey came with a few unexpected twists and one major mistake in the pattern instructions that you need to know about before you start.

So grab a cool drink, friends. Let’s get into my unfiltered McCalls 8502 bikini review.

The Fabric & The Prep Work for McCalls 8502

A chic pattern deserves a beautiful fabric. For this project, I used a gorgeous blue-green knit that I found on my trip to Gail K Fabrics in Atlanta. It has the perfect weight and that crucial 4-way stretch that is non-negotiable for swimwear. Finding the perfect swimwear fabric is paramount.

Before we dive into the review, let’s cover the basics. My top two sanity-saving reminders for sewing with knits like McCalls 8502 are:

Use a Stretch Needle: It will glide between the knit fibers instead of piercing them, preventing skipped stitches.
Use a Stretch Stitch: Your machine’s zigzag stitch is perfect for this, allowing the seams to stretch with the fabric.
Use Swimwear Elastic: Using other types of elastic will degrade under the chlorinated water and excessive stretching.

I have a whole in-depth guide on my best tips for sewing with knits, which you can read here:” “How to sew with knits”

My Unfiltered Review: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

Overall, I adore the finished look of this bikini. But, oh boy, did we have to navigate some choppy waters to get here.

The Good: The final silhouette is fantastic. The twist-front top is stylish, and the sarong elevates the whole thing into a true resort-wear look. It’s a design that makes you feel confident and put-together. Plus, this was a very quick sewing project. Minus the elastic woes, the actual construction came together in just a few hours.

The Bad: The Mystery of Pattern Piece #11 Okay, let’s talk about the big mistake I found in McCalls 8502. Pattern piece #11 is listed as the “elastic guide for waistband” for View B, the bikini bottoms. The problem? There are absolutely no instructions anywhere in the pattern that tell you how, when, or where to use it. It’s a ghost piece! For a beginner, this could be incredibly confusing.

The Ugly: Those Ruching Instructions. Now for my biggest frustration. I hated the ruching instructions for the waistband. The pattern has you create a waistband and a waistband lining. The vertical elastic is attached to the lining, and then the instructions have you complete the waistband and stitch on top of the elastic—messy! In my experience, this method is fiddly and did not achieve the clean ruching shown on the pattern envelope.

My Sanity-Saving Hack: Next time, I will just place the vertical elastic on both the main waistband piece and the lining piece before sewing them together. This gathers each piece beautifully and evenly and saves you a huge headache.

The Final Verdict

So, is the McCalls M8502 bikini worth the hype?

My answer is: Yes, but only if you know what you’re getting into and also if you are not a D cup. This is a tiny bikini top without any cut inserts of FBA. It’s a stunning design that results in a high-end looking bikini set. However, due to the pattern mistake and the fussy ruching instructions, I would recommend this for an intermediate sewist, or a confident beginner who is ready to follow my hacks instead of the pattern booklet.

If you’re willing to go off-piste a little, you will be rewarded with a swimsuit that is absolutely perfect for some hot fun in the summertime.

Helpful Links & Resources

Find the pattern at Simplicity.
Check out the designer, Brandi Joan, on Instagram.
Get my favorite stretch needles from Wawak.
Top Five Sewing Patterns

What do you think? Have you made this pattern and encountered the same issues? Let me know in the comments!