The Sew and Tell Project

Hey guys!

It’s my turn on the Poolside Blog Tour today! Thank you Deb from Sprouting Jube Jube and Ula from lulu & celeste for letting me participate in an amazing tour. Did you visit my sewing bestie, Alisha, yet?

For my post I decided to feature the 5 out of 4 Patterns Journey Tank and 5 out of 4 Riptide Reversible Shorties. If you are wondering if you’ve seen me in this suit before, you definitely have! I tested the Journey a couple of months ago and shared it here!

For my new suit, I am featuring beautiful swim fabric and power mesh from the Fabric Fairy!  For my main fabric, I used a blue and white negative stripe swim knit from the shop. It appears to be out of stock right now, but you can shop all the in stock striped swim here. I took advantage of the Fairy Care services for color matching, and received this solid navy swim as my coordinate. It is nice and thick with both a matte side and a shiny side. The shiny side is not overly shiny or slippery which made it very nice to sew with.

As I mentioned before I tested the Journey Tank and Dress by 5 out of 4 through the muslin and final phase. I tested the size small with the AB sewing cup lines. With this pattern, it is imperative you select your size following the 5 out of 4 tutorial. There were a couple of construction changes in the tutorial after I finished my test so it was nice to revisit the tutorial and do a few things differently now that I have more experience sewing suits and had time to gather higher-quality materials for this project.

The first thing I did differently was use a high-quality power mesh also courtesy of the Fabric Fairy.  I cut three layers of power mesh to use for the bra front and back because I wanted to see how much support it could give me since 5 out of 4 has some amazing activewear patterns. Some find power mesh scratchy, but I did not find that to be the case with the power mesh I used. I wanted to put the power mesh to the test so I tried on my suit before adding my bra cups. The power mesh from Fabric Fairy is very supportive for my 34DD bustline (bra cup size is different than sewing cup size). The Journey made with powermesh and ruching alone provided as much support as my better sports bras. I ultimately decided to add the same molded cups I used in my last suit to have better shaping built in, but I plan to use the power mesh again to make some active wear tops for working out.

I followed the 5 out of 4 recommendations and also used power mesh in the straps as well as clear elastic. I don’t need to worry about these straps stretching out on me after many days at the pool. My favorite is the cross-back, but you can do straight straps or twist straps or even a halter to customize your look. The Journey Tank and Dress includes nursing and maternity options as well! It truly is a pattern loaded with options for women in every phase of their lives.

This may have been my second time making Riptides Reversible Shorties but it was my first time actually making them reversible. I omitted the drawstrings on this pair. I love the clean finish with no exposed seams (just make sure to have your washaway wonder tape handy for the waistband!).  Even though I have a serger and a coverstitch, I assembled this pair entirely on my home sewing machine.

My Riptides reverse to the stripes to change up looks. I plan to make a solid navy top to wear them, or maybe a fun printed coordinating top. One of my favorite things about the Riptides is they have a crotch gusset so I find the fit both flattering and comfy. The Riptides come with high rise (pictured), low rise, and maternity options. I love that maternity and nursing options are a standard feature in 5 out of 4 patterns!

I honestly feel fantastic in this suit. I love that it provides coverage, support, and most of all a flattering shape for my figure. I can’t wait to debut it at the beach and local pool this summer. If you are afraid of giving swimsuit sewing a go, I really encourage you to give it a try. There are great materials and tutorials available for home sewists ranging from beginners to advanced. You may find  yourself creating your own favorite suit, too!

*Special thanks to the Fabric Fairy for sponsoring my swimsuit post and providing the swim fabric and power mesh.

**I received the Journey Tank and Dress from 5 out of 4 in exchange for testing and the Riptides pattern for the purpose of this blog tour. All opinions are my own.

Thanks for joining me at the Poolside Blog Tour! Here’s all the info on the other bloggers, discounts, and giveaways!

The prize for the day is an awesome $20 gift card to Phat Quarters! Make sure you enter the Rafflecopter below by visiting Phat Quarters and commenting on today’s blog posts!

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