Jalie’s Michelle 3911 Grabbing the End of Summer

The idea started with a lightweight cotton batik and a hot summer.  It ended with a cool, sleeveless pull-on top using Jalie’s Michelle 3911.

Here’s Jalie’s description of this one:

Sewing pattern for breezy tank and dress

• Rounded V neck
• Straps wide enough to cover bra straps
• Double-layer style (A) (that allows you to use those sheer fabrics in your stash)
• Tank with a facing (B) (for opaque fabrics)
• Dress with bodice finished like tank A and a roomy above-knee skirt (with pockets) that starts just above natural waist (C).

I chose to make a tank (B) with a facing as shown in red on the cover.  After pre-washing my fabric, it was an easy cut, and the only alteration I made was to lengthen the bodice by 1 inch (as usual).  My shoulders have rounded quite a bit over the last few years, but the low back didn’t lend themselves to that alteration.  (the back and the front use the same pattern piece and are identical).

What I LOVE about this Pattern

It was easy to cut, and super easy to sew.  The large facing made the front and back rounded v-neck simple. I absolutely LOVED the way the shoulder straps were joined, brilliant!  With room for personallized adjustments. Double brilliant! I love the width of the straps, too!  They’re wider than the straps of the sports bras I make and wear. 

   I did cheat a bit though.  I’m a frugal sewing enthusiast and chose to add a center seam to both facings to save fabric.  (You can’t tell from the outside).  I also “just” finished the bottom edges of the facing with a 4-thread overlock serger stitch.  

The narrow hem suited the lightweight fabric perfectly.

With 28 sizes included, this pattern, Jalie’s Michelle 3911, for either a tank or a dress is really versatile.  I made the size “W” and the fit is perfect. 

But:

I don’t see this style as flattering on me.  It’s ok.  I wore it a few times, but have concluded that this style is not me. At my age. When I look at the photos of my modelling it, I see my grandmother’s upper arm dimpled skin.  I see my bra at the front armhole.  I see my round (untanned, lol) back.  I see the front hem sticking out like the maternity tops I wore 40 years ago. I could have tucked one side in, but then the view of my “mummy-tummy” bugged me.   Here are the pics so you can see as well.  Worn with Jalie’s Renee 4018 Ponte Pants, which ended up being my uniform this summer, both in full length and capri length.

Read the capri post here.

and the pocket post here

and my first post, the introduction here

In Conclusion:

I think most of us choose garments that we see as flattering to our bodies. And I must admit that I’m my worst critic.  (well maybe not my WORST)  But I’m up there.  I loved my grandmother but thought her upper arms were strange.  Now I have those upper arms.

I don’t want to see my bra peeking out of a garment. But, that can be fixed by adding about a half inch to the lower front armhole.  

A softer fabric would have prevented the front from sticking out.

I don’t have a solution for the round, untanned upper back.  However, as long as the neck opening is large enough for my head to fit through, I can “hack” the pattern to make a different shape for the back, much higher so I can do a “round shoulder adjustment”.  As our bodies age, they change.  It’s a challenge, but there’s always a solution.

I’m still glad I sewed this tank, and thank you Jalie for providing Michelle Tanks and Dress 3911 to me at no charge in exchange for this blog post.   I’m going to make it again, with alterations for my aging body, in a softer more draping fabric, and I’ll post about it when I do.