Pinterest Inspired Drape Front Tank

So this week my project is actually a Pinterest Inspired drape front tank that’s perfect for our current hot weather. I found the image while browsing on Pinterest a good while back. It’s a Max Mara design and I instantly loved that little folded drape coming down from the neckline, so I decided to make it up for myself in my fave summer neutral. You know how much I love cream and ivory :).

The fabric that I’ve used is a beautiful ultra-soft and drapey linen and viscose blend from Stone Fabrics in Totnes Devon. I’m really sorry though because it was the end of the roll so it’s not in stock anymore.

At this point though, I ought to mention that I actually ended up knocking the colour back to be a little bit paler than it was originally which was quite a warm shade of cream (on my laptop it looked lighter). To do this I filled up the bath with about 4” depth of warm water and added a few cap-fulls of bleach into it and mixed it in really well. I left my fabric to soak in there for about 10 minutes or so and then I just pre-washed it as normal on a 30-degree wash. I’m really pleased with how it turned out because I can’t lie…I was a bit worried that I’d end up ruining it!

So I know you’re dying to find out how I actually created the pattern for my tank, aren’t you? Of course, you are 🙂

Pinterest Inspired Drape Front Tank: Creating The Pattern

Ok, so first off I decided to make a really well-fitting toile for a basic tank top as my starting point. I wanted something that was body-skimming, not overly loose and something that hung nicely from my bust.

First of all, I chose an old vintage pattern from my stash. It’s a Christian Aujard design and one which you may or may not recognise, because I’ve used the jacket pattern before for my safari-style jacket in this post.

So I made the toile in an old feet sheet and fitted it on myself  (not easy to fit yourself I know, but after years of doing it I’ve got pretty efficient).

One thing I’ve realised lately is that a centre seam down the back really helps me to get a good fit across my shoulder blade area and just under my arms. I tend to get draglines that start at shoulder blade level and they sweep down under my arms. I need to take in the back seam just below my shoulder blades skimming through the waist to the hem. If  I need more width at my upper hip. I add it to the side seams below my waist. This is what my back pattern piece looks like.

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For the front of the tank, I decided on adding some lovely angled darts for creating a nice shape over my bust. Once I’d perfected the fit of the basic block (which I can use again and again for more designs), I set about adapting the front piece for the draped overlay.

Here are the new pattern pieces that I created from my block:

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You can see how the hem of the left side sweeps up and ends up as a short section at the armhole on the right side seam. The right overlay has two folds at the middle and the fabric with the hemline curving down to the other side seam. The right shoulder area ends up being double thickness.

I had to work out the best methods to use for sewing my top up and in what order (no instructions when you design your own garments!).

Around the neckline, I’ve made an arrow facing. I created the pattern for it by simply tracing off the neck shapes from the pattern that I made. And you’ll have noticed that I didn’t totally copy the Pinterest image…instead, I’ve made a kind of blunted ‘V’ shape.

I’ve sewn a tiny little double-stitched hem using the method which I mention in this old post and the armholes have a bias binding which I made with my little bias binding maker. I opened out one side to attach it to the armhole, understitched the seam, folded into the inside and then stitched it round Here are some close-up photos for you to peruse.

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I love how this top feels to wear. It’s so soft and the fabric feels lovely and cool….however…Since taking these photos I might reshape the armhole curves to bring them in more. The front bit just above the armhole curve is a little bit too wide for my liking. It’s funny but often I’ll finish something, wear it a wee bit and then realise where it needs a tweak. I’m happy to do it though 🙂

And that’s me done for this week. I hope you enjoyed reading about my new top. It seems I’ve been on a roll lately making lots of tops and with another planned too!

If you’re in the UK enjoy the sunshine that’s forecast for the next few days. Take care and I’ll see you soon.

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