Sorbetto, x3

As I've been mentioning / posting, I've been on a clothes-for-me sewing kick lately. I've been particularly taken with the (free!) Sorbetto pattern from Colette Patterns. Not only is the pattern easy and adorable, it doesn't take a ton of fabric and goes super quick! I wanted to try it a while ago, but instead of making a muslin (since my first try at a Colette pattern, the Chantilly, required no adjustments), I decided to make it out of leftover fabrics from a previous project. I used the same fabrics as my birthday dress, and decided to make the first top as part of some summer pjs for me (along with the [also free!] Madeleine mini-bloomers). Well. The first try was a complete success, as were the bloomers! This outfit, which I will *not* be modeling out of modesty, is completely adorable and perfect for these hot summer nights we've been having. I couldn't have been more pleased!

So, with the success of that (perfect fit! no changes!) I decided to sew through some AMH voile I had on hand. I have SO MUCH fabric that I've been buying over the years, earmarking it for future projects--as in, "this will be a skirt! that will be a top!"--and then either pre-washing and then folding it away, or just folding it away. And then accruing more fabric. This is a vicious cycle, which has resulted in me being completely overwhelmed every time I step into my sewing area now, so I'm doing what I can to sew through much of what I have on hand without buying more / new fabric. I have made some sizeable yardage purchases recently from my LQS, and I'm happy to report that I've sewn through both! But that's a future post... For the time being, I'm showing you my Little Folks voile top that I love love love. I wore it to work last week with a little black skirt and felt like "business lady (tm)"--in a good way.

Over the weekend, I made yet another one. For these last two I've been making my own bias tape from the same fabric. Hey, it matches, it's the same weight, and it is so easy to do (why was I always so resistant to this?!). I'm also applying it using a nifty little method I learned from Anna Maria Horner. It's in her Socialite Dress pattern, but I believe she uses the same method for the smock top that's in her first book. This top is a little different in that I omitted the pleat, which was super simple. I felt the fabric was busy enough already, and I have this problem of continually making the same project (ahem), so thought this would help add a little variety to my closet. I'm making myself make other things next--a forced break from the Sorbetto. It's going to be hard, because these are so easy, and cute, and fun to wear. Still, there's a lot more fabric to sew through, and a lot more patterns to work up, too. More tk soon...