I actually can’t even believe I pulled this one off. I was able to make a tank top for myself and boxers for my husband out of a single yard of fabric. There was nothing but a small handful of scraps to spare, which is a blessing because I wanted to make the most of this gorgeous rib knit fabric from Indie Sew. Let me tell you about the Kila Tank pattern by Allie Olson and the Comox Trunks by Thread Theory Designs. You’ll definitely want to pick up these patterns and find your favorite yard of knit fabric. I’ll even let you peek at my winning layout of all the pattern pieces.
The Details
- Fabric is Luxe Rib Knit 2×1 in Heather Charcoal (51″ wide) from Indie Sew
- Tank top pattern is Kila Tank by Allie Olson
- Boxers pattern is Comox Trunks by Thread Theory Designs
- Size 8 tank in the bust and waist, graded to size 14 at the hem. (My measurements are 36/29/45″ bust/waist/hip)
- Size 36 boxers. (He has 36″ waist)
- Schmetz Stretch needle 90/14 and a twin needle for finishing
- Waistband elastic from Amazon (bulk roll: I use this for bras too)
The Fabric
I hate to admit it but I am a sucker for getting fabric from my local outlet most of the time. The upside is that I can feel it and hold it and play around with it, but the downside is that I don’t get a lot of information about the fabric content or where it comes from. The outlet prices are low, so it’s a hard habit to break.
Thankfully the team at Indie Sew, a much better expert in fabric, can do the vetting for me. This was my first fabric purchase from them and they have my full trust going forward. This luxe rib knit is a dreamy dream dream.
The rib knit has great stretch and really good recovery. It’s a wonderful match for both of these patterns since they’ll be worn close to the body. I can’t really explain it, but it just feels so good to put on. It’s squishy and bouncy. My RTW gray tank (which will now go into the giveaway pile) stretches out as I put it on, and then it’s already a little baggy. This luxe knit feels snug as a bug in a rug (maybe I should use that phrase for my husband’s boxers instead – heyooo!)
Pattern Puzzle Pieces
The proof! You can see in the image below that there is not a lot of wiggle room here. I cut everything in one layer. Anything that was cut on the fold is mirrored with tissue paper, and I traced duplicates on scrap paper as well. The only piece that is not pictured below is the second arm binding which is the piece in the upper right of the frame. I just doubled that long strip with the space just above.
Note that if you give this a try and you or your partner are any larger than a size 8 tank or size 36 boxer, you may need more than one yard. There’s my disclaimer, ok? Also note that my size 8 tank grades out to a size 14 in the hip, which means you likely have room to go a size up in either pattern and still have enough space.
The Kila Tank
This pattern is a winner in both fit and construction. I spent more time playing with the layout and cutting the pattern pieces than I did sewing the thing! It came together in a fast 45 minutes or so.
I really liked learning this new binding technique. Apparently it’s used in RTW because it’s efficient as hell. To bind the neck and arm holes, you hold the strip of binding in your right hand as you sew/serge right sides together, stretching the binding slightly, as seen in the first photo below. In the other photos, the hole in the center is the neck and the C’s on the sides are the arms. You can see how much extra binding length is leftover. Even if I over-stretched a bit, it still wears nicely. Just trim off the excess and sew up the side seams. I sewed all the construction seams on my beloved Juki serger, and then the finishing seams with a twin needle on my regular machine. Love it.
The Comox Trunks
So sorry my husband was not available to model these, but he loves them and wears them often! I’m betting in a few days he’ll be hinting for some duplicates. Honestly, I should just make a bunch, because they are comfy on me too!
I was happy to try out a new stitch on my vintage machine! I sewed these on my Singer 603 and my serger. If you’re curious about my setup, you can read more about my sewing space and machines here. My vintage machine has the option for some fun decorative stitches by using these black cams (they look like gears) and you swap them out according to what kind of stitch you prefer. I went with the triple zig zag stitch and I just love the look of it on these squishy bound seams. I also found that my Purple Thang (in the photo below) was really helpful in guiding the layers of fabric under the presser foot. It’s a plastic stick with a curved end that I use to move fabric while keeping my fingers away from the needle, turning straps, etc. I love that little tool with a silly name!
Vintage cams for stitch options 
Sewing binding
The fit on these is good! Somehow they fit both my husband and me, haha. I was really nervous once I attached the elastic and hemmed them because I thought for sure they would be too short for my husband’s liking. His RTW boxers fall a few inches longer than these. It was a happy moment when he tried them on and he said he loved them. They also somehow didn’t look so short on him, maybe because they were a lil more cheeky on me since I fill out the rear.
Final Thoughts
Yes, I’ll be making these patterns again. Yep, I’ll make them at the same time and use my fabric-saving layout. Yes, I love the luxe rib knit fabric. All the yeses! I hope at the very least this info inspires you to play with pattern piece placement or combining patterns to get the most out of your precious fabric!