The GreenStyle Leeward Tee (and tank!)

When you live in Florida, tank tops can be worn pretty much year round. If you get chilly, you can always throw on a cardigan. In the southern half of the state, a tee shirt is great for the two or three weeks of chilly “winter” weather we may get. A pattern that includes both a tank top and tee shirt is very useful, and the cute new Leeward Tee is one I was excited to test!

Options range from crew, (medium) tank, or scoop necklines; with a plain or pleated yoke back; crop or full length; racerback or tank; and tees with cap, short, long, or colorblocked sleeves; a 2″ FBA front option; and slimmer or fuller cut lines. I love patterns with plenty of options because I can make so many different looks with just one pattern!

I started with a scoop neck, plain back tank in the fuller cut (which was the only width option when the test started) making a size E graded out to F at the hips. The fabric is a fun ombre striped panel that I bought from Mood Fabrics a while back. I hadn’t used the panel because it wasn’t very long and I hadn’t found a good pattern to fit on the limited length. The pattern pieces barely fit on the panel, and in fact, I had to piece the neckband together to make it work! But I love the ombre effect, and the fact that it matches my purple Moxi bike shorts so well. 😉

Angelyn, the main pattern designer at GreenStyle looked over the pattern testers fit photos and made some slight changes in the shape and especially to the fit of the back. She also listened to feedback and added a slimmer cut line option to go with the fuller, flowier fit. I love testing for designers that listen to feedback from testers, and work hard to perfect the fit on a wide range of body shapes and sizes.

Does this mean that testers have to print a new version of the pattern and make another garment? Of course. But that is the whole point of testing, to get a great look and a great fit that people really like!

For my second make I stuck with a plain back scoop neck tank, but chose the slimmer cut line. Once again the shoulders are a size E, but with my fuller bust (but not quite full enough for the 2″ FBA option) I started on the fuller cut line under the arm for the needed bust space, merging to meet the slimmer cut line, and finally grading out at the hip to a size G. My hip measurement is on the edge between sizes F and G, so my grading was very subtle, and only ended up on the size G line at the very bottom 2″ or so of the pattern.

It’s fun/scary to try new sources for fabric, especially if you’re a bit of a fabric snob like me! 🙂 I’m super picky about fabric because I make clothing to last and wear for years. I strongly dislike the feel and lack of breathability of polyester. So I tend to stick to the same 4 or 5 fabric companies that I always shop or order from because of their high quality of fabric and fabric options. After seeing quite a few positive comments about Purple Seamstress Fabric in multiple sewing groups for years, I finally gave them a try and ordered their modal fabric. It’s a blend of rayon, modal, and spandex, and has the feel, drape, and nice rebound of a high quality rayon/spandex. This bright blue color is rich and beautiful, and I will definitely order from them again.

A couple of testers (me being one of them! :-)) asked for a cap sleeve length for the tee. Cap sleeves just look so much more feminine than regular short sleeves to me, and are much more wearable in Florida heat. So my third make is a cap sleeve tee, with a scoop neck and plain back.

It’s super comfortable, and will look just as good when I wear it with leggings as it does with shorts. We’re heading up to Tennessee to visit our daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughters in a couple of weeks. Their autumn weather is going to be a lot cooler than Florida’s, so tees are going to be necessary!

This is a super soft rayon spandex print from Mood Fabrics. It has even more drape than the rayon spandex striped print and the solid blue modal that I used for my tanks. This is the tee I’ll throw on when I’m a little chilly and just want to feel nice and cozy. It also shows just how different the same basic style can look and fit depending upon the fabric you choose.

You can’t go wrong whether you choose to make a tank or a tee! The GreenStyle Leeward Tee pattern has so many options to choose from, you can make yourself a dozen and easily have a dozen different looks, especially when you play with both the slimmer and fuller cut lines.

So, what are you waiting for? Don’t you need some pretty new tees and tanks in your wardrobe? In my world it’s always time to sew something new for yourself or someone you love.

Here are the details on my GreenStyle Leeward Tee and tanks:

The fuller cut tank was made using an ombre striped rayon spandex panel from Mood Fabrics. I’m wearing it with the bike shorts from the Moxi Shorts pattern made in supplex from Phee Fabrics.

The slimmer cut blue tank is made of modal from Purple Seamstress Fabric. I’m wearing it with an as yet unreleased shorts pattern. Don’t you love getting a sneak peek at future patterns? 😉

The cap sleeve tee is made of rayon spandex from Mood Fabrics, and is worn with Moxi bike shorts made of supplex from Phee Fabrics.

Thank you for reading and sharing my love of patterns, sewing, fabric, and creating practical, useful garments! ❤

The links to GreenStyle may be affiliate links (if I did them properly!) which means that I may earn a few pennies if you use my links without it costing you anything extra. Since this is my blog and represents me, I always give my honest opinion about any patterns, fabric, thread or supplies that I talk about. I don’t even bother to use aff links when I share on social media, so obviously it’s not a big deal to me whether you choose to use them. I do like knowing whether the time I spend writing posts actually interests people enough that they take a look at the patterns I review, but I write for me. It’s one more creative pursuit that I hope is helpful or interesting to others. I’m writing to share my love of sewing, not to make money! 🙂