heat wave survival...

Ok, I know many of you may come from places where high temperatures are much more normal than over here. And you will probably laugh out loud whenever people like me complain about heat. It's true, we don't get real heat here in the Netherlands but between the humidity and the fact that neither our houses nor the infrastructure nor the way in which we normally live our lives are adapted to dealing with hot weather, it can get pretty uncomfortable on those rare 30 degrees Celsius days. Like we had last week.

In hot weather, I tend to live in two cropped jumpsuits (this one and this one) I've made a while ago. The cotton dresses I normally love are just too fitted and too covered-up under those circumstances. 
So, last week I decided to make another little thing to wear when the weather gets hot.

This new one is even more for wearing at home than the old ones. It's not meant to be pretty or flattering, just to be comfortable during a heat wave.
In fact, it kind of looks like some classic piece of lingerie, a teddy or combination. In reality, it is a strange hybrid between a lacy camisole and a playsuit/cropped jumpsuit.

It is made from the same crepe fabric I've been talking a lot about lately, the blue/grey colour I made first. The brown lace insert is mostly backed with the same fabric. 
Pattern-wise, there are short, wide little trousers with slanted pockets and a very simple camisole-like top. Because fitted things are warm to wear, this thing isn't fitted. And because, with an item like this, it kind of makes sense to make it without closures, it has been made just like that. So, everything above the hips had to be wide so I can step into the garment. It has elastic at the waistline to gather it up a bit and to give a bit of shape and there is elastic in the top edge at the back, to keep the top from gaping. 
I was pretty sure what effect the elastic at the waist would have (because I had used that many times before, though mostly at M's) but I'm pretty glad that top edge worked out.
Because this fabric likes to stretch out during wear, I pulled pieces of ribbon into the tubes of fabric for the shoulder straps. That keeps them nice and stable.

I've worn this thing already and it really does the job. And as I said, I don't really mean to wear this out in the street but considering what people there are wearing when it's warm, I don't think I would attract any attention if I did decide to go to the supermarket dressed like this on some hot summer's day.

Serious summer sewing

Last Friday was the hottest day of the year so far. Un-Dutch weather, to be honest.
I don't have a lot of clothes for seriously hot weather. In fact, the only thing which I really like to wear in a heat wave is the loose fitting viscose playsuit I made last year. I have lots of charming dresses which work great for normal Dutch summer weather but for 30 degrees Celsius, they're just too fitted and the skirt are too long.

So, I made this. It was also a great opportunity to use up some pretty small scraps of fabric. The fitted tube top bodice is in nice quality (obviously, recovery is very important for a garment like this) cotton jersey, its top edge is finished with picot elastic. The bottom, a very short version of these culottes (flared, without center pleats) is made from linen left over from E's plain black shorts. There are pockets but closures, I pull it on over my hips. I wasn't sure that would work but it did.

We are in for a some more warm days and I have my summer holiday yet to come, so I think I will still get some use out of this playsuit this year.