from scratch friday

Handmade tank tops are in heavy rotation in my wardrobe these days.  Now that the temperatures are hitting 90+ on a regular basis, I've needed something warm-weather appropriate that is still nice enough looking for work.

Colette's Sorbetto tank is a fantastic free pattern that is easy to adapt to your personal style.

I wasn't a big fan of the center pleat featured in the original design, so I inverted it and only tacked it down along the neckline, which created (maybe a little too much) volume in the top. 

I also added a few inches to the length of the body when cutting, because I have a long torso.  

My tip: move your fold-line for cutting your pattern pieces off the center to just fit your pattern pieces, as in the diagram below. This will give you a larger "scrap" for using in other projects. 

I'm going to try a dress-length version soon, after seeing a few in the Colette Patterns flickr group.  I also like the look of a gathered neckline instead of the pleat, so I might be adding one of those to the to-sew list too.  

Happy sewing!

~RLM