Sorbetto Top - Tips, Tricks, and Tangles

by Erin

I am a big follower of all things by Colette Patterns.  Their patterns have a updated vintage feel and as I work with them I always learn something new.  Usually that new item helps me to slow down and create a nice beautiful finish for my garment, which is shown here in the free pattern by Colette, the Sorbetto Top.  The neck line and arm holes are finished in bias tape, which creates a polished and clean finish.  Making my own bias tape was a new one for me, but I used Colette's bias tape tutorial, and I was truly surprised at how well it worked.  Although that 1/2" bias tape maker is a must have!

Sorbetto Top in Laura's garden

Here is me wearing my first Sorbetto top.  I used Anna Maria Horner's Little Folks viole.  I love the sweet scalloped stripes, and it didn't take too much extra effort to make sure I had a stripe running down the middle, because there is a fold right there.  The pattern went together easily, although I needed to go one size down than the recommended pattern measurements.  I usually find this true of Colette patterns.

As soon as I was finished with the first I had ideas for the second.  I wanted to do some embellishments along the pleats and I thought I could finish the hem with bias tap as well.   I picked a funky, flowy, double gauze Kokka fabric with various woodland creatures (not recommended, I'll tell you why in a few) on it and found a sweet little lacy embellishment for along the pleat.

The embellishment slips under the pleat for a more dressy look.

See the narrow line to sew on?

This is the embellishment.  As you can see the actual stitchable part is quite small.  So I knew that I really needed to be careful.  The first time I tried to sew this on was a bit of a disaster.  I pinned the embellishment under the pleat and carefully sewed down the edge of it.  Of course when I went back to check over it, there was about two inches of the embellishment that didn't catch.  Rip out!  The next time I did it, I decided not to rely on pins, but to just take it slow and make sure the embellishment was in place by hand.

That was the ticket.  My lines were straight and my embellishments were sweet and simple.

And now for the not so great news.  I mentioned earlier that I don't recommend using this fabric for this project, as awesome as it is.  This fabric is a double gauze, which means it is two gauzy pieces of fabric lightly sewn together.  I know it is faint, but you may be able to see the small stitches below.

Anyway, since two pieces of fabric are stitched together it made it quite difficult to make and sew the bias tape, because if I had to fiddle with it at all, the pieces would begin to come apart.  Which made for a few (more than a few) instances like this when I sewed the bias to the shirt.

Bias tape that didn't catch.

I did my best to keep them in check, but after a while I just gave up and definitely threw out the notion of using bias tape as a hem!  But I must say, it looks good from afar, don't you agree?

I have still been wearing my second Sorbetto top, although I haven't washed it for fear of crazy unraveling (yes that is gross, I know).   My thought would be to use some purchased black or gray bias tape and redo it at a later date.   I'll let you know if or when that happens.

Despite my incidents with the second shirt, I really do recommend giving this shirt a try.  The body of the shirt is easy to make, the bias tape is a bit time consuming but worth it for the finished look, and the shirt looks great with about anything.  As you can see you can go casual or dressy and I know this will go great under jackets in the fall.  Don't wait, summer is coming to a close and you are going to want to wear this shirt!