The Tuck Tank Tunic — Vogue 9317

The studio working name for this new Spring 18 Marcy Tilton pattern is 'The Tuck Tank Tunic'. Vogue 9317 is versatile, flattering, fun to sew, easy to fit and designed for both knit and woven fabrics. For the pattern envelope we used a polka dot Japanese double gauze, a drapey red rayon/lycra jersey and white handkerchief linen. Choose a fabric with drape - silk or rayon crepe, light weight ponte, linen blends. The piecing lends itself to color blocking - and I've been imagining a version in stripes with the stripes going different ways in the pattern pieces...or using a collage of different but related stripes.

Japanese Double Cotton Gauze




Handkerchief Linen




Rayon/Lycra Jersey

The line drawing shows the seam and tuck details and includes a two piece sleeve for a more refined fit.  

Marcy's Versions

Printed Italian cotton lawn from my stash. Truth out - I didn't have the two piece sleeve quite right, had to have the patternmaker fix my mistakes.




Light weight black cotton lawn. I'm usually reluctant to wear sleeveless clothes these days, but on the hottest summer days, this feels fantastic, and I can toss on a light black knit cardigan for a more covered look. I've worn this so often the black is beginning to fade, and I NEVER put black clothes in the dryer!




Gray linen knit from last season. For spring/summer'18, I collected as many linen (and hemp/cotton) knits as I could find for our current Linen Knit collection.

Construction tips:

• Before cutting out the pattern, take the time to lay out the pieces the way they will go together. See the photo below.
• I do the same thing after the fabric is cut, placing the front and back of the garment with the pieces placed like a jigsaw puzzle.
• For knits, a walking foot makes the sewing easy and hassle free.
• For all seams: stitch seams, then serge seams together, then press in one direction
• The neck edge is finished with a single layer bias (for wovens), or crossgrain knit (for knits) facing that is turned to the inside and finishes at approx ⅜” depending on the thickness of your fabric. While you’ll find a pattern piece for the neck and armhole binding, I suggest you ignore the pattern pieces and cut your own.

Marking

• Transfer the matching notches AND the dots and arrows that indicate the tucks which are sewn in place once the garment is completed.
• Use tailor tacks in different colors as a key to see which direction to fold the tuck.
• With dressmaker pencil, marking the wrong side, making a dot for the tuck placement, drawing in a little arrow to indicate the direction of the tuck.

Different ways you can sew the tucks: (add, change or eliminate tucks as you want!)

• with a short ¼” satin stitch
• with a bar tack
• by hand using a bar tack or XXX’s
• with tiny buttons

Tips for Sewing Linen Knits

• I use a walking foot for most of the machine stitching.
• To prevent seams from stretching when stitching on the cross grain, use 1” strips of Totally Stable, a soft fusible stabilizer intended for machine embroidery.
• Fusing is not necessary, just place the stabilizer on top, (you can sew on either side of the stabilizer), either way, using it is easy and results in clean smooth seams and hems.
• Stitch using the stabilizer on top, then tear away.

Layers Well With the Pocket Vest, Vogue 9322