Remy+Elemental=Hot weather Happiness

Sometimes things work out serendipitously.  I've been seriously lacking in sew-jo most of this past fall and winter, and only made one thing that I loved (the marigold cord skirt).  But the Elemental Pencil skirt (newly released) and the Remy Raglan (relatively new) have given me a shot of creativity.  I actually have a bit of a backlog of finished projects to post.

 

It does seem like May is my month for making.  Some of that is inspiration from Me-Made-May, and some of it is dread of hot weather (although in truth, we are already there; highs in the upper 80s and 90s).  Every year, I hope to stumble on some magical combination of clothes that will keep me cool and covered in the heat and AC-less environment without making me nuts.  (I took these photos last week when it was still advisable to wear tights in the morning.  No longer).

 

Last year was a good showing: the cropped Emerald tops were an unqualified success, and my Rose hack skirt was good too.  But I still want an option that keeps my arms more covered without making me want to claw my eyes out with heat. I realized yesterday that what really bothers me about being hot is having wet fabric against my skin for any length of time.  Cotton t-shirts, while nice to wear in the heat, don't dry particularly fast, and tend to hold smells/stains more and need more frequent washing.  I also find it difficult to find t-shirts that fit well, look nice, and don't have synthetic fibers.

Linen, on the other hand, dries quickly, doesn't hold smell or stain in the same way, and seems to wear better overall in high heat and humidity (there is a reason why linen is the oldest textile fiber on record!) Rayon is a bit trickier--it can be cool and liquid, flowing away from the body in a nice way, or it can be clingy and hot.  Rayon challis is hit or miss for cool or hot--a lot depends on the weave, I think.

In any case, this is my second version of the Remy raglan, this time in a rayon challis from Art Gallery.  I've figured out how to get these shirts out of a yard of extra wide fabric by cutting the sleeves on the cross-grain, so it makes the Art Gallery stuff more affordable.  Ditto the skirt--I can get a skirt out of a yard of extra wide knit fabric, so it is very economical as well.

I sized down to a 10 on this Remy, but still feels a bit roomy.  I had a yard of really cheap challis that I toiled a size 6, but the fabric wasn't great, so it was already pilling by the time I finished it, and was the sort of challis that feels hot and stuffy to wear.  I also found the 6 to be not snug exactly, but not as breezy as I would care for.  

I did struggle with my vanity a little bit; I wanted the six to be my magic size--isn't that terrible??  I don't wear a six in rtw like, ever, so I don't know why this seemed important to me.  It's just a number.  Anyway, I did some redrafting to grade up to an 8 and fix an issue that arises when you shorten the pattern as directed so my linen versions are a size 8.  I'll blog those soon.

I like this blouse very much, nonetheless, and am happy to wear it.  The only thing I wish I'd remembered to do was to face the cuffs so the turn back wouldn't be as obvious.  I have a tiny bit of fabric left that I could still do this, I think, but that's a project for another day.  

 

The skirt is from the new Robert Kaufman Trainer's French Terry in the spruce colorway, with the wrong side out again.  This terry is a cotton/spandex blend and the spandex percentage is just a tad more than ideal--I should have graded up slightly to account for the extra bounce.  I've already made another from the same substrate, but gave myself a bit of extra room.

I won't say I'm eager for more hot weather, but at least I feel a little less depressed about the prospect of four more months of this mess.  I'll take what I can get!