Back to Basics: The Claudia Tank by Just Patterns

Since starting my sewing journey back in 2017, I don’t think I’ve intentionally sat down to sew up wardrobe basics. Those pieces in your closet that can go with just about anything you pair it with and even bring life to clothes that went untouched for several months (maybe even years). When looking through Pinterest or Instagram for sewing inspiration and saving style ideas that align with the woman I am and taste that I have today, I realized a common thread amongst each style image are basics. It occurred to me that I didn’t really have many basics in general, not even RTW, which explained why putting looks together felt impossible at times.

I’ll admit that when I sew, I don’t always plan out makes ahead of time, with exception to my yellow and green collection. I typically just sew what looks interesting to me at the time or what I need to wear for an upcoming event but never really sewing for a long term need.

I’m changing that.

Not that there is anything wrong with sewing whatever makes you feel inspired at the time, but every now and again, it would be beneficial to me to create a plan with what I make so that the garments I add to to my closet can work well with what I have. It’s hard to style a wardrobe without the foundational pieces that help bind the looks together. Hence, why I am starting my series called “Back to Basics” to document myself creating basics that will help fill in gaps within my wardrobe. Starting with this Claudia Tank by Just Patterns.

Sewing The Pattern & Fabric Choice

I’ve loved the padded shoulder look for a while and grabbed this pattern when it went on sale over a year ago. A couple of months ago before Christmas break, I decided to finally give this pattern a go and purchased some performance wear knit from JOANN in white to make it in. The knit has great stretch and recovery. It has a bit more body to it than your average t-shirt jersey/stretch knit since it’s meant for active wear but it worked very well for this pattern.

Although I only had the French instructions of the pattern available (I am not fluent in French), the pattern was pretty straight forward and the images provided were for the most part easy to follow. I would consider this an appropriate pattern for a confident beginner. The area I had difficulty in was the neck band. I thought I was missing a neckband piece but it turns out the pattern calls for you to draft your own. I had to screenshot the instructions to do a google image translate of the steps to find this out. Not sure why the pattern didn’t already come with the neckband piece but at the very least, it came with a chart to help you determine how long and wide to cut the neckband according to your pattern size. I also noticed that after tacking my shoulder pads and armhole facings in place, my armhole facings would still pop out through the armhole. I tried to tack the facing all around but I didn’t like the little dimples I was creating in the fabric. So I will leave it as is and just stuck them in once I am in the garment until I can figure out a better solution. It isn’t a huge deal to me.

Aside from that, when the garment was finally complete, I couldn’t stop myself from having a full blown dress up session in my room, styling it with all my other makes. It gave a fresh new look to my clothes, especially my clothes that I hadn’t touched in a long, looooonnng time. Now all of a sudden, I wanted to dress up and go somewhere after making it and this truly is how your handmade garments should make you feel. After all, how can we spend as much time on it as we do only for them to remain stale in our closet?!

Pattern Size & Modifications

I cut out a size 48 based on my measurements at the time. I took a few weeks off of sewing to go on a family vacation to Nigeria and surprisingly lost weight and needed to take the pattern in some. I took the pattern in on the sides, taking out .5 inches from the underarm and grading out to 1 inch at the hem to prevent the shirt from flaring out too much.

Future Sewing Plans

The next time I make this pattern, I would like a more exaggerated shoulder and possibly a shoulder with a pleated detail. It would give that illusion of a narrowed waist that would look so nice with some wide leg pants. I would do it in the white again and possibly in a beige color. I would even do it in a non-stretch satin for a more luxurious look. I would just have to adjust the pattern to accommodate a non-stretch woven. Until next time loves!

Love,

Christine