Here in Australia we see a lot of sun. I don't say that to make you northern hemisphere dwellers jealous, honestly :-) The light here is really harsh, and sees many of us suffer under it. My heritage is English and so my skin does not cope so well, I've had a skin cancer cut from my face and would be surprised if I don't have more. Not that I sit out in the sun, it's just that it gets you even when you have sunscreen on, are trying to stay in the shade and just going about your business.
So... particularly in summer I try to wear my hat (and sunglasses) everywhere, and I also find that covering up works the best, if I can. Those dessert dwellers with their loose floaty tops and trousers seem to have worked it out. Taking inspiration from that I'd been thinking of making an open shirt (like a light cotton cardigan) when I saw a lovely kimono jacket on Renee's blog. I thought it might be the answer when I'm heading outdoors to go get the kids from school and need to cover my shoulders to stop them getting burnt.
I grabbed this tutorial that Renee had used and drafted a pattern based on the instructions. I added a thick strip of double fold binding to the front and neck edge, to give it a bit of weight and structure and also a bit more coverage around the back of the neck area.
You can see the shape of the jacket in the pic above. It's very simple but really comfy and drapes well, though I think a rayon would drape better. I looked for some but couldn't find anything I liked, so with that nagging little voice in the back of my mind I used a Japanese cotton lawn fabric from my stash, bought from Spotlight on a whim (isn't it all?!). I had fallen for the blue background and dandelion print. The drape could be better but it won't stop me from wearing it.
And even though I made this as a sun cover-up it's really nice to wear for a little extra warmth when the sun isn't out and the temperature drops.
I love your version Jo, and I think it would offer much more in the way of sun protection than my voile one. Japanese fabric goes perfectly with the kimono shape. Rayon would be perfect too.....you've got me thinking I need another :)
ReplyDeleteIt looks so pretty in that shade of blue, and the print does remind me of Japanese print.
ReplyDeleteI love this! Such a sweet floaty style. And don't worry, no jealousy here - I am a fair skinned freckled, reddish-brown haired Irish lass living in California. I wear sunscreen on my face everyday, even in the winter, and while everyone else is baring their tan bodies on the beach, I'm wearing the equivalent of a Burqa. As my mom says, not being able to tan at all has some benefits, like you tend to cover up more than other people, starting at a young age ... and reddish hair takes a long time to go gray, so there's always that ...
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