My Me Made May 2020 Challenge: The Agility Tank

I’m pretty terrible at adhering to traditions, as evidenced by the fact I finished this self-imposed challenge with a whole one day left in May. It’s also only my second May since I started sewing, so it’s way too early for me to call this a tradition. But it would be cool if it became one. That is, choosing a project that intimidates me and involves new things I’ve never done before.

Last year, it was the Ava Sundress.

This year, I chose the Agility Tank.

Why I Chose the Agility Tank

• It looks freakin’ awesome.
• It’s May, which means summer is on the doorstep. (Just ignore that snow we got on the 25th.)
• Optionssssss. I love options. Strappy-back, t-back, banded shirt, hemmed shirt, dress, show or no-show some extra skin. Yerse please.
• The challenges:
  • Never worked with swim before (athletic nylon spandex)
  • Never worked with bra cups
  • Never made a bra or anything resembling one
  • Pretty involved set of instructions, so it was definitely not going to be a quick sew

Reviewing the Pattern

It was better than most. As per usual though, the graphic designer in me saw room to improve it. I found myself flipping back and forth all over the place, checking and double-checking that I was on the right step for what I was doing. Better design hierarchy would’ve fixed most of that issue.

Content-wise, it was well-explained and complete and the illustrations were helpful.

The Fabrics/Notions

Everything I used is from Boho Fabrics. 1 yard of each fabric gave me plenty to work with.

• Athletic nylon spandex (swim)
• Jersey knit
• some mystery knit mesh from a clearance box
• 3/8″ Picot Plush Back Elastic
• Nude Foam Lining Cups

The Options I Chose

• strappy-back bra
• shirt length
• hemmed shirt
• low-cut underarms
• sewn-in bra cups

What I Did Differently

• Ditched the bottom elastic band on the bra and cut out a 2.75 x 24.5 strip of swim to attach as a band. I loathe elastic, and my modest endowment lets me get away with a fabric band instead.
• Graded the overlay pieces from XS to S.
• I did ~0.5″ hem on the shirt instead of 0.75″.
• I trimmed ~0.25″ off the bottom of the bra, mostly to even up the raw edges of the main, lining, and mesh for attaching the band.

Notes for Next Time

• When in doubt, definitely utilize wash-away wondertape. I used it to hem the underarms and that was a very good idea.
• I did NOT use wondertape on the straps though; I didn’t feel it was necessary so long as I went slowly and carefully trying to catch all the layers as I was binding.
• For the middle bra layer (mesh), probably go with a 4-way stretch fabric versus a 2-way.
• I might make the bottom bra band wider.

Project Settings