Bellini double take

Having made my first Bellini, I thought I’d join the Bellini Sewalong and make a peach Bellini out of some slubby silk that Mark bought me in Sri Lanka. Feeling smug about the peach Bellini thing, I raided the stash cupboard to discover that the “peach” is actually apricot. OK, an Apricot Bellini could be an interesting cocktail. Reality has set in – it’s orange!

Anyway, I’ve loved the sewalong, and it has been so leisurely and well spaced out that I’ve managed trips in between without getting left behind. The inside of my Bellini is as neat as the outside

Now this shirt looks perfect on Doris the dummy, but when I put it on it is a tad small. Has Doris lost weight? I might need to do more running!

I have managed to make two Bellinis. Sally from Capital Chic Patterns used a thrifted sheet for her example in the sewalong, and, being the suggestible sort, I found this 100% Sheridan cotton sheet in an op shop in Hobart, so took some of it for a chevron striped Bellini.

Of course, to get the chevrons, I had to cut the fronts on the bias. I fiddled about wondering which way the stripes should run and in the end pointed them down. I then had a serious case of cognitive dissonance thinking I should have gone the other way – then got over myself and decided I liked it (still think it’s probably wrong though 🙂 )

One of the nice things about a sewalong is that you get to see how you misinterpreted the instructions in the first place. I learnt a few little techniques that I really appreciated. Sally’s precision rubbed off on me and I measured everything, except, I think I should have made the side seams on the peach, apricot, orange Bellini a little smaller. I therefore went up a size for the striped shirt and it does feel much more comfortable.

The only change I made from Sally’s pattern is that I made my first button at the fullest part of my bust and then spaced them out from there. This stops the gaping in the front, which is a bit necessary for me. I might, however, need to add an extra button at the bottom – I’ll know when I’ve worn them for a while.

Details: Bellini from Capital Chic Patterns, first one made from slubbed silk from Sri Lanka and second one from a thrifted sheet. Buttons on the apricot/orange one are vintage and the ones on the striped shirt are cute, checked buttons from Hong Kong.

I am off attending to some urgent family business so won’t be blogging for a few days, but I thought you might like to see Sammy the seal who resides on the luggage carousel in Hobart. I have never seen this anywhere else and it’s really cute. It’s also useful for knowing when the carousel has completed a revolution. It’s actually an advertisement for some seal tours. Sorry about the poor quality of the photo.