Here’s a fun Gemma mod I’ve been wearing for nearly a year but never blogged: a Gemma Tank with a ruffle. You’re in luck if you want to make one of your own because I’m posting a tutorial for how to add a ruffle to Gemma along with this post….simultaneously! Ta-DA!

I’ve been hoarding this Liberty Tana Lawn from a trip to Purl Soho in NYC since 2010. I think I purchased this print thinking I would make a dress for Clementine but every time I thought about making her something with it the possibility of it being outright rejected prevented me from even cutting into it. What I’ve now come to understand is that it needed to be worn by someone who would be sure to love and appreciate it. (ME)

In the winter (hmmm…actually, most of the year) I wear this one with a cardigan. Sleeveless tops like Gemma and Ruby are perfect for layering under cardigans rather than trying to stuff something with a sleeve into the arms of a sweater.

Mirror Selfie from last summer:

I’m not sure if it’s even worth mentioning, but I ended up raising the waist seam by about an inch after taking some of these photos. If the waist seam hits me too low on my torso, it makes the overall proportions of a garment look odd.

Here’s a “before:”

And here’s the “after” (higher waist seam):

Can’t tell the difference? Yeah, I get that. They both look fine, but for whatever reason I got hung up on it. In fact, looking at the photos in this post now I find I prefer the longer ones. TOO LATE! So the moral of this story is: you can make something shorter, but it’s a hell of a lot harder to make it longer.

You can check out the tutorial for how to add a ruffle to Gemma for an easy how-to, or buy the Gemma pattern in my shop!

Liberty Gemma Tank with ruffle

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