Today’s make is one of my Make Nine for 2019. I always feel extra accomplished when I check something off my Make Nine list. Like high-giving, fist pumping accomplished. Not quite literally. But I do feel pretty proud. lol. The Kila Tank is the third completed make from the list. I will definitely need to speed it up a bit on my list if I’m going to finish by the end of the year. I still have 6 things left to make in the next 7.5 months. Totally do-able. :)
Anyway, today’s pattern is the Kila Tank, designed by Allie Olson. It’s a classic rib knit tank style, very fitted with a scoop neck. This is one of those patterns that I bought specifically for the fabric. I had a few rib knits in my stash and then found a really nice Micro Rib Knit remnant from Blackbird Fabrics. This specific fabric is no longer available from Blackbird, but IndieSew does have a few rib knits in stock that would be perfect for this pattern. (UPDATED 2023: IndieSew is no longer around but Allie’s patterns are still for sale on her site.)
This is a really simple pattern to sew and Allie has a very helpful video (link updated 2023) that shows you all the steps. I definitely watched the video about 8 times while making this tank. I’ve never had the best experience when sewing rib knit fabric but the fusible tape that Allie recommends does help a lot to prevent the fabric from stretching out. Also, a good quality fabric will behave much better.
I cut a size 12 at the neck, armholes and bust and graded down to a 10 at the waist and hips. I started out by making a wearable muslin from a very cheap rib knit fabric. It stretched out horribly during sewing and did not recover even after washing. From my “muslin” I knew that the scoop neck and the armholes were deep and possibly too deep for me. I was also running out of fabric for the binding so I decided to shorten this tank above the bust by 3/4 inch. I think the fit is now perfect for me and I had just enough binding fabric.
It’s also important to note for my #sewingtall friends that I did not add any length to the tank and it’s still plenty long on me. I’m 5’11” and carry a lot of my height in my torso but this tank still reaches down over my hips. I think this tank would make a really great layering piece and look good under high waisted pants or skirts.
