The Impatient Sewist

As a lover of quick sewing projects, sewing for summer is the best. Colours and patterns look great in the sun, hardly anything requires a set-in sleeve, and you can be assured that your hard-work won’t end up being covered by a woolly jumper.

It’s unfortunate therefore that I am not built for the heat, despite the South African roots. I overheat very quickly and have an allergic reaction to mosquitos, so those lovely hot days quickly descend me being uncomfortable whilst trying not to smell like a combination of sweat and citronella. Yum.

It only dawned on me recently that my summer clothes may not always be helping my cause and that it would not take too much to drastically change how I experience summer. How warm you feel in an outfit is down to a few simple factors, let’s call it The Summer Heat Equation: 

(Rate of body heat produced) + (Rate of sun heating) – (Rate of cooling)

1. Rate of body heat produced

I can’t do much about this, apart from maybe just doing less. My brother lives in Cape Town and often notes that my London walking pace does not translate to a hot country.  I’m slowly and begrudgingly coming around to this point of view. But also I wanna run around and chase the sunset.

2. Rate of sun heating

You might think that you can’t do anything about this because what are you going to about the sun, but effectively this is about finding shade. And not just shade from buildings, trees and parasols, but the way that your clothes provide shade to your skin. This is why sometimes a pair of long trousers can feel cooler than shorts. Half of your body is effectively in the shade, and what’s more, half your body doesn’t need sun cream! The colour of your clothes also comes into play and light colours reduce the rate of sun heating. Of course, a tight pair of white jeans can still feel hotter than a loose black skirt, which brings us to the third part of the equation…

3. Rate of cooling

To maximise the rate of cooling, you need to maximise air flow past your skin. The breezier, the better. The rate of cooling is also affected by the fabric, and loose weave fabrics definitely help with air flow.

The rate-of-cooling factor is is why, unfortunately, even my favourite and perfectly-fitting shorts become quite impractical when temperatures go in the 30s. I inevitably find myself living in my only maxi skirt, which tells me I really should make some more suitable bottoms for summer!

By considering The Summer Heat equation as well as the style of clothes I like, my perfect summer outfit is the following:

• Loose-weave cotton or linen fabric
• A light-coloured pattern that disguises creases
• Flowy, high-waisted, full-length trousers 
• Cropped, sleeveless top

Now all that’s left is to make it!

PS: For the planners out there, highly recommend evaluating your packing list on your journey home. While it’s still fresh in your mind, you can divide your items into four categories: brought + used, brought + didn’t use, didn’t bring + didn’t miss, and didn’t bring + did miss.