Pony Tank and Mave Skirt

Hi sewing friends! As usual, at the end of Summer I’ve gotten the itch to sew more Summer clothes. Does this happen to you? We should still have a few more weeks of weather warm enough to wear shorts, skirts, and Summer dresses so I haven’t shifted to cooler weather sewing just yet.

I felt like I needed some new knit tank tops so I decided to make another couple of Chalk + Notch Pony tanks. I made one a few years ago and I really like the pattern, but I have to admit that I got lazy about sewing that v-neck so I only made the one. I decided it was finally time to take the extra 2 minutes to sew the v-neck and I made myself a new solid navy Pony and a striped one that I’ll have to show off later.

Since I made my first Pony tank the pattern has been updated with an expanded size range. It’s available in sizes 0-30 with 2 bust cup options. It goes up to 58″ bust and 59″ hip. It also has a cropped view that was a new addition. My first one wasn’t getting much wear because it was feeling too long so I chopped off a few inches and re-hemmed it. I like it even more in the shorter length. For this navy Pony, I cut at the cropped length but added an inch for my height.

I also decided to go up a size from my first Pony. This one is a size 10, based on my full bust measurement. My high bust is actually closer to the size 12 but this fabric is really stretchy and I like the fit. The fabric I used is a tencel blend jersey that I got from Goldie Olding Fabrics. It is very nice fabric and I only needed a yard to make this tank! Yay!

I blended out to a size 12 at the hem area for my tank. But then I decided that I wanted it to be a little less swingy so I slashed and overlapped the pattern to take out about an inch of ease from the bust down on the front and back pieces. I probably could have just cut a straight size 10 to get a similar effect. Oh well!

My skirt is the True Bias Mave skirt. The pattern comes in 2 size ranges 0-18 and 14-30. (Up to 50.5″ waist and 59.5″ hip.)I tested this pattern but I don’t think I ever posted my test version on the blog. I love the pattern so I made another one right away. This one is actually my third and I’ve since made a 4th Mave! I’ll have to get photos of those other two because I love both of them a whole lot.

I bought this fabric designed by Katie Kortman from D&H Fabrics a few years ago. I knew I wanted to make it into a skirt but I couldn’t ever decide on which pattern to use. I’m so glad that I decided on the Mave skirt for it! I love the cute ruffle. The fabric is so fun and I think this flirty silhouette is perfect for it.

I made one construction change when I sewed this Mave. I modified the pocket pattern piece so that it was tall enough to anchor the top of the pocket into the waistband. I always prefer to have an inseam pocket that won’t flap around from the front to the back while I’m wearing the garment. (There is a tutorial on the True Bias blog for how to make this change if you haven’t done it before.)

My skirt is a size 12 graded to a 16 at the hips. I added about 2.5″ (I think) to the length for my height. I used all of the fabric I had when I made this or I probably would have made it another inch longer. I love that this pattern has so many options included for different lengths and different amounts of tiers (or no tiers at all!) It’s a fun sew and a fun pattern to wear.

Thanks for reading!

~Teri

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