Process
– Start out by pre-washing and drying your fabric according to the Spoonflower care instructions. Then trim off the white selvage edges.
– Lay fabric face up. Fold each edge in a quarter- so you have two useable folded edges.
– Fold your tank top in half and lay it along one of the folded edges. Trace around your tank top with your fabric marker and be sure to leave enough room for a ½” seam allowance!
– Do the same step for the back of your tank with the other foldable edge of your modern jersey.
– Cut out the front and back pieces in your Modern Jersey, They should look like this.
– Sew ONE shoulder seam together, then serge over the same shoulder seam. Serge the raw edge of the neckline and the completed arm hole
– Now we’re going to top stitch over the raw edges we just serged. Fold the serged edge of the neckline towards the unprinted side of the fabric, and then top stitch along the edge. Do the same with the arm hole.
– Your tank top should now look like this, with one side of the neck and armhole completed. Sew and serge the seam of the second shoulder, then repeat the process of sewing, serging, and topstitching to finish the second armhole.
-Next up, the side seams. Pin in place, Sew ONE side seam, and then serge to finish.
– Now we’re going to get a little crazy and finish the bottom edge BEFORE we finish the second side seam. Just trust me, it’s going to look awesome 🙂 Serge the bottom edge of your tank top.
Fold the serged edge towards the wrong side of the fabric about ½”. Pin every few inches to keep in place.
Then top stitch with a 1/2″ seam allowance to hem the bottom edge.
-Finally, we’re going to sew and serge the second side seam.
And that’s it. Put on and admire your awesome new tank top! You now know the infinitely useful skill of custom tank top making. All of your friends will be very jealous now, so be nice and put your new skill to good use by making them presents. Leave your questions and comments below. Happy making!
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I see you are using a walking foot. Why? I never thought of using one with knit fabric.
Thanks
Love the short and sweet delivery of making the tank.
I used to make my own tanks, tees, and even scrub shirts all the time. Thanks for reminding me, and for the new “order” outlook!
Is the top-stitching done with a regular straight stitch or a stretch stitch? It appears you are doing a regular straight stitch, but it is not clear how the top stitching affects the stretchability of the fabric.
Excellent video. It’s always nice when someone has a bubbly personality and provides easy to follow instructions. Thanks!
Thanks for your feedback, Mary! So glad you enjoyed the video, we have so much fun creating these for y’all!
I love your attitude!!! Yes -sew in the flat whenever you can -so much easier. I teach AG doll sewing and produce for fairs and I use sewing flat all the time. You can imagine sewing tiny arm cuffs etc in the round-NOT
Sewing in the flat saves a ton of time and tears. Thanks for the nice tute. Peggy in Madison.
Thanks for sharing your positivity, and experience, Peggy! Keep on crafting!
First of all I love the hair and the 40’s/50’s look ! I’m amazed at how little time it took. I want to try this, but I’d like more info on the zigzag stitch. I have my Nana’s Free-Westinghouse, and I’m not sure if it zigzags. Besides, servers scare the daylight savings out of me… ????????????. Thanks in advance, Donna S.
Hi Donna! When sewing with stretch fabrics you will definitely need either a zig zag stitch (some machines have a setting for what they simply call a “stretch stitch”) or a serger (which is not scary, promise!). If you no longer have the manual to the machine since it’s older, I’d suggest taking a scrap of knit fabric and doing some test stitches to start. Just go through every single one of the stitches on your machine and see which ones allow for the fabric to stretch. I’m sure you must have some kind of stretch stitch, even the very old machines from the 80s usually have something, even if it’s super basic. Let us know how it works out for you, and thanks for your comment!