I want to thank 5 out of 4 (5oo4) for including me in their tester group. I always learn so much during the testing process. As always, all opinions remain my own.

The 5oo4 Resolution Bra and Tank is a great fast sew for work out gear that really works. Whether your exercise of choice is running or yoga, this tank has you covered. Included in the pattern are 2 necklines, solid or contrast body and 3 separate hems, straight, curved or banded. That doesn't even include the bra pattern! That's a lot of choices.

I have to brag a little bit here and say, that I was able to sew up a straight size small. YAY me. No full bust adjustment meant I was able to whip this up in almost no time. I'm not saying you can skip the full bust adjustment if you need it. I'm just saying that my body measurements finally shrunk enough to fit into someone's size chart. It makes me want to sew all the things by 5oo4 because I don't have to fiddle with them anymore. SO MUCH JOY!

So for those that don't know, 5oo4 drafts for a rectangle body shape. That is great news, because my body is somewhere in between an inverted triangle and rectangle. I doubt my bust will ever shrink enough to be a real rectangle, but I'm very happy to be close and fit into this chart. The chart leaves enough room for variation in body shape, so other shapes fit pretty well with minimal modifications too.

So back to the actual pattern. I sewed up the size small, regular neckline, using the contrast. Because of my "I'm not buying fabric" spending freeze, I had to scrounge through my fabric stash to find something usable. I found a simple black swim lining and this super fancy performance fabric from Joanns. It was supposed to be gymnastic leotards for my girls. Shh, don't tell. ;) I Will say I was a little disappointed with the Joann's Performance Fabric. Despite being stretchy enough, it was too soft to make a nice binding. It made for a very wobbly not smooth binding. Normally, I wouldn't have even used binding, I would have used Fold Over Elastic. I'm actually partial to the 1" plush FOE that is usually used in cloth diapers. But, by some strange twist of fate, I didn't have enough black, or teal or pink or anything! So I was forced to bind it. I actually wish I had used the teal fabric from the bra for binding. That stuff has much better recovery.

The bra was done from some left over performance fabrics from Spandex World. These are the heavier duty fabrics and provide some, but not enough support. I also lined the front with some swimsuit lining. I had hoped it would be enough to provide good support. I was wrong. I sewed up the bra exactly as is using the b cup line. I know, I know, I'm not a b-cup. But gravity was never my friend. And without a wired bra, lets just say, these girls have no "oomph" of their own. The bra is just perfect for a yoga or pilates session. Just no jumping or running. I also made one in cotton lycra. I did 2 layers of cotton lycra and it is super comfy but definitely not work out gear.

If you want a really supportive bra, be sure to check out 5oo4's blog post on performance fabrics. With some careful fabric choices, you can have a fully supportive sports bra that you made yourself, custom fit to you. I call that a win.

I am about to go off on a tangent here. If you only want to know about sewing, skip to the end. Look at my tummy. MY TUMMY. I've been working hard since last February. Eating right and exercising safely and I finally feel ok showing my tummy. After having 3 beautiful kids, I had a diastasis of over 6 fingers. I looked 6 months pregnant all the time. Even 2 years after my youngest was born. It was depressing. If this sounds like you or you don't know what diastasis is, you can check out fit2be.us for more information. I managed to get this beautiful tummy with ZERO crunches (crunches are bad for people with diastasis) and the help of fit2be. I don't get anything for referring you to fit2be. But if you feel like you've lost hope, I encourage you to try just one more thing.

I have to admit, taking these photos was REALLY fun. I normally work out in whatever clothes I find. Giant t-shirt, that's fine. Sweatpants about 3 sizes too big, no big deal. I mostly do yoga/pilates and some weight lifting at home. So my clothes don't matter, per se, but it was actually really fun to have some stylish clothes to work out in. Who knew stylish and exercise could work so well together? Grab your copy before January 27 (EST) to get it at the sale price of $7.95. And now that I can look at my body objectively (photos don't lie, at least not much), I know, that swimsuit season is coming and I'll be ready. Hopefully 5oo4 will have something equally awesome to help show this off!