My Closet: Bikes and Top Hats!

Hello friends!

I've been holding out on you.  It's true.  I once upon a time (around November of 2011) made a shirt, that I was so excited about.  And I was reading lots of sewing blogs and thought to myself, "Well, gosh!  Maybe I should start one too, because then I would get to share things like the shirt I just made!! And, maybe people would give me tips and hints, and say lovely things about my creations (because lets be honest, we all love a little praise and love from our fellow sewists!)"

So I started this blog.  I had so much fun getting it started that I totally forgot to blog about the shirt.  It was my very first Sorbetto!  I made it from a cotton fabric that I had gotten in my grandma's enormous stash of fabric!  I actually had to fight over this particular fabric with my dad, and he only relented when I promised that I would make him something out of it as well!  Which, reminds me that I need to still do that.  My dad liked this fabric so much because it has old fashioned bikes on it.  Along with the old bikes, there are men in top hats, and ladies in big dresses; the print really is fabulous.

I've enlarged the photo in hopes that you can get a better look at the print

I have a few things that I wish I would have known before making the shirt, but hindsight is always 20/20, yes?  I didn't bother making a muslin of this shirt because I thought the pattern looked simple enough that I would be able to make any necessary changes to the fashion fabric itself.  It's true, I was able to make all the changes that I wanted, except one.  For some reason, once you've cut out fabric, you can't make it grow longer if the shirt is too short, boo.  It's not necessarily too short, but I don't like my belly skin to flash if I move wrong, and this shirt could use another inch or two, but I've had fun finding things to layer it with.

Other than the length, this garment is wonderful!  I did all french seams, so the inside looks great, and the cotton itself is incredibly soft, heavy, and has a great drape to it.  I probably would have made a skirt out of the fabric instead of a shirt, if I'd had enough yardage.

Bikes!

Do you have any specific item of clothing that inspired you to start your blog?  What blogs do you find that have the most inspiration to keep you blogging and sewing?

On a slightly different note, but seeking feedback please!!  Do you any of you bloggers have any great resources for getting better at photography?  Books, blogs, tutorials?  Please send ideas my way if you have any.  Thanks!

P.S.  You can now Follow my blog with Bloglovin.