Three Tank Tops And A Purse In Parts

It's very spring-like at my house. There is no snow on the ground and people have started to putter in their yards. Me too. I'm so tired of inside renovations that I was literally excited to go out and start planning my little postage stamp yesterday. I intended to work for a couple hours and suddenly it had been five. So much for easing into it. I took some before pictures so I can post later how it looks with the changes I'm making.  

One of the women from my previous neighbourhood is the girlfriend of the gentleman who lives across the street. She came by while I was working and said I just know whatever you're doing is going to be gorgeous because I saw your last place. So encouraging. I hope the strata council feels the same way because I certainly didn't run it by them first. The yard was ugly and I don't want an ugly yard. 

I definitely need encouraging moments like that to make up for the less than encouraging ones. The thread purse had been in time out for months and I finally got back to it on the weekend. Monday morning, I was doing a final press while talking on the phone to a friend and went to zip it closed and... no zipper head. We both had a laugh over that.

When I thought about opening the bag back up to add it, I just couldn't. I'd had enough of this bag so I took it apart and discovered the rest of the zipper was tucked inside... just where I'd folded it away to... and that's okay. I was still done. It's now a purse in part. 

One of my goals with handbags is to find simple shapes that can be embellished with painting or fabric collage or piecing with all of the fun stuff happening on the blank canvas of that repeatable shape. I've already chosen the carpet bag. It has a front, a back, and a drop in lining that is held in place by the casing. It's a simple sew with the focus on design. Another shape will most likely be the cross body bag and right now I'm working on a bowler bag that has potential. 

I tested my armhole shape another time by making a sleeveless version of Marcy Tilton's V1733. This is one of my go-to t-shirt patterns. With the grey one I made earlier, the denim blue one from this week, and this turquoise one, I now have three tank tops. LOL - a little jump in my wardrobe. 

As noted in the last posting, the M7407 top was way too full so I re-tested the armhole shape again by refashioning it as well. You can see that the fine-tuned shape is more curvy in the underarm. To cut one top from the other, I folded the garment on center front and center back and aligned the pattern pieces with the shoulder seam, the center line, and the underarm point. 

The center seams of the McCall's top were quite curvy. I aligned the seam for as long as I could and then extended the seam allowance along beside the remainder of the pattern. The finished tank has a vertical seam at center front and center back. 

Here you can see the new piece cut out of the previous front and exactly how full that pattern was. In giving it more thought, it can go in the thrift box because I won't be sewing it again. I have way too many patterns to try rather than attempt to make work something that just doesn't feel right. 

Here is the McCall's top at left and the refashioned version at right. The neckline and the armholes are exactly the same, the fullness has been significantly decreased, and the hemline curved. I'm sure I'll get more wear out of the refashion. I really like the mottled denim look. 

Now that I am happy with the shape of the armhole I've developed for tank tops, I'm going to work on t-shirts. One shape evolves into the next. My tank armhole has no seam allowances so I need to add to the width as well as drop the underarm point 5/8" and then check the shape of the corresponding sleeve cap. It sounds fussy but I actually find this fun. AND... if I test it three times again... that will significantly increase my wardrobe. 

Do you have a time out box for misbehaving projects? 

Talk soon - Myrna

Grateful - three tank tops