The Cielo Top

and its many many variations.

This is the first top I made. I went with this top because Closet Core Patterns is very beginner friendly but I also wanted a wide cut top that falls at the right height for me.

I made the top first in the Twig Ochre Viscose from Atelier Brunette and the learning curve was UNREAL. Viscose (unbeknownst to me at the time) is very slippery! As soon as I felt the fabric I did a ton of research on how to handle it and the message was loud and clear “go slow and use a lot of pins” and folks, almost all of my pins were on that shirt at one point or another.

It took forever to sew this top. Every step was accompanied by many “how to” videos and posts. I didn’t know how to use bias tape, how to add in a sleeve or a cuff, how to turn fabric when sewing underarm or how to size correctly. My finished product was definitely far from perfect; it was a size or two too big and the shoulder hem looks very wonky on the inside. Despite all of that, it was still one of my proudest moments and I honestly still wear the top even if it falls off my shoulders a bit.

I made the top again with size alterations in a viscose/cotton blend (beige jacquard) and then in the ever wrinkly linen (sage green). The two others took 1/10th of the time but I still love that first one the most.

Pattern adjustments: for the perfect fit I made it 1 size smaller than the size recommended in the pattern with around 1.5” shorter at the shorten/lengthen line.

Joy