I am kicking off a new series on my Youtube channel today. My goal for 2021 is to upcycle more and to use more scraps! This month I am refashioning a pair of Lola Bottoms from 5 out of 4. While these pants were exactly as expected, turns out that they really just weren’t my style. I tripped over the wide legs because I am not cool enough to walk in them! So time to drag them out of the closet and give them a make over!
The Original Pant – Lola
I am slimming these pants wayyyy down and making them into Candy pants! I have made several pair of the 5oo4 Candy Pants at this point. They are really comfy and I want them in all the prints! As an added bonus I can walk in them!
These pant patterns are both included in the 30% off sale at 5oo4. This sale is RARE so take advantage!!! Afflinks below
Hi Friends! I recently did a super exciting hack over at Love Notions on how to turn the Summer Basics Tank/Dress into a fall favorite! I loved the OG and the new version! If you want to check my blog post, it is here.
I love this outfit so much. My fabrics are from Stitchin’ Pretties. Their buy 2 yards, get a bonus coordinating fabric sale continues!
Since I was feeling really extra, I also made a video. I will teach you how to change the skirt from a normal skirt to a lapped tulip hem, add picot to give it a pretty finish, and sew the entire dress. This was really fun! Here is the video link.
While there, please show me some love by liking and subscribing to my channel!
Did you know that one of 5 out of 4’s most popular patterns is the Agility Tank? Did you know the Agility tank just expanded its size range? Yep, now it comes in sizes up to 5x which matches the size range of newer 5 out of 4 designs.
For testing, I made my first ever sports bra. I have only purchased one sports bra in my entire adult life and that was because I needed a racer back to wear with a shirt on my blog. I hated it BTW. I don’t like sports bras for general everyday wear because I require a lot of support in the bust area. I ordered some mesh to sew into my bra, but as it turns out all mesh is not created equal. The mesh I received was more of a mesh overlay compared to a supportive mesh even though it was labeled power mesh. If you order mesh for sports bra use, please make sure it is the sturdy stuff.
So let’s talk about my tank dress with built in bra. I used a heavier cotton lycra for the bra portion and added the clear elastic through the straps and neckband as the pattern recommended. This did help somewhat with support, but again a strong power mesh would have helped more. I also did a little height adjusting. I removed 1 inch from the back racer before attaching the back T to the back bra strap. I also removed 1 inch from the front straps to help hold things up and in. My overlay dress fabric it a rayon spandex, I believe. I picked this up on a garage sale table at my quilt guild meeting last month, but I know it is from Joann’s because I have used it before! I loved it then and now. It is super soft, like the softest fabric ever and the colors are so vibrant! Loving that my cone flowers and phlox are blooming!
I made the 4x graded to a 5x as usual with 5 out of 4 patterns. I chose to make the Racer T back style but you could make the strappy option if you prefer. I also choose to make a dress, but you could do just a bra option or a top length. I removed 2 inches from the skirt to adjust for my height. It is still a little longer than the designer intended as it should hit mid knee. I just did a regular hem, but you could choose bands or drawstrings. So many options. I always say that is why I love 5 out of 4.
So here are all the options…
THE WOMEN’S AGILITY TANK INCLUDES:
T-back sports bra
Strappy back sports bra
T-back or strappy back overlay tank with a drawstring or banded hem
T-back or strappy back tankini overlay (lower cut sides, so skin shows beneath bra)
T-back or strappy back overlay dress
Every option can be made with nursing access!
Maternity pattern pieces
While putting together this tank, I made a video for my readers. This time I am showing you how to use the Stitch in the Ditch foot to neatly hide top stitching lines. Since I am doing this on a sports bra, there isn’t a lot of room to do top stitching so I decided I wanted to hide my stitches. I used a straight stitch slightly lengthen to do this. Here is the embedded clip.
SequoiaLynn Sews 