Our new Tella Tie Tank is out just in time for summer! Tella is a quick, relaxed tank, perfect for workouts, layering with bralettes, tucking, tying – really however you want to style it! Tella is best suited for lightweight knits with good drape, and if you’re using it as a workout top, look for fabrics that are breathable as well. Tella is finished with a narrow binding OR narrow bands, and you can choose from tons of options – 3 different necklines (low, scoop, high), 3 different armscyes (low, scoop, high), and 4 hem lengths (crop, high hip, shirt, high low shirt).

Want even more options? As usual, we have a few quick and easy hacks for you!

Dress Hack

 

Who else saw Tella and wanted to make it a dress? I know I can’t be the only one! Here’s a quick way to make it a dress by mashing it with the Alana pattern.

What you’ll need for this mash is the Tella pattern + Alana pattern, both graded per your measurements. I use a projector so have traced both patterns to tracing paper to show here.

NOTE: For this mash, you’ll want to use the high armscye of Tella to line up the patterns to start.

We’ll need to create new front and back pieces. I’ll be starting with the front first. Lay the front pattern piece for Alana down on your cutting table. Then lay the Tella front on top lining up both pattern pieces along the fold (pink line). Line up the armscye of Alana with the high armsyce of Tella (pink star). You’ll find that Tella is a bit wider. If you are wanting to make the high armscye, you’re good to move on.

If you’d like to follow the mid or low armscye of Tella, place pattern weights down to hold everything in place. Fold Alana (the lower pattern) down to get it out of the way. You can now cut out whichever Tella armscye and neckline you’d like. You’ll follow the pink line to cut according to the Tella bodice and blue for Alana skirt.

Repeat the same steps for the back. You can use the Tella racerback or scoop back, just make sure to cut the same armscye you cut for the front. Cut your armscye and neckline binding or bands according to Tella. Follow the tutorial to finish construction according to Tella. Hem your dress using a 1/2″ hem allowance.

Enjoy your new dress! -Katie

-Katie

Side Tie Hack

Hi everyone, Kelly here to show you a super easy hack for your Tella Tank to have open sides with ties under your arms.   This hack makes the tank super flowy with the sides not being sewn together and it’s just perfect for the summer.  It is the cutest and is surprisingly easy to accomplish!

First off, to get a clean finish on your ties you will want to use the binding pieces.  Start by cutting your bodice front and back pieces, as well as your neck binding, just like they are in the files.

The only piece you will alter is the armscye binding.   You will be making this longer – long enough to tie a bow and still have tails to hang down as well.  Doubling the binding length is a good rule of thumb.  I made it easy and just extended the binding the width of my fabric (so they ended up about 60″ each).  I am a size Red so if you’re a smaller size, you can get away with making shorter ties if you would like.

Make sure that you mark the original end of the binding piece onto your fabric.  We’re not sewing the binding piece into a circle like we normally would so these points needs to be marked onto your fabric.  I like to mark the fold here as well on my fabric now so I’m not having to do this later.

The first step in assembling your side tie Tella tank hack is sewing the shoulder seams as shown in the tutorial.

Next, you will NOT sew the side seams.   Instead, take the side seams and fold them back 1/2″ to the wrong side and topstitch (or coverstitch or zig-zag) the seam.

Take your tank and find the quarter points of one of the armscyes. Fold one open side up to the shoulder seam and mark the point.  Do the same for the other side and other armscye.

We’re going to do the same for the binding pieces, marking the quarter points. Because the side seams  of the tank will remain open, you will actually have 5 points marked on the bindings.

Match the points on the binding piece up with the points on the armscye.  For the marks that match up to the edge of the side seam, nudge the binding over 1/2″ past the edge.  We didn’t take a 1/2″ off of this portion like we would have if we had made the binding into a circle, so we can move that 1/2″ past the edge.

Sew the binding following the directions for binding in the tutorial.  I like to use my coverstitch for binding, so I need to start and end my coverstitching at the edges of the armscye, otherwise the backside of the coverstitch will show on the ties.

Fold the remainder of the binding closed by pulling each side to the middle and folding it over.  (If you use a stretch stitch to sew your binding, you can do this step while you’re pinning your binding in place and just continue the stretch stitch without stopping at the edge of the armscye.)

Use a stretch/zig-zag stitch to close the tie.

The end can be left as is or you can fold over the edge and stitch across to hold it in place, or you can simply knot the end.

Finish the neckline binding and bottom hem by following the tutorial.  I like to tack the middle of the bow by hand once I’ve tied it so that it won’t come undone after moving around for a bit (ask me how I know that that can happen!).

I love this hack.  The ties at the side seam are fun and unexpected.  It shows just a little bit of skin in a flirty way and helps to keep you cool at the same time.

-Kelly

Open Side Hack

Hi everyone, Kelly here to show you a super easy hack to do to your Tella Tank to have open sides.  This hack is so amazing for the summer to keep you cool or for any special event where you want to show a bit of skin and a nice lacey or strappy bralette.

The beauty of this hack is that you do not need to alter the patten pieces in any way.  So go ahead and cut out your bodice front and back and choose whether you’ll be doing binding or bands.

The first step you’re going to do is sew the shoulder seams as shown in the tutorial.

Next, do NOT sew the side seams as the tutorial shows.   Instead, take the side seams and fold them back 1/2″ and topstitch (or coverstitch or zig-zag) the seam.

Next you’ll take your side seams and butt them together so you can baste them together with a zig-zag stitch right down the side seams for about 1/2″ down.

From here you will follow the rest of tutorial for either binding or banding the armholes and neckline.

Lastly, hem your tank and give it a good press!  Enjoy your new favorite summer tank and prepare to make enough to fill your closet.

-Kelly

We hope you love sewing and styling your new Tella tank, whether you’re planning to dress it up or keep it casual at the gym. Don’t forget to share with us on Insta and in our FB group!