Hello, friends! Welcome back to Stylishly Good Vibes!
I’m back on the blog today to share another recent project with you! This tank top I made is about to be on REPEAT this summer, so I figured I would share a bit about the process in today’s post!
Let’s start from the beginning!
Back when I was plotting the creation of my mushroom sweatshirt that I shared in last week’s post, I went antique shopping in hopes I would find some cool vintage patches. Although I didn’t find any, I did find some awesome sewing materials—including this rose ribbon!
How It Started
At the time, I had no clue what I was going to use the ribbon for, but I couldn’t pass it up because a.) it was vintage and b.) it was $2. Win and win! Flash forward to a couple weeks ago when I had the idea to use the ribbon as the straps of a tank top. Only problem was I didn’t have a pattern for the tank top I was envisioning in my head.
It’s a lot more difficult than you would think to find a sewing pattern—especially if you’re like me and you’re really specific about what you want it to look like. I looked at Joann’s, Etsy, and even Google Shopping and just didn’t see anything that looked anywhere close to what I was envisioning.
The Worst Sewing Pattern Ever
Then, I stumbled on a blog post that had a free sewing pattern in it. I won’t mention the blog where I found it because the pattern ended up being absolute trash LOL! And I didn’t know that it would be trash until I was 3/4 of the way done. That’s why you have to be careful with patterns you find online—especially if they are free!
Any who, I did begin the project with that sewing pattern. I went to Joann’s and got 1-3/4 yds. of cotton fabric. The fabric that I bought was quite sheer, so I doubled up on the bodice and had more than enough fabric left for the rest of the project.
Time to Improvise
Everything was fine with the pattern up until I went to sew on the straps. I put it on to see what I was working with and it was AWFUL. Like . . . so awful that I won’t even show you what it looked like LOL! This pattern said the size would work for me, but it was WAY OFF. To the point that I had to take it in an inch on each side . . .
Even after I took it in, the way the pattern made the neckline of the tank top look was just not flattering on me, so I had to improvise! After I cut open the side seams, took them in an inch on both sides, then sewed back up, I had to fix the top portion. All I did was take a straight edge and cut right across the top so the neckline was like a tube top. I added binding, sewed on the straps, and it was perfect!
The Final product
It’s funny—how this tank turned out after the pattern messed everything up was EXACTLY what I was envisioning. But I wouldn’t have known that had I not used the pattern. So maybe it wasn’t that bad after all! All I can say is that if you’re going to buy a pattern or use a free one you find online, source it from a reputable company—one that actually specializes in sewing. Don’t trust a random person on the internet unless they’re a sewing professional. Hence why I’m not providing you with a pattern—I’m not a professional!!
Honestly, if you have any concept of sewing and you know what styles fit you best, you could easily make your own pattern. I think I might try to do that next time because I’ll save time by making the pattern myself vs. ripping out seams after I mess up a pattern from someone else.
Well, that’s all I’ve got for you today! I hope that this blog post inspires you to create your own custom piece! It’s fun—I promise!
Until next time!
Alicia
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