Back in December last year, I made my parents and in-laws cute grandparent shirts for Christmas gifts. This consisted mostly of cutting heat transfer vinyl with my Cricut and ironing it to pre-purchased t-shirts from Michaels. Easy peasy!
I realized though that my mom is really more of a tank top person, so I impulsively decided to sew one up instead of buying a blank. This led me to hours of deep diving the internet for the perfect pattern.
My search ultimately led me to the Free Spirit Tank by Patterns for Pirates. I loved how many style options there were and the cut of the pattern looked very flattering on all figures.
I cut the tank pieces out of the t-shirt I’d already purchased (though I did run back to the store to exchange for a 3XL), since I loved the colour and quality of the material. The width of the t shirt was still not quite wide enough to accommodate the pattern (I cut a 1X) so the side seams were graded down slightly.
I did have to unpick the hem to cut the arm and neckbands though; this was a tedious task!
This tank is a very quick sew, and I was honestly so impressed with the cut around the arm scythe in particular. I love that you can’t see your bra poking out the underarm or over the shoulder. I vowed to use this pattern again to sew up some pieces for my own wardrobe!
Fast forward to June, where I got a steal-of-a-deal on t-shirt fabric from my local Fabricland. I bought nine different colours, determined to make as many tanks as I could for summer!
I serged all seams and bands together and used a triple stretch stitch and ball point needle for hems and top stitching around the arm and neck bands.
Here are some of my favourite creations:
I have plans to make at least one more fall themed tank, so stay tuned!
