I’ve made a few shirts with sleeves, and the one I actually wear may someday make it into a future post. However, the type of top I’ve been most successful with is the tank top. I’ve made 5 so far, using three different patterns. It’s given me the opportunity to work with fabrics I hadn’t tried before, like double gauze and rayon.

I wanted to round up the tops I’ve made so far so I’ll have them all in one place. Also, for people like me who like to see photos of what others have done with patterns and what they look like on actual human beings – hopefully this will help.

The patterns I used were: Lotta Jansdotter’s Kiomi top from Everyday Style, and Rae’s Ruby and Gemma tops.

My Kiomi top is the first tank I made. I used cream Cotton + Steel double gauze with a very understated print and homemade shot cotton bias tape, which will come as no surprise if you’ve read any of my other sewing posts. The original pattern is cropped and has a ton of ease, and while I really liked the neckline and armholes, I knew right away that the lower part of the tank was going to be too generous but also too short if I used it as is.

I added an inch and a quarter to the hem of the top since I have a long torso, and with the extra length it hits right at my hip. I also took the sides in a full four inches at the hemline, by taking a yard stick and drawing a line down the side of the pattern (cutting a wedge shape from each side, the bottom of the wedge being an inch wide). Even with that change, there is still a LOT of room in the shirt. 

Last year at this time, I was heavily pregnant, so this is my first spring since doing The Curated Closet that I was thinking about a spring uniform. I’ve found myself wearing my homemade tanks with chinos and a cardigan often this spring, adding a scarf if it’s chilly. I love how the Kiomi especially looks with a cardigan, and the green around the neck and arms makes it unique and fun.

Rae’s Ruby was my next tank top, and I went with a lined yoke. The yoke has two different shades of purple shot cotton, both of which are beautiful, and the lower section is quilting cotton. If I had it to do again, I might have used voile or rayon for the bottom part so that the tank would have a better drape. I guess if it came to it, I could probably do the bottom over, but I had to hand sew the yoke on, so I doubt I would ever go there. I bound the bottom half of the arm holes with cream store-bought bias tape. And folks, I can sew my own clothes, wear them, and sometimes take photos. If I added ironing to that equation, one of the other variables would have to give. So I choose not to iron.

When I saw Rae’s Gemma tank, I liked the profile right away, and got enough fabric to make three tops in quick succession.  When you make a pattern once and work out the kinks, the next attempts go much faster. You can see the navy blue Gemma here. I used April Rhodes Wanderer Fabric for this one. It reminds me of the road trip.

This one was from a Leah Duncan Fabric collection. I usually get my fabric from Hawthorne Threads, but they don’t have that print anymore – but it’s available here. I was surprised by how much I like it. Second to my kiomi tank, my black and white top is probably the one that gets the most wear.

Making clothes for myself is something that had to grow on me. With so many pregnancies in the last few years, I had to do my sewing in between babies and hope that things would still fit postpartum, during breastfeeding, and after.

I’m glad I went for it. Having a shirt in a unique print and knowing it’s unlikely that anyone else made the exact same shirt in the same fabric that I did is satisfying.

The things I’ve made have held up well, and it just feels good to wear something you made yourself.