Sew, Mama, Sew's Make It, Wear It! Challenge couldn't have come at a better time. I'd just gotten brave enough to make my first article of clothing in May so I was on a roll by the time June came around. As much as I like having the chance of winning a prize, what I've enjoyed most has been seeing other people's submissions. One that caught my eye was Corvus Tristis' Simplicity 4076 tank top. I've been looking for a simple tank pattern with a little flair and even better that this one could be sewn in just one morning. I'd actually passed this pattern in the book a month ago and wrote it off as looking too '90s but she makes it look fresh and modern. Glad she opened my eyes to the possibilities.
Jo-Ann's Simplicity pattern sale happened to coincide with a 50% off clearance fabric sale so I nabbed both the pattern and the fabric for less than $5. Imagine how pleased I was when I got the pattern open to discover that I only needed to cut these three pieces for view F:
Of course I neglected to notice that the amount of fabric listed on the back of the pattern was for 60" fabric and what I'd bought was closer to 45". Oops. As a result I barely had enough and had to strategically position the pattern pieces to make it work. I'd planned to make it a few inches longer than the pattern called for since it seems short from the envelope drawings and my torso is a little longer than average, but because of my mistake I wasn't able to do that this time around. A pity because I think mine could use the extra length.
Sewing it up was pretty simple and straightforward. The twist effect is a neat little design achieved by threading one side's strap and upper bodice piece through an opening in the other side.
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Hard to describe; easy to do.
My only complaints (aside from the length, which is more of a personal preference) are that my bra likes to play peekaboo over the top when the tank slips around just right and that I couldn't get the back neckline to lie flat. This could be due to my inexperience with sewing knits and it's not bad enough to put me off of wearing the shirt, but it's something I'm hoping to correct the next time around.
Despite how simple this pattern is I'm not sure it'll become my go-to tank top. Something about the high neckline in the back and the short length makes me feel like it's something an older, more conservative person who isn't up on current fashion would wear (Hi, Mama!). Once I have a little more experience sewing clothes I'm hoping I can adjust this and the other Simplicity top pattern I've tried so the back's a little lower. I don't do all that work with the free weights for nothing, after all!
3 comments:
Great review and great job on this top! Thanks for sharing. Happy Sewing! :o)
Thanks! It was a fun one to do.
Your top looks nice - I like the color and it looks comfy, too. I have also had that problem with the back neckline in Simplicity patterns - it's just too big and stands out from the body in an unnatural direction. I don't think it's your experience. I made a pretty cute dress with a Simp. pattern a couple years ago, and unfortunately just ended up throwing it away because it had a zipper in the center back seam, and as my back curved in toward my neck and head (and I don't have a hunched back), the dress went straight up toward the sky. Since it had the zipper and facing, it was pretty much impossible to fix.
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