Pony Tank Ruffle Band Hack Tutorial

The Pony Tank has been in our pattern library for a few years now but was just updated last fall to include our full 0-30 size range. Olivia (find her on IG @designsbyohm) is one of our talented collaborators and has put together a fun tutorial for this ruffle band Pony hack. Find all the details below.

The Pony Tank is such a staple pattern for your wardrobe! It has a flowy drape, and teaches you new skills- like sewing a v-neck neckband on knits! I wanted to add a playful little extra to my Pony Tanks, so I created an armband ruffle. This ruffle is between the notches on the armband/armscye and just adds a cute little detail.

Olivia wears a pink Pony Tank with ruffle arm band and jean shorts.

Fabric

What is really fun about this ruffle, is that it will look different depending on what fabric you use. I made 2 Pony tanks with this hack. One was made using Bamboo/Cotton Rib Knit (Color: Mykonos Blue, from Stonemountain and Daughter Fabrics) and the ruffle stood up a bit more and was more structured. My other Pony Tank was made using Hemp & Organic Cotton Jersey (Color: Terra, from Stonemountain and Daughter Fabrics) and the ruffle is much softer and relaxed.

Olivia stands in front of a pond and wears a blue ruffle band tank top with jean shorts.

Olivia stands in front of a pond and wears a pink ruffle band tank top with jean shorts.

What You’ll Need

Pony or Mini Pony Tank Pattern (this hack would be so cute on the Mini Pony too)
A straight ruler
A curved ruler
Addtional paper & tape

Tutorial

Here’s how I did it! First I assembled my PDF pattern pieces and cut them out. Grab your ruler and measure the distance between the two outermost notches on the armband.

A ruler and armband pattern piece lays on a blue cutting mat.

Take that measurement and multiply it by 1.5. I rounded my measurement to 8.5, so 8.5 x 1.5 = 12.75. That number is the new distance you’ll need between those notches. I slashed at the center notch, put a piece of paper under the pattern piece, and spread so the armband had that added length. Don’t forget to re-mark the new center notch.

A ruler and new arm band are shown on tracing paper.

I used my french curve ruler to create the curve for the ruffle. It should peak at the center notch, and meet back up with the band at the outer notches. I winged it and adjusted freehand until I liked the shape.

A curve ruler is shown on an armband pattern piece and tracing paper.

Mirror this so your armband has a curve on the top and bottom. It helps to fold the paper and half and cut around your shape so they are the same. I traced mine onto a new paper, but skip this step if you want.

The newly traced ruffle band pattern piece is shown on a blue cutting mat.

You can now cut out your pieces like usual. You may need a few extra inches of fabric to make it fit. You’ll also follow step 11 in the Pony Tutorial to assemble the band. (Sew short ends together, press seam allowance open, fold in half with wrong sides together and press).

A pink ruffle armband piece is shown folded in half.

Then you can baste with a wide zig zag on the normal part of the band, stopping at the notches. Between the notches and following the curve, create two rows of gathering stitches.