Hack At It

I’ve made the GreenStyle Lille Tank before, and it is a great basic racerback tank.  I use the optional built-in bra on mine.  I could share a pretty modelled photo, but I like this outtake photo better.  I really can do a nice Dancer’s Pose in yoga class, despite my laughing and falling out of it while doing photos!  I thought it would be fun to hack the Lille with the Norah Nightgown.  Say what?  This means I can avoid doing binding (which is a win in my sewing book!) and use two great patterns to make something new.

When I do a pattern hack and it turns out successfully, my creativity seems to spark and I like to see what else I can come up with.  After hacking the Norah Nightgown to be more supportive and loving the outcome, I figured I could easily mash it into a workout top.  I used the same method as in my previous post here, so I won’t repeat myself by showing all of the steps in this post.

Because I am making workout wear, moisture wicking, antimicrobial, and supportive fabric is a must.  I used Supplex as my main and lining fabric with Powernet sandwiched in between.  The Supplex from Phee Fabrics is my favorite workout fabric.

I made one additional change to the Norah front bodice.  I measured 10″ up from the crossover point and made a mark.  When cutting out the bodice pieces, I used my clear ruler and rotary cutter to cut a straight line from the point up to the 10″ mark.  This gives the bodice a bit more coverage.  I also decided to not use the dart or gathers so that I could overlap the front more.  I ended up overlapping by 7.5″,  This gave me good coverage, and lined up nicely with my band pieces.  It’s a good measurement to start with, but you will want to pin or baste, and try on for the best fit.

I used the Lille Tank pattern for the main body portion of my top by using the bottom 14″ of the tank pattern, cutting straight across the top.  This ends up being the perfect length for me, you may want it a bit shorter or longer.

I used powernet in the bodice front, back, and straps.  As with my nightgown hack, I used 3/8″ elastic along the front 10″ of the bodice, and along the front armpit curve.  Because you want lots of support while working out, I gave the elastic a little more pull while sewing this time.  When laid flat, it looks rather gathered.  But on the body it comfortably hugs and supports the bust.  It’s also important to use elastic in the band.

Then it’s just a matter of sewing the Lille front and back together at the side seams, and attaching it to the band.  To find the perfect length to hem your top, here’s a tip I picked up from Beth Doglady: “Spread your legs in a standing A shape.  Hem it where it rolls up to.  This way it won’t roll up on you in workouts.”  Brilliant!

I tested my top with some Vinyasa Flow and everything stayed comfortably in place, even during inversions.  Now I have a fun new workout top for all my yoga classes.  Since working out is more fun when you’re wearing new workout wear, I need to do more sewing!  Which pattern should I make next?

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