Weekend sewing > weekday sewing. I don’t remember the last time I’ve churned out two items of clothing within a four-day span, and it feels gooood. On an average weekday, I might break into a cold sweat at the thought of making and applying bias tape sometime in between an after-work run and dinner. This glorious morning, I sat with a cup of coffee while listening to Marc Maron’s charming neurotic rants, happily pinning bias tape to the edges of my nearly finished Sorbetto #2. Having nowhere to be and nothing to do on Sunday mornings has become my favorite (non)pastime. That and screaming at the TV during World Cup games. I had no clue soccer was so full of drama and biting! Anywho, on to the garment:

I’m a big fan of the structured, polished crop tops that have been dominating runways and fashion blogs this summer, but I couldn’t seem to find what I envisioned (or one that was worth the $70 at Topshop). After whipping up my first Sorbetto a few days ago, I thought it might be the perfect candidate for a pattern-hack crop top.

All I did to alter the pattern (which I’d already tweaked for the last Sorbetto) was take off 3″ of length and decrease most of the flare that occurs toward the hem.

I love this Amy Butler fabric—it’s billed as a quilting cotton, and I think the added heft really helps achieve a more structured look. At 3″ shorter than the original, the length is perfect. Here, I’m wearing the top over a lightweight jersey slip dress (I’m all for the no-skin-showing crop top), but I can see pairing this with a midi skirt or even some pants or shorts if they hit high enough on the waist.

The one thing I dislike about this top is the armholes. Somehow, these armholes are higher than my first Sorbetto, even though I cut them from the same pattern. I wore this top around for a few hours today, and it was comfortable, but my armpits could definitely stand for some more breathing room. I’m wondering if it just feels tighter since this top is a thicker cotton, rather than a lightweight chambray? Either way, I’m going to give it another wear and then decide whether or not I want to hack those armholes down.

Now that I’ve made a couple Sorbettos, I feel like I owe it to the ladies at Colette to cough up for a non-free pattern of theirs. Any favorites?

Hope you had a relaxing holiday weekend filled with lots of fireworks and patriotic Jell-O molds!