- Pattern: Sorbetto Top by Colette Patterns
- Size: 0
- Fabric: 3/4 yard of 60″ wide Liberty “Suria” Tana Lawn from Brooklyn General; underlined with white voile
- Notions: White bias tape (one package)
- Alterations: Lowered the bust darts 1″; lengthened the top 3″
- Tip: To save paper, you don’t need to print the last page of the pattern section and, if you’re one of the smaller sizes, you don’t need to print out the second page
Oh boy, has it been roasty toasty these past few days. Temperatures have been hitting the 90s (30s C) and after a nice cookout on Saturday with family, I decided to spend Sunday sewing away.
And, look, a one day creation from me! Yes! It’s so nice to tackle a simple sewing project every once in awhile, especially when time is short and you want to take a break from a more involved project.
That’s where the Sorbetto top from Colette Patterns comes in. Free download, yippy! This is actually a top I never thought I’d make since I tend to shy away from more loose-fitting designs (I’m a fan of waist definition!). However, I realized this would be a great piece to tuck in to skirts that hit at my natural waist, such as the pencil skirt I’m wearing in these photos.
The loose fit and the sleeveless design also work really well for humid New York summers. Don’t get me wrong, summer is my favorite season, but tops like this sure do help get through the heat!
There’s another thing I’m happy about: a fast turn around on a fabric purchase. Do you remember this one? I bought it at the Colette Spring Party held at Brooklyn General back in March.
It’s my first Liberty buy and seeing how it’s pretty pricey, I only bought one yard of it (with the 20% discount I received for wearing my Colette Oolong, it came to $28 – not too bad for a nice new top!).
I knew I wanted to make a Colette pattern with it and even though I would’ve been able to squeeze a Sencha out of this small amount of yardage, the Sorbetto won out in the end. As others have blogged about this top before, it comes together very easily and quickly. And that’s coming from someone who takes awhile sewing things up. :)
Because the fabric is a wee bit sheer, I decided to underline the top with white voile remnants from the underlining of my Parfait dress. I had to create center back and front seams with the underlining to squeak out enough fabric (I’m determined to use what I have when I can!) and I also pinked the edges. I didn’t underline the pleat because I liked the layering of flowers between layers – it adds nice texture, yes indeed.
My size with Colette varies with each pattern, but since this top is loose I decided to make things easy and go with a straight size 0. I’m happy to report that this worked out just fine. I also took the advice of some other bloggers and lengthened the top 3″, although since I only plan on wearing this tucked in I think the original length would’ve been fine (it’s nice to have the longer option though).
I ended up lowering the bust darts 1″ and this worked out well. I’m pretty sure I remember reading others saying that the bust darts on this pattern are high (actually, I think I’ve read that comment for a few Colette patterns).
Check out how sturdy these Citi Bikes are! All parked in its little holder thingy, but not budging an inch as I hopped aboard for a photo shoot op. If you’re not familiar with these bikes, they were installed around parts of Manhattan and Brooklyn in May for people to rent and bike around town. I remember seeing ones like these in Sweden 10 years ago and now here we are in the Big Apple, here we are. :)
I used French seams at the shoulder and side seams, and I love the clean finish! The neckline and armholes are finished with white bias tape. You know, I’m not entirely sure I attached them the way the instructions told me to, but it came out just fine. Part of me thinks I should have made self-fabric bias tape, hmmm…
And that’s a wrap! It sure was nice to have a photographer chum on hand to help take outdoor photos. :-D
I have plans to make another Sorbetto in a solid, which will give me an opportunity to test some fabric manipulation at the pleat that I’ve been reading about in one of my books. Should be fun times.
Very nice version of the Sorbetto. I just downloaded and sewed and posted about my first one last week, for the Pyjama Party, I used it as a Pajama top.
Thanks! And I just left a comment on your blog, but it works so well with the Tofino pajamas! And Kitty too, of course. :)
Love it! Color suits you to a tee.
Thank you mucho! :)
Hi, I am loving your cool Sorbetto. I wish I had read your post before making my Sorbetto – I def need to lower the bust darts in my next version. Here is mine:http://carolinejoynson.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/black-and-white-stripy-sorbetto.html
Oooo, I like the stripes with the bold bias tape print! Very nice. Yeah, the high bust dart and short length of the top were two things I had read about. Sometimes it’s hard to catch these things before sewing the pattern up though!
This pattern seems to get an awful lot of credit which isn’t due to it. Everyone seems to lengthen it, move the dart and have to make alterations to it. Basically people use it as a block and have to do a lot of work on it. New designs are still called sorbetto even though they have greatly improved on it and with sleeves etc no longer resemble the original. I don’t like the pleat, and the top is too short and too big. If the smallest size is so roomy then that is even more work in reducing that down.
I spent a lot of time putting the thing together and the pieces didn’t all match up perfectly either – with a big gap on one of them. I wish I could just buy a woven tank pattern in the commercial patterns to save all this fuss but it is hard to find one that isn’t for knits. I am not willing to risk lots of money on a pattern that needs a lot of work from an independent as many of them seem to produce patterns with a lot of issues. Okay I know people can’t work straight from the big 4 companies either, but at least you are not paying over the odds for it. A free pattern that costs so much in time and frustration, is not such a gift in the end!