I just love Greenstyle Creations patterns for workout clothes. I can recreate almost any look I want and make clothes that I feel good in when I work out. For today’s blogpost, I am talking about their latest athletic pattern release – the SoLo Tank. I was able to make 2 tanks during the pattern testing phase, and in today’s post, I will talk a little about what fabrics I think work well for this pattern and about how to get binding that you are happy with.
The Pattern
I have been looking for a muscle tank pattern for some time. I love the low armholes and don’t feel immodest in them because I am usually wearing a sports bra that still covers my side area. It is such a gym basic that I was totally missing out on in my handmade wardrobe.
The SoLo tank has the perfect low armhole with a racerback and two neckline options: mid or high. I made both of my tanks using the mid neckline option. The pattern also includes the option to leave one side open so that you can tie it to cinch your waist tighter.
Fabric
Let’s talk about fabric choice. For this black tank, I used a basic cotton lycra from Made Whimsy. On the other tank that I made, I used a very lightweight burnout jersey. The burnout fabric is also cotton but does not have any lycra in it. I personally think the lighter weight jersey drapes nicer next to my body and feels cooler to wear during a sweaty work out. The cotton lycra, on the other hand, tents out more and gives me less definition.
I think this tank is perfect for lightweight knits that hang nicely. It is not fitted and will tent out if you make it in a fabric without drape (like I did on the black one!). If I want a more fitted tank, I may mash this armscye with the Greenstyle Jillian or Lille tanks. When I make my next SoLo tank, I am going to use an athletic knit that is lightweight. All the athletic knits in my stash at the moment were heavier weight for leggings
I am wearing my black tank with my modified Super Gs that I blogged about here. They are still my favorite pair of leggings, and I am glad to have another top that goes well with them! Let’s take a look now at my first tank that I made in a burnout jersey. I paired it with my favorite Jillian bra and some Moxi shorts.
I love how well the racerback and low armholes show off the fun details of this bra!
Binding
Let’s chat binding now. The biggest time investment you will make on this tank will be applying the binding. It is a lot of stitches to rip if you are unhappy with it!
I feel like my armholes set a little lower in this pink/orange/tangerine tank because the binding does not have the recovery that a knit with spandex would. When working with it, it liked to stretch out and gape and almost felt too long at times. I steamed it really well, though, and I was happy with how I was able to get it to lay after steaming it.
You will notice when you are making the SoLo tank that if you are using a high spandex knit with great recovery that your binding with bunch up and even may look puckered . I suggest that you will need to make these bindings longer than the pattern recommends. Binding is generally 85% of the measured armhole (plus seam allowance). If I use an athletic knit with lots of spandex that bounces back firmly after stretched, I will remeasure my armhole and increase my binding length. On the other hand, if I am using fabric that has very poor recovery and no spandex (like this burnout jersey), I may cut mine a small amount shorter (like closer to 80%) and use a lot of steam when I iron it to help it recover after sewn.
Resources
1. The SoLo tank pattern is available here.
2. The Jillian bra pattern that I wore under my second tank can be found here.
3. The Super G pattern that I wore with my first tank is available here. The Moxi short pattern that I wore with my second tank can be found here.
4. The cotton lycra that I used for my black tank is available here.
5. My burnout tank fabric was from my sweet friend Aimee.
Disclosures: I received this pattern for free as part of the testing process to give the designer feedback about the instructions and fit of the pattern. This post also may contain affiliate links, which means I receive a small compensation when you purchase via my link. There is no cost to you. Any and all opinions expressed are my own.
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