Tips For Sewing with Silk and Chiffon and a Free PDF Sewing Pattern

I love a good free pattern and I’ve been wanting to try out the Colette Sorbetto ever since it re-released to include sleeves. Since I’m LDS, having sleeves on a pattern is a necessity for me! When I saw Stylish Fabrics new Silky Satin Chiffon Fabric I knew it would be the perfect match! The Silky Chiffon is available in over 40+ shades so you can find the perfect color for your sewing project. It’s soft to the touch, has beautiful drape and features a shiny side and a matte side.

I seriously can’t get enough of the ruffle trend that’s going on right now! Ruffles are totally my thing! Hopefully one day I won’t look back at pictures of all of my ruffles blouses and wonder what the heck I was thinking, but for now, I’m embracing this trend wholeheartedly. If you are a pear shape like me, ruffle blouses are amazingly flattering. Adding a little bit of volume on your top half can do wonders to balance out your figure. The key is to make sure the ruffles are placed in flattering spots. I’ll share some tips for sewing with chiffon and then I’ll teach you how to hack the Sorbetto to make some fun ruffly tops!

Before we get started with this pattern, I wanted to share a few tips I’ve picked up along the way that will make the process of sewing with Chiffon quite a bit easier!

TIPS FOR SEWING WITH CHIFFON

For the first top, I used this gorgeous Dusty Pink Satin Chiffon. It’s reversible so you can sew with either side. One side is shiny and the other is matte. I chose to use the shiny side since I think the way it catches the light is beautiful!

I started with the Sorbetto as the base for this pattern. I omitted the center pleat so the focus would be on the ruffled sleeve. Then I measured the circumference of the sleeve once it was sewn up, I doubled that measurement and cut out a rectangular piece of fabric for my ruffled sleeve. The ruffle is about 4 inches in height.

I sewed the rectangle, with right sides together and then sewed two lines of basting stitches around the top of the piece of fabric. I used my serger to sew a narrow rolled hem around the bottom of the ruffle. That added a bit of structure and body to the hem and it’s a quick and easy way to finish chiffon. Then I gathered my basting stitches, lined it up with the sleeve (right sides together) and sewed it all together.

For the second top, I used this beautiful Ruby Satin Chiffon. This is one of my favorite colors to wear in the fall and it’s super on trend for this season. I cut a size 0 for this top based on my chest measurement but the sleeves ended up a bit too tight. Next time I’ll size up!

To get this ruffled top I cut the bodice front, back, and sleeves along the traingle markings where you line everything up and added 5/8th’s inch seam allowance to each side. I also added about 2 inches to the neckline to make it a bit higher.

I cut two of the bodice front and back to create a facing for the blouse. Then I sewed the top portion of the blouse together as directed. I measured the finished circumference of the top portion and doubled it for my ruffle.

The ruffle on this blouse is about 3 inches in height. I cut out the rectangle, sewed the ends together with right sides facing each other, hemmed it with the serger using a narrow rolled hem and added two lines of basting stitches to the top of the ruffle. Then I gathered the ruffle with the basting stitches.

I attached the ruffle to the top of the blouse using a 3/8th’s inch seam allowance. Then I sewed the bottom of the blouse as directed in the instructions. After that, I lined up the top of the blouse and the bottom of the blouse with right sides together and sewed it together with a 5/8th’s inch seam allowance.

Finally, I pressed the seam upwards. This is a really great pattern for hacking!

My husband and I lucked out and found this gorgeous wall covered in ruby roses that paired perfectly with this top. With the right camera angle he was able to crop out all of the trash on the ground and the cars in the background. ?