Things I've Sewn Lately: Colette Sorbetto (and bonus Ginger)

When I got my new iron, the first thing I wanted to do was make bias tape. 

And if you give a mouse a cookie sewist some bias tape, she'll probably want to use it right away. 

And what better for using bias tape than Colette's free Sorbetto pattern?

I bought the fabric for this top off of Etsy a few months ago for $5. There was only one yard, and I think it might reclaimed pillowcase? But I can't resist fabric with hearts on it. I made the bias tape from a white bedsheet. So all in all a very thrifty make. 

I'm also wearing my beloved (and sadly unblogged) denim Ginger skirt, made from denim I bought at Mood. It's a bit wrinkly because I wore it both days this past weekend and these pictures were taken on day two. Oops. Did I mention I love it? I'm headed back to Mood in a couple weeks and you can bet I'm going to buy denim for a second skirt. I wear this one constantly.

Anyway, Sorbetto is a super easy make. I cut mine in three different sizes (2 at bust to a 6 at waist to an 8 at hip) and added three inches. 

I also folded stitched the bias tape on the sleeve holes under. I liked the look of contrast white at the neckline, but it looked funny to me on the sleeves as well. 

You can see a little closer here. I made a little pucker on side of the neckline, but it's not very noticeable, so I'm fine with it. (No, I'm not sure what I'm doing in this picture.)

 (That's better.)

Since I had so little fabric to work with and I wanted to add length, I couldn't cut the back on the fold, so I did a seam down the center.

I used French seams throughout the garment because the fabric was fraying pretty badly after cutting, so I figured enclosed seams would be best.

Here's another shot of the Ginger. I want to make 1000 of these, it's my favorite skirt I think I've ever owned. God, I love Colette patterns. 

I'm finishing up some light blue Sewaholic Thurlow shorts right now and I think I'll make a white Sorbetto to go with them. It's a nice easy pattern and very easy to customize -- not to mention easy to wear. I highly recommend it!

A New Iron and a Garden Update

The garden is taking up most of my non-work time lately, so there hasn't been much sewing going on. Not to mention the fact that our ancient thrift-store iron finally gave up the ghost.

Ugh, excuses, right?

But! The good news is that I bought a new iron -- a Silver Star gravity feed iron. Can I just say? Amazing. It stays hot and creates steam like nobody's business. I made my own bias tape for the first time a couple days ago and it came out perfectly. Heaven. And it was only $90, which is about the same price as a nice Rowenta.

I'm so in love. To test it out, I made a Colette Sorbetto blouse (pictures to come.) That's what the bias tape was for. Since I'd never made bias tape before, I used a white sheet from the thrift shop and had a couple of false starts, but in the end, it came out just as I wanted. And so much softer than the store-bought stuff!

Finished bias tape

While the new iron has been amazing, the garden is what's taking up most of my time.

Baby tomatoes!

Baby bell pepper!

Baby cucumbers!

... and not-so-baby cucumbers. Those things get huge in a hurry!

And then they become pickles! I've made four pints of pickle slices so far and I envision more in my future. We've been eating lots of salad and I just took four cucumbers out to my parents and we still have two and a half in the refrigerator.

The basil is also growing gangbusters. I've also made pesto twice; we've got three cups of it in the freezer already.

Summer's the best, isn't it? And it's only July!