Cielo top #2

I told you I’d make another one! I was really excited to try making the top with the lantern sleeves. I had all the pieces printed out so it was speedy to cut and sew, and I’m delighted with this. I may end up making oodles of these…!

1. The fabric

This time I made the top out of double gauze, in a tomato red colour bought from Higgs & Higgs. It was a left over piece from when I made my niece the Stella blouse and it was just enough fabric.

2. The pattern

The Cielo top comes with two sleeve options: a short sleeved T-Shirt, and a dramatic lantern sleeve. I decided to make the lantern sleeve this time but instead of making it full length I left off the big cuff and instead gathered the sleeve into the smaller cuff drafted for the T-Shirt (shortened by 2inches). I was inspired by the “cuff the puff” hack mentioned on Closet Core website here:

https://www.closetcorepatterns.com/hacking-the-cielo-top-dress/

I also made a couple of tweaks to improve the fit. I lowered the bust darts by 1/2 an inch, and moved them 1/2 inch outwards. I did a narrow shoulder adjustment of 1/2 inch. And lastly I decided to not include the yokes and instead merged them with the back piece. I decided to do the bias bound neckline this time and used French seams.

3. The challenges

My main challenge with this was fixing my sewing machine! I had to take apart the needle mechanism because the cam wasn’t working properly. It turned out that a screw had come loose, but I had to take it all apart to discover that. I gave it a bit of a clean though and now it purrs nicely:

The actual sewing was a breeze. Having made it so recently I barely had to look at the instructions! I decided to hand sew the hems for a fancy finish.

4. The final result

I am even more pleased with this Cielo top than I was my first one. The sleeves feel really fancy, the gauze is incredibly comfy and I’m happier with the fit. This is such a great pattern, love it!