Work Out! Pneuma Tank

So, this summer I switched up my exercise routine a bit. And by switch up, I mean restart - this past winter was one of the least active seasons of my adult life! What better way to boost my chances of hitting the gym (or in this case, barre - very fun) than a new outfit?

I have always liked to have a put together outfit for the gym/yoga studio/step class or whatever my current routine may be. Not necessarily a fancy outfit, but something that makes me feel like I'm dressed for the occasion. Some of my older pieces were starting to actually wear out, so it really was perfect timing that Papercut Patterns stepped into the work out wear arena.

This is the Pneuma Tank, from Papercut's TRI collection. And, exciting for those of us who live far from New Zealand, it is available as a downloadable pattern. Instant gratification time! And this little number stitches up quickly, too. It really didn't want to be photographed, so there aren't too many pics, but it was a fun project.

The tank hems were finished using the rolled hem stitch on the serger - quick and tidy.

I made a size small, with the tank portion in a medium, and I'm so glad I did. The bra portion fits quite well, although at a fairly full C cup, I could use just another 1/2" in length in the front so that the band fits more comfortably under my bust. After checking over the measurements, I went with the medium tank, to make sure that the fabric would skim over, not cling to, my stomach. I also decided to fully line the bra portion with the same fabric for additional coverage and support. And speaking of support, for the no impact classes I've been doing (barre/pilates/yoga), it is definitely adequate. I was pleasantly surprised! I'd want more support for anything else, but this is very comfy for what I'm up to.

The only other alteration I made was to shorten the back tank from the top - I lifted it by about 3/4" in a quick and easy sway back adjustment.

Oh, and as an additional treat for myself, I decided to make fabric straps using the three thread coverstitch feature on my serger. Want to see the test runs? Of course you do…

Left: folded in thirds and fed through normally
Centre: folded in thirds with extra on the right hand side
Right: folded in thirds with extra on the left had side - result!

Since the feed dogs of the serger are on left side, the best way to stitch the straps was to fold them in thirds with some extra fabric on the left edge for the feed dogs to grip, and trim it off later. I don't have a belt loop attachment for my serger, but I sure would have liked one while wrestling with these guys - making them probably took as long as all the other steps put together.

And now for some fabric notes. Both the purple and grey came from Peak Fabrics in Calgary. If you're looking for performance fabrics in Canada (or elsewhere, I think they will ship internationally), I would recommend giving them a try. I ordered 5 sample cards and now have swatches for a huge variety of yoga-type knits. After much debate, I chose three fabrics, and I'm pleased with them all. The purple is really sturdy (it's called Extreme Stretch!), good for tops or bottoms, and the grey is a lighter weight (LLL Yoga Wear Dryflex), perfect for my tank, and I have more to make into a tee to wear with existing sports bras, or heck, a whole wardrobe of Pneuma tanks! The fabrics I bought ranged from $16-$18 per metre, but for athletic wear that takes a beating, totally worth it.

It's been in regular rotation for a few weeks now, and is holding up really well.  I've even had a couple of unsolicited compliments from my fellow gym goers, a nice boost to the sewing ego!

Although it's a lovely day here today, this just about marks the end of my summer sewing. But I'll be back next week to let you know how my One Week, One Pattern went!