Hello Internet Friends!

Today I’m sharing another summery make despite it being September already! (Does anyone else feel like this year has simultaneously lasted around 5 years but also feels like we’re only a few months into the year at the same time?) Summer looks like it’s going to stick around for a little longer here in Vancouver, so I took the opportunity to sew up some more super breathable linen projects! I’ve been really loving the linen this summer, we don’t have AC at home so it’s really nice to wear something so breathable while working and while socially distancing around the city, which is how these pictures were taken! Since 2016 Vancouver has hosted a yearly mural fest featuring both local and international artists! I highly recommend checking out the murals (there’s a handy app with a map and info on each one) if you happen to live in Vancouver or plan on visiting (post-pandemic obviously) I would highly recommend taking yourself on a self guided mural walking tour like we did! I’ve noted the artists for each mural in the pictures in the caption of the first image featuring that mural if you want to check out some of these artists further!

Both of these patterns are from the newly re-named ClosetCore Patterns (formerly ClosetCase Patterns) from their Rome capsule collection which released last summer. I had previously made the dress version of the Cielo last year (link to that post here) and I’ve actually made this pattern twice already this year! the first as another top version in a lovely red linen that I’ve yet to post (the sleeve had an unfortunate accident with my serger so it’s waiting to be repaired) and then also a linen dress version which I posted to instagram earlier in the summer.

For this top I used this amazing tropical print from Blackbird Fabrics, I had originally intended this to be a dress and even had a pattern picking instagram poll (the Charlie caftan won!) but then realized that I didn’t have enough fabric for a dress, but did have enough to make two tops! (I also made another Hanna tank top, un-blogged as of yet, but you can see my first one in this post!) For this version of the Cielo Top I cut a straight size 10 in the A/B cup with the only modification being to the length. I had found that the original cropped length was a bit too short for my liking when I made that first version earlier in the year and lengthened it by about an 1 inch or so to get this version. Like I previously mentioned, this pattern comes together in a snap! I think I sewed it over the course of an evening or two, making it a great patten to reach for when you need a quick sewing pick me up! The only think I think I would have changed if I could would have been to use the dark navy linen that I used for the shorts for the sleeve cuffs to add a bit of contrast.

On to the shorts! When the Pietra pants/shorts first came out last summer I wasn’t too sold on them, but this year for some reason I was 100% on board lol! Maybe it’s again due to the working from home where I need more shorts options to keep cool (I normally work in a lab where I have to wear long pants all day so I don’t often sew shorts). These are actually my THRID pair of Pietras this summer, all of them out of linen! The first two were wearable muslins I made out of leftover fabric from other projects (specifically the Hanna Tank I mentioned above and then also some fabric from both my free range slacks and the cleo dress I made earlier in the year which came together for a colour blocked version!). While all 3 of my versions fit well I think the fit on this latest pair has been the best!

I cut a straight size10 for all of my iterations, but for the latest two I shortened the rise on the shorts by 1.5”. I had found that with my original pair the waist band came up way too high on me (pretty much to my ribs!) and ended up getting folded over on itself whenever I sat down. The only other mods I made to this latest version was to omit the interfacing of the front waist band pieces and to use 1 3/4” wide elastic for the back instead of the called for 2”. I decided to omit the interfacing for this version as this linen was actually left over from a bag I had made early in my sewing years and was therefore a heavier weight than what the pattern called for. I had also found that I sometimes found the extra stability that the interfacing gave the fabric in my other versions to sometimes be a bit too restrictive around my waist. For the elastic I went with the slightly thinner width because I had had a bit of trouble installing the elastic the way the pattern called for which involves partially sewing the waistband with the elastic enclosed, attaching the other end of the elastic, and then finishing the waist band. I had had to unpick my other waist bands as I had found it difficult to get a nice straight line of stitching without accidentally sewing the elastic. By using the slightly thiner elastic it made it much easier to get a nice line of stitching while not catching the elastic.

I really enjoyed making both of these items, they both really came together quickly and help expand my summer wardrobe a ton! Hope you guys have enjoyed this post and mini vancouver mural tour! I wanted to end with this last mural image, no rain no flowers, 2020 has been the strangest year with tons of changes for everyone of every walk of life. While there have certainly been some really disheartening reactions by some, others have risen to the occasion, modifying ways of living and working and changing the way we as a society co-exist. A number of these changes have the potential to continue to improve lives for years to come if we keep them post pandemic, so while I’m not trying in anyway to diminish the devastating events that have transpired over the last 9 months, it’s also good to remember that positive things can come from this global experience, no rain, no flowers.