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The Burdastyle athletic tank top

So here it is, the workout tank top from Burdastyle’s 1/2017 issue and the first piece of clothing sewed from my Spoonflower order. I spent pretty much the entire last Sunday working on it. Not because the sewing took long, but mostly because I did quite a few alterations that is probably not visible to the eye.

I omitted the waist seam and did the front and back bodice in one piece. What I don’t want in activewear are floppy waist seams! It does make sense from how the pattern is constructed originally as the top lining is attached to the waist seam. But I wanted proper support so I did my usual built-in sports bra hack instead and lined it with power net for stability.

This is how the bra lining looks.

And here is the power mesh layer and the elastic of the bra.

Tutorials on sports bra making
How to sew a built-in bra
How to line a sports bra with power mesh

A more subtile alteration was that I made the yoke smaller. It looks big and goes so deep in the original version, and I wanted a yoke that was more balanced with my bust. It is still pretty big though, so I don’t think anyone would notice the difference.

As you can see there is some white showing at the seams. That is not just white thread, it is mostly due to the fact that the fabric is printed on white. That is the one drawback with this Spoonflower order, the visible white at the seams. It is also visible at the hem.

I like the back detail, but I did the mistake of not placing the straps close enough (there are no notches for it on the pattern) so it creates a little fold in the back.

The original back straps continues to the front, but I prefer that the shoulder seam hits higher up , so I lengthened the front shoulder straps 3 cm and removed the same amount on the back straps.

Also I forgot to check a very important measurement, which is the width around the tummy! So it sits tight, especially as I was suffering from some pms issues when I took the photo – my tummy often swells 5-6 centimeters during this time, which is not fun!

Anyways, apart from that issue I’m happy about the fit and that I took a lot of time altering things I felt could be improved upon. I’ve also done a more detailed review over at Pattern Review where it also entered in the Activewear contest.

Also if you are into sewing your own activewear and haven’t already signed up, I’ve started the Facebook group Sewing Activewear where we can share our experience, talk patterns, ask questions and show off our makes.

4 Comments

  • Uta
    February 21, 2017 at 7:39 pm

    Great top! I love the fabric design you did and how well it works with the top pattern. Good luck with the contest!

    Reply
    • Johanna
      February 22, 2017 at 9:11 am

      Thank you! It was a dream working on such a custom made design and I’ve just gotten started on a matching pair of leggings where I will incorporate the print as well

      Reply
  • Myra
    February 22, 2017 at 8:23 pm

    Johanna, this is a really great top, I love everything about it! Every since I found your blog (and your videos), you’ve truly inspired me to create my own workout gear. This is another example of beautiful work, thank you so much for sharing your talents with us! I can’t wait to see your interview on “That Sewing Blab”! I will be there!

    Reply
    • Johanna
      February 23, 2017 at 2:52 pm

      I’m happy to hear that you have gotten bitten by the bug. Love the compilation you’ve done on the blog. Very helpful. I need to listen to your Blab interview! As for me I’m a little nervous about the speaking English bit, but hopefully I’ll make some sense 🙂

      Reply

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