Maternity Tank with Banded Bottom

This maternity tank is very similar to this striped tank I made last year. I wore that striped shirt a LOT. And I would wear it a lot this summer, too…but I’m 6.5 months pregnant.


(Here's last year's non-maternity version.)



So this summer, I needed a slightly longer, larger version of this tank top. To make it, I traced the front and back of one of my maternity tanks. I made the neckline a little higher. To sew it together, I sewed the front and back together at the shoulders and then stitched up the sides.

Then came the binding. I used a rib knit for everything on the shirt and so I cut the binding for the neck and arms slightly smaller than the openings. After sewing that on (several times! lots of seam ripping!) I had to decide how to finish the bottom. Since the tank is rib knit, when I hemmed it, it stretched out terribly. So I ended up adding a banded bottom, which I like. I gathered the middle a bit before sewing on the band for a ruched effect.

I did use a different method to attach the binding then I used in the striped tank. I'll have to share pictures of how to do that in another post.



Plain green wasn’t very pretty, so I added a few fabric flowers. Similar to what I added to my tank from last year.

 

Here’s a shot of the gathering at the bottom of the tank.


It’s always nice to have another maternity shirt to wear.
 

I found that making my own tank top was very time-consuming; this was mostly because of the binding and (if you've read my blog) my problems applying binding. I find it hard to believe they can sell clothing at such low prices. I suppose if I made things all the time, used ready-made patterns instead of tracing my existing clothing, and had a serger, it would be easier and faster to make my own garments.


I guess I like to do things the hard way!


Places I have linked:
Or So She Says, Train to Crazy, Tater tots & Jello,  Merry Messy Life, Sugar Bee Crafts, Reasons to Skip the Housework,  The 36th Avenue, House of Hepworths, Someday Crafts, Southern Lovely, 504 Main,Serenity Now,  Fingerprints on the Fridge, I heart NapTime, Classy Clutter, A Glimpse Inside, Somewhat Simple, Gingerly Made, Serenity Now, Today's Creative Blog, The Winthrop Chronicles, Home Stories A to Z, CraftyScrappyHappy