I tested this pattern a while back, and really had fun with it.

A cute top, tee, tank or dress with a party in the back. The ITY print I used wanted a narrow ruffled hem.

Jessie is a great basic.  I added a shelf bra, which makes it a grab and go option, which fits my life.  After testing Virginia, Stella, and a few other favorites, it was super easy to add.  It is genius with the low back! I learned by happy accident that a shelf bra in a 4 way stretch that wicks is a beautiful thing.  Add powernet or tech sheen if you want more support/coverage!

Check out the tester photos and see how creative some folks got with theirs.

I love the scoop back, in its simplicity,  and I also love the fancy straps.  What is a sewist to do?  Both?  Yes please!

I made the loops like we did with the Key West.  About 9 inches of the 1.5 inch strip was serged lengthwise and cut into 2 inch strips.  I love a solid binding on a print garment.  It punctuates the edges and this Nylon Spandex Tricot from my stash was the perfect color.

After sewing shoulder and side seams in both dress and bra, per pattern instructions, I basted the edges together with a short zig zag stitch.  Then I carefully measured so that my loops were symmetrical, and basted them to the inside of the back before binding the edge. Raw edges of the loops aligned with the raw edges of the fabric.

Then, I attached the right side of the binding cut at the pattern chart length and stitched together to form a loop, to wrong side of the dress with a 2 wide and 2 long zig zag on the edge.  Checked for fit and puckers, then serged around that seam.  When I did this, I noticed that the armscye wanted to be a little narrower, so I basted those openings  about 1/2 inch from the edge, and trimmed them before binding.

The serged edge lends nice stability.  I wrapped the binding around it, tucked in the raw edge of the binding, and top stitched.  The beauty of sewing the binding to the back and wrapping it around is that both sides are finished and the top stitching happens from the side that will be seen when wearing.

I like to use a thread that matches my fabric.

 

The loops stay tucked out of sight when not used, and can be pulled out and  laced up when that look is desired.

I used the 1.5 inch strip leftover from binding to make the lace.  Perhaps the next version will get three loops on either side?

Love a dress with options and pockets!

Now to make some Ninjas from that Nylon Spandex Tricot!

This post contains affiliate links, which cost you nothing to use and incent me to share more of my sewing secrets. I may receive a small commission from the designers from your usage of the link.

Happy sewing!  Joan

On our last little jaunt out of town, we were headed west in the car, and I looked over at my husband, who was driving.  My heart was happy, cause he was wearing a shirt I made for him.  I have more than one serger, but had been practicing my fine finishing of woven seams, with flat felled and french seams.

Folkwear’s Egyptian Shirt had been a challenge, but it has pockets and a cool reverse facing around the neckline.   I even used a fancy seam on those cuffs.  Those cuffs.  I looked over at his hand on the wheel and those cuffs, and I couldn’t reconcile them.  They were not what I remembered.  I followed the line of his arm up the sleeve, as we sped down the highway, and noticed the armscye seam.  There was something odd about it.

I realized he had it on inside out.  It was hard to keep quiet, but as we were on the interstate, I worked hard not to say anything to him.  After all, I had also worked really hard to make neat finished seams inside and out, and there really was little difference.

Same thing happened on the Breeze shirt just the other day.  Another reverse facing, another shirt put on inside out.

I had some interesting fabric purchased from JoAnn’s some time ago.  I wish I had purchased more, but…  It is a deep brown on one side and a light brown on the other.  I love reversible things, and decided to make him a truly reversible shirt.

Luckily, I had this pattern printed, and, the 52 week sewing challenge for week 34 was to make something with a bias bound edge or FOE.  Well FOE would work for this, but I had fabric, with two sides, and a rotary cutter, mat and ruler, so not bias, but bound for sure!

I like this pattern, cause the front and back are the same, just a swoop from the back neckline to cut the front makes cutting faster.  Also the little bit of grading I made for his particular curves are easy if there is only one pattern piece.

Just like my mother told me to do so many decades ago, I offset the front/back by about 3/8 inch, and sewed with a 1/4 to 3/8 inch seam. These measurements work for a pattern with a 1/2 inch seam allowance.  This fabric sewed beautifully across the horizontal grain, but I had to change my needle to get a vertical seam to sew without skipping stitches.

Then I opened up the seam.  Note to self to cut more neatly next time.Wrapped the longer seam around the shorter seam, and top stitched that.  My #20 foot really comes in handy.  I moved the needle on my Bernina 1630 to the left (but not all the way) to make the second seam. And stitched.  If this was a woven, I might have pressed that larger seam in half so that the sewing would go easier, but this mystery poly blend was not going anywhere near my iron.

I stitched the shoulder and both side seams like this.

Then I sewed the short seams in my bands. Took care to keep my neck and arm bands separate. Marked center points, and serged those bands on.  In keeping with the reversible theme, I even made a band for the hem.

Once the bands were serged on, I wrapped the bands around to the other side, tucked in that raw edge, and with my favorite #20 foot, and the needle in the almost far left position top stitched with a wobble stitch.  Wobble stitch is a Sandra Betzina term that looks like a straight stitch, but is a narrow zig zag.  At .5 wide and 2 long, it stretches nicely.  Best here, to top stitch the contrast band on top, so you can see where you are sewing and make sure that bobbin thread is a good match!

It did not take long, and all the seams were done!  Now he can wear this any which way he wants, except maybe backwards!

This post may contain affiliate links that cost you nothing, and give me a little incentive to keep writing.  Affiliate link usage is greatly appreciated.  Happy Sewing!  Joan

I grew up with a swimming pool in the back yard.

My parents signed the offer on the house at the check out counter at Safeway while we were buying candles to put on the cake for my 8th birthday.  Funny how these details stay with you.

In the mid 60’s, we were clothing frugal compared to today’s standards.  My mother made a two piece for my 9th birthday from a woven red, white and blue large floral.  She lined it with the same fabric.  It really became interesting when it got wet. Over time, our outgrown swimwear made its way to a box under the bathroom sink, so that when guests came over without suits, there might be something for them to wear.

My siblings swam competitive swimming.  One year, the team suit was a wide blue and white stripe, an inch or more wide.  The white section was not as sun proof as the blue, and my younger sister had a striped suit on, even when she took her suit off.

I am blessed to be raised by parents who sent me several different places to take sewing lessons.  One teacher asked me what I wanted to make, and I said “suits”.  She showed me men’s suiting fabrics, neither of us really knew what the other was talking about but we figured it out, and I am grateful and still use techniques I learned decades ago.

By the time I was in high school, I designed and stitched my own bikinis from triangles of scraps of my mother’s projects, and bias tape.  Ties everywhere.  I was on a synchronized swim team called the Cygnets, and our coach asked me to sew the suits for our little group of teens and pre-teens to wear to the Junior Olympics in San Antonio Texas.  They were made from an orange double knit swim fabric, and had a band of sequins.  At sixteen, I had more swimwear than any of my friends, most all of it me-made, and worn  daily in the summer.

I have lovely memories of so much time in the water, and one of my jobs was to clean the pool on Saturdays.  There is more here, but I will save it for another time.

So, when Jessica, from 5 out of 4 patterns put out a call for pattern testers for a new swim top, called Escapade, it spoke to me.

I jumped all over that test.  The design is super simple, and very clever.  It lifts and flatters my three score bust like nothing else.  I have made it many times.  After testing, I opted to try my hand at making it reversible.

1.  *In order to use this method, you will want to cut the bra one inch longer than your normally would cut it.

2.  As a bra to wear underneath a tee shirt, I opted to skip the ties, and ruche the center with elastic.  After the top center seam is sewn with elastic and under stitched,  I stitched elastic from one center front (bottom) to the top center, then back again to the bottom of the other side.  I left the first and last inch of this not stretched, but stretched the elastic while sewing in between these spots.

I remember the first time directly sewing elastic to a garment.  My mother was on the phone in the kitchen watching me try and try again on the kitchen table.  It takes practice.  She asked me to wait till she was done with her phone call then patiently showed me how to hold both ends, and sew carefully.

3.  Next, I stitched the side seams and pressed them open.  With the right sides of the front and back facing each other, I serged around the top of the bra, from the top of one breast to the other.  Since I under stitched the front center seam, I was careful to wrap those seams to make crisp corners when I turned it right side out.

4.  I pressed that seam outwards, and decided which side would get the pop of color and folded back 5/8 inch of this edge (top of one breast, around the back to the top of the other), pinned, and stitched it down to make a casing.  Since that edge was finished, it turned out pretty on both sides. ** Note going forward I would leave  the back un sewn about 4 inches from either side of center.  This would make it easier to slip in those straps.

5.  After that, I made the drawstring per pattern instructions.

6.  Now to finish the bottom of the bra.  If I had cut it one inch longer, then  it would be super easy to serge the ring of elastic around the bottom, flip it back twice and top stitch like I did on the agility here.

*However, I felt that there would not be enough room to turn this twice, I added a separate 3 inch strip (waistband like casing) for my under bust  elastic.

 

It was simple enough to figure how much I wanted to go around my under bust, serge a single layer to the same color side, right sides together, and wrap that around my elastic tuck it under and top stitch it to the other side.  Best to use bobbin thread to match the fabric underneath, to stitch on the contrasting side, so you can see where to sew!

 

Next, I threaded my tie/strap through the casing, and adjusted where I wanted the straps to hit on the back.  I like them closer to the center than to the sides, so I can wear them with racer back tops and tanks like the Taylor.  I suggest pinning them with a pair of safety pins, makes it less painful to take off.

To make the strap attachment look nice from either side, I sewed them with the raw edge toward the top of the casing across the area where I had stitched down that casing.  Afterwards I clipped close to that seam, brought the strap up and top stitched the top of  the bra edge.   ** going forward, I could slip the straps into the spot left open and top stitch across the seam I had made in step 4.  Still experimenting.

The house I grew up in sold to a young family 20 some years ago.  They filled in the pool, and daily swimming is no longer part of my life, but we do go on vacation a few times a year, and I relish early morning swims, when the water is like glass, and no one else is around.  Making a ton of swim wear to wear a few times a year, does not make sense, so when I read about Phee’s Nylon Spandex Tricot being useful for swimwear, It got my wheels turning.

This is my new favorite.  It is a dream to work with and a dream to wear.  It wicks, and is comfortable to wear in our super hot summers.  My plan is to make several bra/swim tops, and swim shorts/bottoms that could be worn as either depending on what is needed.  We go to the beach and sit by the pool on vacations, and swim fabric gets really swampy.  I am hopeful that this will be more comfortable sitting by the pool.  My 61 year old self  will feel 16 again with a whole capsule wardrobe of garments that can be worn year round, and to swim in!  Planning some tidal waves to wear as swim bottoms/slip shorts in this fabric.

Those who want more support or coverage may want to add a layer of power net or tech sheen.

The Escapade makes a great summer dress!  I love the swing of the skirt of the Taylor, not to mention the pockets, and mashed that skirt to the Escapade here.

 

I am happy for the colors and comfort of the wicking fabric in patterns that are comfortable, fun and practical.  I made a dress from regular tricot and lined the bust with circular knit from Phee.  I added a few inches to the center front and back of the skirt and pleated the front and back.   It is the most comfortable night gown I own.

Below are the Tidal Waves and  my first reversible Escapade made from swimwear scraps a few summers back. 

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Oh so many years ago, my preschool daughter would not wear a turtle neck at all.  I get it, they are not my favorite either.  It was the early 90’s,  all I could find retail with long sleeves was a turtleneck, I took matters in my own hands.

I bought those turtle necks and cut the neck band down to one inch.  Then stretched while sewing a tight zig zag over the edge.  They ended up with a nice ruffle on the neckband, which we affectionately called “rufflenecks”.  She loved them, I was happy she was warm.  Now, she prefers to go sleeveless, but she has her own daughter and is old enough to figure her sleeve issues on her own. I love sewing for my grand baby!

In a recent pattern test, I made a couple muslins from some rib knit fabric scraps.  Soft, stretchy, and perfect for getting over a baby noggin.  Mid sew, I was taken back further in my memory to the 70’s and a cropped tank that was my favorite.  It had a ruffled hem, and I was the boss of everything when I wore it, or at least I thought.

I sewed the seams and bands with this stitch.  Visit my post Adding bands to tiny armcyes for tips on that part.

The rib I had was kind of thin, so I opted to serge the edge, and then turn it and hem with a shell stitch on my Bernina.

1 I chose this stitch with the widest width, and shortened the stitch.

2.  I tightened the tension to a 9 out of 10, and

3 rolled the fabric twice and hemmed.  It is easy to roll over a serged edge.

If this stitch looks familiar,  it is the mirror image of the blind stitch that I used in this post.

The pattern I used for this little yellow confection is a the Sara tank from 5 out of 4 patterns, this post contains affiliate links,  they cost you nothing to use, and encourage me to write more posts like this.  I hope you find this useful.

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Happy Sewing!  Joan

As part of this summer’s quest for a swim top/bra I agreed to test the re-release of the Agility  by 5 out of 4. I am pleased they are including more sizes in their pattern options.

This is advertised as a tank and dress, and it makes a great racer back bra too.  Loving the Taylor dress that calls for a racer back bra for those of us who prefer to keep our straps under wraps.  There is a strapped version and a T-back version.  I made the strapped version.

I had a small piece of this mystery knit that worked nicely with some  Nylon Spandex I bought to make swim tops to serve double duty as a comfortable bra.  Wicking fabric is really lovely to wear when the mercury rises.

To make this reversible was a super simple process.  I added 1/2 inch to the bottom of front and back pieces. Then layered the pieces in this order to sew the side seams:

• print back right side up
• print front right side down
• solid front right side up
• solid back right side down. 

This was a great way to enclose those side seams, but created a little extra bulk when stitching the elastic in a later step.  Next time, I will sew them separately then press open before stay stitching the edges.

Zig zag basting on the edge  makes for a great stay stitching that stretches, and saves time ripping later.  The open toed embroidery foot, or #20 on a Bernina works wonders here.  I zigged and zagged my way all around the edges.

 

I sewed my straps to one side of the top, then wrapped them around like this. Tip – attach the same fabric on the first sew, so that when you wrap around, you can see where the binding needs to be sewn on the contrast side.  If your bobbin threads are a little wonky, be sure they match the other side.  I left the back of the binding un stitched from side seam to side seam, so I could attach the straps later.

I pinned my straps in place – safety pins are best here, as getting this off is an interesting challenge with straight pins.  Once I had the fit just right, I stitched the straps down like this.

Then I clipped off the ends close to stitching, folded them down and wrapped the binding where it needed to go to match the rest of the bands, and top stitched.  Brought the straps back up and stitched across the upper edge of the binding from side seam to side seam just across the back.  

 

Otherwise, I followed Jessica’s excellent tutorial, then when it came time to flip the elastic to the back side and top stitch, I added a twist.

I serged the ring of elastic to the raw edge of the pink side.  Instead of flipping this to the wrong side and top stitching like this,

I turned it the other direction, then again to look like this, and top stitched.  This is best for lighter weight fabrics, as there is an extra 1/2 inch double folded at the upper edge of the elastic.  Working on another way to encase the elastic at the bottom edge with less bulk.  more on that in another post!

 

As long as your strap top stitching passes muster, this could be worn either way!

The blue print is likely to show through when it gets wet, so that will be my swim side.  I might line the next one with power mesh or techsheen.

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Happy Sewing!  Joan