Saturday 3 August 2013

Breezy Tank Top From Scratch (How I did it)

Hello friends! Happy mid-summer!

I've been sitting on these photos for a while, and I finally got the chance to stick them all in a blog post. I recently got back from a 2.5 week bike/concert tour, and was pretty slammed with rehearsals the few weeks leading up to that. But I did manage to make a shirt! I will be posting the photo first, and then describing it in the caption below.

This is a photo of the finished product! It doesn't fit absolutely perfectly, but since I now have a pattern, I can change it around so the next one I make will be perfect.

I have a pack of pattern paper I found in my mom's basement. If you don't have some, use tissue paper or butcher paper or any sort of large sheet of paper-like stuff. I made this pattern by tracing a couple of tops, and eyeballing it. I have read some great "make your own pattern" blogs, and the key to a good pattern is copying a really great top you already own. I don't own any tops that were the right shape that I was going for, so I had to improvise a bit.

Here are both the back and front pieces. I decided to use up some cotton that doesn't stretch, so I made the top extra breezy and decided to add a little "keyhole" opening at the top of the back (top left corner!)

I pinned both the front and the back to the fold, and cut them out!

Since my fabric is very sheer, I cut out a lining of the same pieces from white broadcloth.

With right sides together, I sewed both side seams and but NOT shoulders.

I then nestled the lining into the outside, right sides together.

I then sewed along the arm holes, and the front and back necklines, being careful around the "keyhole" back. I trimmed the extra fabric from those curvy lines, and then folded the whole thing the right way around, using my scissors to help pop the corners out.

I saved the shoulders for last. I folded under a bit of the raw edge of the front shoulder, and then stuck the back shoulder into it.

And then I sewed it all up. 

This is the hem. It was most annoying, but I got through it and it's done. I hemmed the white lining as well.

Here it is! I didn't take a picture, but I added a button and a loop at the top of the keyhole back to keep it on!

Nice!

1 comment:

  1. Thanks for inspiring me to make my own for an event on Wednesday! :)

    ReplyDelete