Sunny Days with a Grey Cielo

Even though I hadn't put the Closet Case Cielo pattern on my monthly to-do list in May, I have it on my yearly list. And I decided to try it out this month when I was looking through my fabric stash and found the perfect cotton to use. Despite trying to make plans I really am mostly a mood-based sewist.

This windowpane check is woven into the fabric and the hand of it is just lovely. I cut the Cielo top in just over a metre of it (leaving plenty for another project, which I'll be sharing soon). I tried to cut the back inset panels on the diagonal but didn't get the angle quite right. Oh well, it still looks very nice!

This pattern is quite easy, though for some reason it intimidated me. I'm glad I finally went for it because it is a nicely put together top -- it sewed up well, fit as I'd expected, and it's really comfy and light for warm weather.

I'm actually surprised at how easy it was. Maybe it was partly the choice of fabric; this grey fabric was so malleable and did exactly what I told it to do. I didn't get the side stripes matched up, just not enough fabric for that, but I think it looks good anyhow, and will be a summer staple.

I used size 14 at the neckline/bust, grading out to 16 at my hips. I also added a couple of inches of length, as I am not a fan of a really cropped top on me. I prefer my tops at my low hip rather than high hip most of the time. I think that at this length the top still has the right lines and proportion to look like a Cielo should.

I also really like the cute sleeve cuff, though wish I could have fit that on the diagonal as well!

As a first try this was a big success in fit. I'd like to make another in a drapier fabric to test it out, and I'll definitely be trying a Cielo dress -- that is why I bought the pattern in the first place. This is a great design that I'm sure I'll be getting a lot of use from.

Cover Designs #14

Cover Designs is a feature in which I try to match up the outfit on a book cover with a dress pattern and sometimes even potential fabric matches as well.

This month's featured book is a political read of sorts, a novel about a young reporter who has to decide what she is willing to do for her career. This 2017 novel is pretty recent, but still old enough to have been written before many of the news industry scandals we all know about now.

Amanda Wakes Up is written by a woman who works as a news host, so you know the details are based in experience. But it was much more this cover image than the summary that caught my attention! Looking at this I immediately thought of the Carolyn Pajamas by Closet Case Patterns. 

I think that the full length version is a perfect match for the set on the front of this book! Made in a beautiful red silk crepe de chine, like this one from Mood Fabrics, for example, the match would work out perfectly.

For something a little less luxe and a bit more workaday, they could even be made in red rayon challis for a casual, soft feel. Like this one from Fabric.com, perhaps. 

Curl up in these pjs with this book and you'll have a perfect fit ;)