I don't know about you, but for me sometimes shopping can be really frustrating. Especially when you're trying to dress modestly and it seems no one else is thinking "cover up". Especially when it comes to tank tops. If you're crafty then you might really be grateful for this tutorial...if you're not crafty I am considering selling these on my online shop so email me and we'll talk about it. Okay, back to the tutorial!
What You Will Need
A tank top. (New. Old. Doesn't matter!)
Lace*
An old white sheet (or same color as lace)+
Notes
*I find good size amounts of WIDE lace at antique stores. I know that seems odd, but it's there! I find it all the time and I always pick it up because it's so hard to find lace without spending a fortune on it! Most of the lace I find I get for less that $2 per roll. Totally worth looking into...especially if you plan to make several of these tanks.
+I usually pick up sheets for 0.25cents at yard sales/garage sales since you can usually find them in still decent shape.
+I usually pick up sheets for 0.25cents at yard sales/garage sales since you can usually find them in still decent shape.
Directions
1. Lay the lace over the top part of the tank. Cut it with plenty of space on each edge as shown in the photo above.
2. Take the piece of lace you just cut and lay it over a corner of the sheet. You'll want to make sure you have the sheet smoothed out so there are no major wrinkles since this will be showing on the finished product. Pin the lace piece to the sheet with plenty of pins! Cut the sheet so there's just a bit of space around each edge of lace.
3. Time to sew! I've found that it's easiest to just do a straight line instead of trying to follow the fancy edges of the lace. It still looks nice and you really can't tell much of a difference. I've done them both ways, but I recommend the straight line which is my personal favorite way to sew the lace to the sheet.
4. Time to trim! Now this is where I usually follow the edge of the lace so that you can see the pretty edging even though I don't usually sew along that line. View the photo above for how I trim my sheet edges to match the lace edge.
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| That black silky fur in the corner is my cat Emerald. She likes to watch me sew. |
5. Take the tank and put it right side out (if it isn't already). Put the lace insert piece in the front of the tank as shown. Make sure the lace is facing up and the sheet is facing the back of the tank. You should have enough to pin it to both sides of the tank edge. You'll want to pin it to both sides even though you'll only be sewing it to the closer side. Pin the full scoop to the lace.
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| The inside of the shirt after the lace insert has been sewn in place. |
6. Now you will want to sew the tank to the lace. I always do this with the front of the tank facing out so I will know exactly how the finished product will look when I'm done. Sew following the lines that are already on the tank (there's usually 2 or three lines where the original seam was sewn). Sorry I don't have a pic of the actually sewing process for this step!
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| Emerald's paw again. |
7. The final step in this project is trimming off the excess fabric once you've sewing the lace insert into place. (See photo for step 6 to see what the inside of the shirt looks like after sewing). One you've trimmed off the excess fabric you're good to go!
There you have it! A new way to make a modest tank for wearing under your favorite low-neck shirts and only spending about $5 for the whole thing!
I love this! I have the worst time finding a V-neck (because it is low enough to not irritate my neck) that isn't too low. I had breast surgery many years ago and have scars between my breasts that I don't care to share, so this would work for me to modify those cute, but way to low cut, tops I see.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for sharing this!
Glad I could help! Good luck in fixing your shirts! :)
DeleteHelen
Would love for you to share this at my link up that goes live tomorrow at 8am
ReplyDeletehttp://myfashionforwardblog.com
What a great idea! I totally need these. I bought those as-seen-on-tv coverlet things that clip onto your bra and they stink. I did get a more expensive one from chickies when a maternity store was going out of business and having a great sale, and it's amazing! But also like $40. This is perfect!
ReplyDeleteOh that's good! I was considering making some to sell in my online shop but wasn't sure if they'd actually sell. I'd probably do them for $10 since I buy the lace & white fabric (really soft bed sheets) goes a long way on a small project like this. The most expensive part is buying the tank tops which are around $5. Maybe I'd have to sell them for $15 lol.
DeleteHelen