Laura’s Cielo Top
This month Laura received the Mini box and turned her beautiful yellow and grey flower spot cotton poplin into a Closet Core Cielo Top.
Spring is here! Finally the days are getting a bit longer, and there is the slightest hint of blue sky sneaking a peek between the seemingly endless rain at the moment.
As soon as I saw this fabric it was like a burst of sunshine, so bright and fun. The yellow flowers look like daffodils which is so perfect for springtime, and I love the juxtaposition with the big blue circles. It’s right up my street. The base feels like a cotton lawn so it’s going to be lovely once the weather perks up a bit.
I umm-ed and ahh-ed as to what to make. With such a lovely bold graphic print, I wanted a simple silhouette that wouldn’t break it up. Plus, I have been on the hunt for a good, easy woven top pattern.
Rifling through my pattern stash for inspiration, I came across the Cielo Top from Closet Core Patterns. Yet another pattern that I’ve had for the longest time that I’ve never got around to making.
To be honest, I’m not sure what possessed me to buy this pattern those many moons ago. I am not usually one for boxy tops or shift dresses as I find that they don’t really suit my curvy figure. But I have been wearing jeans more lately and thought a top like this would be a cute pairing for spring.
The Cielo pattern was released as part of their “Rome” Collection back in 2019. It comes as both a top and dress pattern with a few mix and match details, the main difference being the sleeves. On paper, it seems like a good wardrobe staple.
I chose View A, which is described as a semi-cropped top with a cuffed short sleeve, which fit perfectly on the 1 meter of fabric I had. The neckline can be finished with either a facing or bias binding – I decided to go with the facing option.
As I’m not used to wearing cropped tops, I erred on the side of caution, and lengthened the front and back by 1.5”.
This top is a good one for colour blocking, especially if you have lots of scraps not big enough for a garment or something by itself. There is an angled shoulder yoke, but you could make the sleeves and cuff in different fabrics, and even cut the front and back into two. I’m now dreaming of a version made in different coloured ginghams!
I wanted to take advantage of this and coordinated the shoulder yokes and cuffs with some tiny scraps of broderie anglaise left over from another project. I think it matches perfectly with the circles in the print.
The top was super easy and quick to sew up. As expected from Closet Core Patterns, the drafting is impeccable, and the instructions are really good. Interestingly, the bust dart comes out of the armscye which threw me a bit, but it makes sense as the sleeve is quite roomy.
The first time I tried it on (unhemmed), I wasn’t sure about it. So, I let it sit for a few days. When I came back to it, I tried it on with a different pair of trousers and thankfully I felt much better about it. I ended up hemming about 2 inches so it sits on the high hip, which is the perfect length for my introduction to cropped tops!
The only thing is I find the neckline a bit big on me, and it gapes slightly at the front. It is perfectly wearable however I think this should be a simple fix for my future versions.
I can’t wait to wear this so much in the summer.