Monday, August 31, 2020

Celeste in Linen

 My Ocean blue Brussels washer linen came in the mail, huzzah! I washed it, laid it out and cut my second Celeste, by Itch to Stitch

Then I took an unscheduled break while we evacuated for five days because of a wildfire in the Santa Cruz mountains. This fire came much too close for comfort. Luckily, we have friends in Marina who offered to put us up. "Us" includes an 80 pound Great Pyrenees, so not everyone would be so generous. And we are more fortunate than many in that our house is still standing and as good as new, except for a cover of ash.


It felt a little funny to come back and find my sewing machine and pattern pieces all ready to go. Funny, but good.

Here's the line drawing for this lovely pattern. The fit is loose enough so that I can slip it on over my head, but the princess seams give it some shape. The pockets are stellar, and the V-neck is just the right depth for my preferences. 

The only change I made was to sub out a couple pleats for the gathering below the bust and to omit the sleeves. I bound the arm scythe with self-fabric bias tape instead.

This was my first time working with linen. Though this is actually a linen/rayon blend. It frayed like there was no tomorrow, but otherwise it was a treat to work with. It pressed very nicely too. And the finished dress has a great fluid drape. It should be cool and easy to wear during our expected Indian summer at the end of September. I could probably even pop a tee underneath and wear it like a jumper if the weather is too chilly to go sleeveless. Hmm, must give that a try.


Here are a side view and a back view for you.


And another front view showing the pockets in action.

I've already made myself one Celeste this summer, and I might just make another. I'm pretty sure this will be my favorite warm weather dress for the foreseeable future.

My pattern review is on PatternReview.com here.


2 comments:

  1. Lovely dress, I really like the pleats !

    ReplyDelete
  2. Great dress. Your makes are so inspiring. As I was looking at blogs this past couple of weeks, I thought I would stop in and see how you are doing. I live in Santa Rosa (North Bay) and we too had a terrible time with fires. This is life in California now; no? Your house is still standing and I am happy for you. Ours too.

    ReplyDelete