A Tank That Won’t See the Light of Day

I bought a kit from Craftsy with Meg McElwee’s “Tank + Maxi” pattern and enough Robert Kauffman cotton jersey to make a tank and a maxi. I thought it would be nice to have a maxi tank dress to take with me to Mexico next week.

It was a PDF pattern, so I printed and taped and traced, then cut and sewed. Size Large, true to the pattern with the exception of adding 2″ to the length. Easy. Nice. Professional finishes. Not right!!!

If you’re busty, you know that ripples across your bustline are a no-no. So, the first place I’m going to have to start to make this pattern become a TNT is to master the FBA.

I really don’t like having passersby knowing what color bra I’m wearing. This gaposis offers way too much information.

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Click on the “TMI” image to see the great binding finish. The bindings are sewn with a ⅜” seam. Press the binding away from the top and wrap around to the back so that it covers the seam on the inside. Pin in place, then topstitch with a double needle so that one needle is on either side of the seam. (Rather than stitch-in-the-ditch, you’re going to stitch-over-the-ditch.) (To make it a little clearer, if your shoulder seam on the front pattern piece is 2″, your finished measurement of the shoulder strap will be 2″, because the bindings are just opened out, then wrapped around the back without taking anything away from the front.) Easy and gorgeous!
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But really. Look at this neckline. It’s just the right tease of décolleté without making me uncomfortable. This is a neckline I love. This is a tank and maxi dress I could love!

Now to master the details!!

<del>Here’s the kit — and such a great deal!</del> (Edit, 5/24/2019: And by now we all know that Craftsy went away, replaced by its less-loved cousin, Bluprint. I searched Bluprint and the kit isn’t there. I googled Meg McElwee and found her old blog, last post February 1, 2018 😞. I scrolled through the Shop section of her blog, and no “Tank + Maxi” pattern. You can find her on Instagram. If you’re wanting the pattern, maybe message her there and ask about the “Tank + Maxi” pattern.)You couldn’t buy the fabric for that little anywhere else, much less the fabric and the pattern!

Oh, and just to be clear, I will wear this tank under sweaters all winter. I just won’t wear it by itself. Not until I master the details.