More self-timer shots in my kitchen. Lucky you. |
Sorbetto II is a yoke design without the central front pleat. More of which after the jump:....
The fabric probably cost about £1.50 in total. The bottom half is a pinstripe shirting for £1/m from a shop in Walthamstow Market. I didn't realise until I got it home that is has a slight horizontal stretch due to some elastic content: it's pretty perfect for this top as a result, and super comfortable. I expect the fabric must have been a roll-end from manufacturing fitted women's work-wear blouses; I've worn similar fabrics in H&M shirts.
The top yoke is some white cotton printed with white flowers and holes in it. The man in the shop said it was called "chicken fabric" but then he said a lot of things. Sadly Mr Chicken-Fabric did not survive a pre-wash and tumble dry as well as expected, so I think I've just made myself a handwash top. I wanted a lace yoke, but all the (cheap) lace I could find on our expedition to London was much too plasticky or too heavy, so this was the next best thing. It was £2/m, but I used just a tiny corner of my 1m. What on earth should I make with the remaining 0.75m of chicken fabric now?!
I made bias binding from the shirting to bind the armholes and neckline, but it was a right pain to apply as the holes in the white fabric kept catching in my binding foot. Stay-stitching the neck and armholes was an absolute must with the stretchy-holey-chickeny-stuff, and I also applied 6/8" strips of fusible to the seam allowances at the shoulder and side seams. I hope this will stop those seams stretching out of shape as I wear it.
To make the yoke style, I folded away the extra fabric used to make the pleat, then I slashed my pattern horizontally across the back and bust (just above the bust dart) and added 5/8" seam allowances to both pieces along this new seam. I cut the back yoke as a single piece to avoid too many chicken-y seams. However, I kept the CB seam in the lower part of the back where it's needed for shaping. The pattern matching across this seam could be better, but I had a feeling it wasn't going to be the worst aspect of the construction.
It turns out that the worst aspect was that I forgot to fold away the 5/8" seam allowance on the CB seam when I cut the back yoke out, so it's 1 1/4" too wide. What a looser. Shhhh dont tell anyone.
Apparently I look pretty grumpy today. |
I'm pretty happy with the effect of this new top. It's pleasingly nautically inspired with the blue and white colours and pinstripes. It's also quite stretchy and comfortable for a woven top.
I might yoke-it-up again for another sorbetto. The yoke seems an excellent place to get away with a bit of quilting cotton print madness without suffering its terrible drape. However, I think the actual next sorbetto effort might be with sleeves. Loose sleeveless tank tops are not hugely flattering on me.
I love it!.....I may have to copy this idea....xx
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