DIY Beach Cover Up

I love the summer and being in the sun! My kids love to swim and walk on the beach. When we do these fun in the sun activities, I am never sure what to use to cover up. I don’t like pulling on pants over my swim suit and I feel the swim suit poking out when I wear a dress. I wanted to buy something that looks specifically like a swim suit cover up. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find anything that I really liked. Most of them were really gauzy feeling and that makes me feel itchy. Many of them were dark in color and when I am in the sun I don’t really want something black covering me. So, this led me to searching for the consistency and color fabric that I wanted and get creative on making my own.

Teal and aquamarine always make me feel like vacationing at the ocean. Years ago, we found an amazing vacation island and have been back every year since. The water around Sanibel Island in Florida is always so blue and calm. We love walking the beach in the morning and evening to find unique shells to bring home for memories (never collect living shells).

Bright orange is not a color that I wear in large quantities. I have pretty pale skin and light blush is a much better hue when I need color to be on my side. But bright orange is good for a shock color like a statement necklace or some fun trim. And I have always like teal and orange together so what more perfect colors to grab for a sunny swim cover up than teal and orange?

What you will need:

• 1-1.5 yard of fabric that is light and flowing – depending on how long you want the finished product
• 7 yards of pom poms
• 1 package of double wide folded bias tape with matching thread

The measurement difference between the 1 yard and the 1.5 yard is length. I like to make sure that my booty is covered when I go anywhere, especially in a bathing suit! I used the 1.5 yard to go front to back.

To cut the shape of the cover up, I folded the fabric in half (if you have a 1.5 yard cut be sure that the folded part is the fabric’s natural width) and then in half again. You want the top corner that you are cutting for the neck hole to be all enclosed edges – no raw edges. This is where you will cut your neck hole. I used a shirt of mine that had a neckline that I liked. The bottom edge will be a curved edge, so I used a large mixing bowl to evenly cut this edge.

Use a pencil or fabric chalk to mark a curved edge using a round object. Continue the line up and across the straight edge to evenly line up all four layers of fabric.

Once your line is drawn, cut all four layers at once.

Once cut, I started to pin the pom poms on the bottom edge. I did not want the edge of the pom pom trim to show so I ironed the raw edge over a half of an inch and then again to completely hide the raw edge. Then I pinned the pom pom trim facing the wrong way – once it is sewn, I will flip it the right way – downwards – and sew it again into place.

Iron seam, Pin pom pom trim facing up, and sew into place at the base of the trim.

Turn trim to have pom poms facing downward and sewn into place at the top of the trim.

The orange trim was next to be sewn into the neckline. I used the shoulder to place the beginning, pinned the trim all the way around the neckline and then tucked the end in. I used matching thread to sew this in place. I marked the back with a line of decorative stitch in the orange bias tape just to remind me where the back was.

To keep the arms from slipping or the fabric from completely turning in circles as I walked or bent over to pick up shells, I marked an “armpit” and put a few stitches by hand. This created a sleeve like area to keep the fabric in place on me.

Cozumel, Mexico

Royal Caribbean Rhapsody of the Seas

The beach is calling....