New Arrival: Sundown and Moondance Tanks!

We just got back from a family camping trip, and although I’m a bit late to the party, I’m excited to share a set of tanks I’ve been testing for Striped Swallow Designs for the past couple weeks! The Sundown and Moondance Tanks are part of the “Crossing Paths Collection”, come in both women’s and girl’s sizes (you know I’m a sucker for a good mommy and me set!), and check all the usual Striped Swallow boxes:

  • easy to wear
  • unique design
  • on trend
  • quick to sew

They’re also perfect for the summer to fall transition with leggings or jeans, if you’re starting to look ahead to the next season in your sewing (I know I’m sure looking forward to some cooler weather!).

The Women’s and Girl’s Moondance was the first set I tested, and features a modest scoop neck, a high low split hem, and low scooped arms with a side panel sewn in.

I used a brushed poly from a Pretty Posh Prints scrap pack and their bamboo spandex for the side accent (although it would look beautiful in lace too!).

I did have to be careful what bra I was wearing with this tank, as my more substantial nursing bras tended to show at the sides, but most testers with “regular” bras didn’t have that issue. I love the muted colors in these tanks, and the fact that they go on very easily over a baby’s head!

The only issue I had was the neck binding- mine ended up too loose, but this was most likely the result of my less-than-stellar-but-still-very-appreciated loaner sewing machine, rather than the pattern (do you feel a #failfriday coming on here?). Thank goodness she’s so adorable I just don’t care!

The Sundown tank is the second pattern in this mini-collection, and I jumped at the chance to test it because it looked exactly like my favorite workout tank from Lululemon!

On a mission to replace all my workout gear with handmade, I dove into my fabric stash and came up with a thin, drapey athletic knit from FabricMart Fabrics, ordered ages ago.

There are three “views”- a full back, a low twisted back and a high twisted back. For the test, I made view “B”, the low back twisted version. Again, I had a bit of trouble with the neckline, due to my fabric’s extreme stretch and the borrowed machine I was working on. I also found view B to be a bit too loose/low at the arms for my taste- but a quick knot at the side solved the issue, and added a cute element (if I do say so myself- sometimes I’m the only one who notices what  I’m wearing, so I’ve got to do my own complimenting!). I can easily nurse out the sides of this view with it unknotted- so that’s a bonus!

The binding method on this tank was new for me- and a bit counterintuitive since I’m used to traditional single and double fold binding methods. However, it works really well on thinner knits (for thicker knits I would stick with a single fold method) and is a great trick to have up my sleeve the next time I need to do a binding on a knit that tends to curl.

Princess was supposed to have a matching Sundown tank in poly/rayon/spandex French Terry- but it wouldn’t go over her head (note: her head measures about the 25% for her age)- and believe me I tried! For being such a sport as I tried to pry it over her cute little noggin, I dove into one of my favorite custom sets from Stardust and Moonbeam Textiles, and whipped up another version (these sew up very quickly, thank goodness!).

The french terry version is now adorning her stuffed piggy, she has a top that “sparkles”, and everyone is happy! Her pants are a pair of Bonny Leggings from Made for Mermaids (a free pattern!) that I sewed for her birthday outfit- I’m so glad they still fit so she has some matching bottoms!

You may also notice the much more visible location of my watermark on the photos of the Sundown tanks- this is part of my continued efforts to prevent further photo theft from my blog. If you missed my post talking about the theft and how you can avoid and respond to such a violation, you can check it out HERE. We are making steady progress getting these photos removed, but it’s a bit like playing whack-a-mole- new ones keep popping up as soon as the old are removed. While it’s absolutely worth the effort, prevention is much more efficient!

Girl’s Crossing Path’s Collection HERE

The women’s collection is HERE

Moondance Bundle (women’s and girls) HERE

Sundown Bundle (womens and girls) HERE

Don’t forget to check back soon for my weekly #tiptuesday and #failfriday posts, as well as more adventures in pattern/fabric testing! You can also “Like” my page on Facebook or follow me on Instagram for more sneak peeks!

Please note that this post contains affiliate links. If you choose to purchase a pattern/fabric using these links, your contribution helps go toward more sewing and blogging! thank you!

 

 

 

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