The 2 part Tank.
The Task.
The task I set myself was to create a simple top for the Carla rock.
The Problem
I love the shape of the Carla Rock and Carla dress
but find too hot for days over 25 degrees.
The wide stretch band has many advantages. It is great to be able to decide if the skirt should be worn low on the hips or pulled up as a strapless dress.. But it was still a bit warm.
The Vision
On a very hot day, nothing beats a thin cotton dress that just hangs from the shoulders.
The Inspiration
Winter school uniform. A pleated tartan skirt was sewn onto a thin cotton bodice.
Enabling constraints.
The Carla drapes beautifully. The centre front and centre back are cut exactly on the diagonal. The side panels are where the generous pockets are.
I didn´t want to use fasteners, because there is no elegant place to put them,so the garment would need to be pulled on over the head.
I didn´t want to change the skirt of Carla pattern. I did try a classic princess line shape, but it felt too rigid.
The centre front and centre back of the Carla Rock have some “give” because they are cut on the bias. If the top wasn´t cut on the diagonal there would be less wiggle room.
Then, I thought it has to fit most people…150cm -190 cm, an A cup to a D cup..
and have a “ normal “ sleeve.
I wrestled with this problem until I realised that I needed to solve the first task first.
The singlet shape was what I was after.
A sleeveless top has a completely different armhole to a top with a sleeve.. To be continued..
(The 3 part Tank is in the works)
The Bias top
I have tried this shape on quite a few people because I am fortunate to have a good supply of differently shaped folks visiting my shop.
To meet the needs of most, the tank will come in 2 lengths:
an Empire length and one that is 5 cm longer.
If you aren´t sure which length will work for you.. Mock up the longer one.. Because it is easier to shorten the top than to make it longer.
There will also be 2 guide lines included on the pattern:
A diagonal line for a “ branch dart” is a way to nip out unwanted armhole gaping for those with a full chest.
And extra front length to accommodate a fuller chest.
Unlike knitted stretch fabric, the bias cut doesn´t get bigger, the bias redistributes.
This is why the dipped front will add volume and still appear straight on the body.
Potential trouble shooting.
Here are the things that might be different to tank tops that are cut on the straight.
The armholes will also be on the bias and become larger than they should be if special care isn´t taken.
You can prevent the armholes stretching out by stay-stitching the armholes and also by using the bias binding patterns as a guide to how long your binding strips should be.
The optimal bias length will depend on the material you choose. The Bias bands are 8% smaller (+ seam allowance ) than the sewing lines of the Neckline and armholes.
If you use the “Branch dart “ method the armhole will be smaller, so the bias band will have to be shortened.
Stay stitch the neck edge too.
The top is a bit weird and boxy before the weight of a skirt is added.
One of the things that I like about this shape is this bit of engineering. That is using the weight of the skirt to slim down the bodice. Gravity!
The Waist
This piece will have to be pulled on over your head so it isn't tight around the waist… unless you :
-
Create a self belt.
The one in this photo is 2 x the waist + 60 cm for the tie. It has a finished width of 12 cm . the ends can be pointy or square. It is up to you.
2.Add an elasticated casing. This can go all the way around or just at the back
3. Wear a belt you already own.
4. Add ties in the side back seam.
The look can also be styled to create a different silhouette with a wrapped top, or with a fitted jumper.
Different skirt ideas
Remember, there is no zip. The garment has to go on over your head. The minimum circumference of the bottom half should be your chest measurement.
The 2 part tank was created for the Carla, but that doesn't mean you can't add other skirts to it.
There are single notches on the bottom edge of the pattern indicating the sides and 2 notches at the centre back. This will help line -up the skirt you would like to add.
Here I added a custom Flirt skirt.
.
This one is a square.
It would also work with 1 squares + 1 rectangle ( think table clothes)
( add list and Drawing)
