More Sewing!

 

I don’t know if you remember or not, but a very long time ago I made a muslin of the Wiksten Tank to check the fit.  (It wasn’t made out of actual muslin.  It was made from some quilting cotton with tractors all over it.)  I tried it on, figured out what needed adjusting (the back neck), adjusted the pattern accordingly, and then did nothing more.

Fast forward to yesterday and I got out some tencel that I’ve had in my stash since Caleb was two years old and made myself a Wiksten Tank!  I know it looks black in the photo (it’s still pretty dark here this morning), but it’s actually a very dark, blue green.  If there was a navy equivalent of blue green, this is it.  I almost ended up using black thread (which probably would have been fine), but I finally found the exact color in thread.

This is a pretty easy pattern, although some of the finishing might be more than a beginning sewist* might want to tackle.  It has French seams and a bias bound neckline and armholes.  The pattern has a small, front pocket, but I skipped that.  Total time, from pressing the fabric before cutting, all the way to having a finished tank, was just under three hours.  I think I could cut down on that time on future tanks because I’ve done it once now.  Also, working on such a super dark color at night taught me that I need better lighting in my sewing room!  I think this tank will be great to layer under all those cardigans I’ve knit, but I’m thinking about making a few in cotton lawn to wear this summer.

*I think the actual term for someone who sew is “sewer” but that reminds me of a sewer which is one of the Top 5 Places I Don’t Ever Want To Be, Ever.  (Yes, I have a list.)  I prefer the term “sewist” although I suppose you could use seamstress, but that sounds like someone who knows a lot more about sewing than I feel like I do.