Tiny Pocket Tank
Yes! I did it! I made a tank! And then I made another one! And then another one.
Specifically, the Tiny Pocket Tank by Grainline Studio. (This pattern has been discontinued by Grainline.) The pattern is great—very clear instructions and helpful illustrations for visual learners like me. I was not confused at any point in the process, which is more than I can say for other clothing patterns I've attempted. If you're looking for a beginner clothing project, I don't think you can go wrong with this one.I ended up making a total of three tanks. Here's how it went down.
Tank #1: I'm not showing you this one because I hate the fabric. LOL. It turned out okay, except that the pocket looked really sloppy, and I think I screwed up the neckline somehow because it seemed too low-cut and it was gappy below the arms. Not exactly the look I was going for.
Tank #2: I made this one in a purty red voile from Heather Bailey's Momentum Voile collection. I totally love this fabric and therefore had high hopes here for something I could actually wear. Thinking about the too-large neckline/bust on the Tank #1, I made this one a size smaller, and I shortened the straps. I guess that was an over-correction, because Tank #2 turned out a little too small, especially in the bust. But there was good news too: I experimented with a different way of making the pocket, and this pocket turned out much better than the previous one. (I cut out two pocket pieces, sewed them right sides together, turned it, and then sewed it onto the tank. It looked much cleaner and neater.)
Tank #3: For this one, I debated about whether to make it the same (smaller) size as Tank #2, just without the shortened straps, or to go back up a size, to the original size of Tank #1. In the end I decided to go back to the original size, and I'm glad I did, because this time the neckline and bust seemed to fit better! Weird—maybe I cut on the wrong line when I cut out the first one? This one is still a little gappy under the arms, as you can see, but not nearly as bad as Tank #1. At any rate, I'm so happy I finally got one to fit right, and I think it looks amazing in voile. A tad light for the coming Wisconsin winter, but whatever, it's layerable. LOL.
(By the way, how cool is it that I can use my phone as a remote control for my Canon DSLR? Yes, there's an app for that, and it's so much better than the timer—I can see the DSLR's viewfinder on my phone, for one thing. So if you're wondering why I'm holding my phone in this picture, and probably will be in every future clothing picture on this blog, that's why.)
Overall, I think I'm actually enjoying making clothes! I know I'm enjoying buying fabric for clothes, at the very least. 😂 I might come back to the Tiny Pocket Tank at some point in order to really perfect it. But for now I think I can put a check next to that pattern on the Sew-Off list.
Next pattern on the list for the Sew-Off? The Get Up and Go skirt pattern from Whipstitch! Deborah of Whipstitch is introducing a new "Learn As You Sew" line of patterns, and this is the first pattern in that line. (You can read more about it here.) Since "learning as I sew" is exactly what I'm trying to do here, that makes it the perfect project to tackle next! I've got a whole stack of fabric I can't wait to try it out on.