Hey June Patterns Union St. Tank

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Y'alllllllllll I have been waiting for this pattern for, I don't know, 57 years? Definitely feels like it's been missing from my entire life, so that estimate seems right. You only have to hang around here for two seconds before you realize that I am obsessed with the Union St. Tee pattern. Not joking when I say I've made it nearly 30 times. I have tried hacking it into a tank top and it just never worked out. Luckily, Adrianna heard me crying myself to sleep at night in the summer time and delivered my dream tank pattern!

The Union St. Tank has all that flowy goodness you love in the Tee, but with no sleeves. The fabric I chose is Hot Pink Bamboo/Spandex jersey from The Fabric Fairy. I love a good hot pink and this one does not disappoint. It was that magical perfect weight where it wasn't too heavy (common with bamboo) but also isn't sheer. I wore it for a hike with my kids and felt completely comfortable.

Pants are blogged here

The neck and arm bindings are sewn flat with specific instructions on when and where to apply tension, in order to minimize tunneling along the strap. If you've ever jacked up a tank top binding and ended up with a too-narrow strap (me) you will appreciate this thoughtful approach to the directions. 

I don't love sewing bindings flat though. The directions are wonderful for teaching you how to properly tension the neckband, and you do get more control sewing flat. In fact, the bands are drafted extra long so that you HAVE to sew them flat and cut off the excess. Next time, I might just calculate the right length (roughly 80% of the opening length) and sew them in the round. And then get mad at myself when I ruin the strap, ha!

I made the V-neck version, but unlike the Tee it's sewn with that little dart in the center front. This method is quite common in RTW but I've never been able to do it well. I'll probably stick with the scoop front from now on. I also did not hem and instead tacked down my seams from sewing the binding flat.

I do have a tiny beef with this pattern that I think has a reasonable explanation. The measurement chart is not the same between the Tee and the Tank. If you know you're a Small in the Tee and were hoping to make a Small in the Tank, well, hate to break it to you but you can't. The Tank is sized 0-30. The Tee is sized XXS-3X. The charts are totally different. I'm sure the explanation is that the Tank is drafted to fit into a more inclusive range, it fits a more modern chart, whatevs. It's common practice for designers to update their size charts over the years. Just make a mental note that there isn't a sizing shortcut here just because you've made the Tee before.

Old version size S Tee under size 4 Tank

For me personally, I'm also still working from the old Union St. Tee, because Adrianna did update it YEARS ago. Right after I bought it. So the Tank was an even further departure from my TNT Union Tee sizing, where I make a Small. In the new Tank, I made a size 4 and I'm happy with it. I could probably size up or down depending on the look I'm after. 

I have an embarrassingly large amount of tank tops (a lot of them the more close-fitting freebie Durango Tank, also from HJ) but I'm still happy to have this one in my rotation!

I received this fabric for free in exchange for my review. I am a Hey June affiliate but paid for the pattern myself. All opinions are my own!