Summers Coming Blog Tour with 5 out of 4 Patterns

This week 5 out of 4 Patterns is having a blog tour to kick off sewing for our summer wardrobes. I am excited to join the tour and show you what I have made! When I think of summer, I immediately think of swimming. We have a pool in our backyard that gets lots of use, and I need lots of swimsuits to keep up with how much we swim. I used two different patterns from 5 out of 4 to make my bikini, and I will be reviewing each of them. You are going to want to read all the way to the end because I will be giving away a free pattern to one lucky winner!

The Top Pattern – The X-Factor

For the top of my swimsuit, I chose the X-Factor Bikini top pattern. This pattern has lots of options! It can be made as a sports bra, swim top, nursing top, and a regular or maternity tankini. I made the nursing option included in the pattern. The nursing option has holes cut out of the front for boob access with an overlay that attaches with a snap or nursing bra clasp at the shoulder to keep those holes covered. I ruched the front piece in the middle and used removable swim cups to avoid uniboob. The pattern has instructions on how to do both.

Sizing

The size range on the X Factor goes from a full bust of 31 inches up to a 50 inch bust. I made an XS for a 33 to 34 inch full bust. My overbust is 31 and my full bust can range from 34 to 35 inches, depending on when the last time was that I fed my baby. Since my full bust can fluctuate, it is much easier to select my size by just adding 2 inches to my overbust. The XS fit just right for me, and I did not need to make any fit adjustments.

My thoughts

Everything matched really well and fit just as expected. The pattern had an excellent section on fit adjustments so that you can get the perfect fit for you. The instructions were very clear and thorough. The pattern had so many options that at times I felt like I would get lost trying to jump around to the options I wanted to make. I think it would have been easier if I would have read the entire pattern first and had a plan of attack going into it. Thankfully, the seam ripper did not have to make an appearance. Also, this top has lots and lots of binding. The hardest part for me was inserting the elastic band at the bottom. The instructions had you sew the band to the bottom of the bra with the elastic already encased in it. If I make this top again, I will put the band on first, leave a 1-inch opening at the back, and then insert my elastic with a safety pin.

The Bottoms Pattern – The Ultimate Bikini Bottoms

For my bottoms, I used the Ultimate Bikini Bottoms pattern. This pattern is a reversible bottom with 4 different rises (high, mid, low, and maternity) and 2 leg heights (high or low). I made the low rise with a high leg opening. The bottoms are fully reversible, so I have a very fun print on the inside of my suit.

Sizing

The sizing of this pattern is mainly based on your high hip measurement and the size range goes from 33 inches to 52 inches. I made the XXS. The sizing for the XXS was just right for me everywhere except I had to use a different leg opening elastic measurement. I added 3-4 inches to the suggested length of elastic so that it set comfortably on me.

My Thoughts

I love how these bottoms are constructed. Since they are reversible, you can get 2 different looks in one pair of bottoms. They came together pretty quickly and the instructions were very easy to follow. My only tip when making them is to never skip the basting stitches!

Now, I am ready to jump in the pool in my new swimsuit, and I am also ready to nurse the baby whenever she needs me to! Have you started sewing for summer? To get your summer sewing plans started, this week use code “summerscoming” in the 5 out of 4 Patterns shop to get 30% off your entire order! This code will expire at midnight on May 11th.

Here is the fun part! Let me know what your summer sewing plans are in the comments of this post. I will select one winner at random this weekend to win their choice of 1 free pattern from the 5 out of 4 Patterns store!!

Don’t miss out on the blog posts from the other bloggers on this tour. Below is the schedule.

5 out of 4 Patterns Summer’s Coming Blog Tour Schedule

May 7- The Sassy Seamripper | Just Delphine

May 8- Sewing Novice | Octaves of Color

May 9- Manning the Machine | Sweet Mama Sharon

May 10- Sew Sew Ilse | That’s Sew Lily

May 11- Wonderfully Handmade | The Sassy Seamripper

You can grab your copy of the X-Factor Bikini and Tankini pattern here, and you can get the Ultimate Bikini Bottoms here. That’s it for now, and thank you so much for reading my blog! I hope I have inspired you! You may follow me on Instagram or receive updates by liking my page on Facebook. If you want to take a look into the things that inspire me, you can follow me on Pinterest.