Coral Tank Top | Simplicity 4192

As I make exercise a priority in my life, am finding a little more motivation to 'get moving' when there's something cute to wear.   This coral tank top, made from Simplicity 4192, checks all those boxes nicely for me. 

Most folks, myself included, might've picked up Simplicity 4192 for the awesome pants.  But look closely at the line drawing at the tank top, view A and you will see a simple, shaped tank with a little gathering detail center front and a wide neckband.  In my eyes I saw a tank top with style.  :)  

With this top more of a cropped top version, I wanted a nice long tank to go with my exercise pants (i.e. Ottobre leggings) and/or to be tucked in to a skirt for a layered look for summer, so I lengthened the front and back pattern pieces 4 3/4".  Why 4 3/4" you might ask?  Because that's all the fabric I had so that helped with that decision immensely.  :)  My measurements fall at a size 12 bust with a size 14 hips..... but as you saw from my last NewLook/Simplicity pattern make, I made a straight size 10 and it was a perfect fit.  So after dithering around for a bit, cut a size 12, sewed 5/8" seams and ended up ripping out the last 6" up from the bottom hem and regrading for a little more room there.  All seams were straight stitched on my sewing machine, then serged on my serger.

The lovely gathered center front was really what drew me to this pattern.  And the wide neckband.  Not having coral matching thread, the neckband was double-needle stitched down with a gold rayon metallic thread.  Some of my other metallic threads tend to break, but this one does not and has more of a matte sheen than a shiny sheen.  I thought the gold looks nice against the coral in a subtle way.

Big tip here!!!!  Before attaching the neckband to the top be sure to zigzag the raw edges closed.  The pattern instructions do not have you do this step and it really should as it keeps the knit neckband edges from slipping and slidding as you pin then stretch as you sew.  I do this with my quilt binding before attaching to my quilts and it certainly came in handy here.  Made this step oh-so-easy and not frustrating at all.  The only thing I did not do, that I will be sure to do next time, is also pull and stretch the neckband when sewing over the gathered center front.  My neckband has a little bit of slack in that area and I think that would help. 

The instructions have you simply turn under a 3/8" hem on the armhole edges.  Believe it or not, this was a first for me so I sort of had to think about that before finishing the armholes this way.  I was afraid it might give the top more of a 'homemade' look but in the end plunged forward using the double-needle with the metallic gold thread and sewing ever so slowly so as to not stretch out my cotton/spandex knit, stitched a perfect seam on both armhole edges.  I had only purchased 1 yard of this cotton/spandex 60" wide fabric with 4-way stretch from my local WalMart back in 2015 and after washing/drying it had shrunk to less than 1 yard, so there was no pieces left large enough to make self-fabric binding.  Am glad this armhole finish technique worked out well.

The back.  For now I've left a raw edge hem a la Alabama Chanin.  But am thinking I may go back and double-needle stitch a 1" hem in the gold metallic thread to tie everything together.

And these Brooks Ravenna 7 shoes, below, are what has triggered all the lovely springtime pastel makes this season!  Love these shoes! 

Thought I'd leave you with a shot of my front-door view this morning.  After a heckuva storm that passed through the middle of the night, with a tornado warning that put us all in the basement for a bit, we awoke to a beautiful morning with bits of green popping out everywhere.

Not sure this top, nor the leggings, qualify as official 'athleticwear', but all I can say is that it is really nice to have pretty colorful garments to wear with cute, comfortable, well-fitting shoes when exercising or working out.  There will definitely be more made.
 
Happy Sewing Everyone!  :)