I almost never wear sunscreen, and I rarely put sunscreen on my son when he was small. As a pasty Irish American growing up in SoCal, I learned young that midday is a good time to stay in the shade and read and dream; mornings and late afternoon are for swimming and building things with sand. I don't care about wrinkles. I care about feeling good — sunshine makes me feel good and sunscreen feels gross. I bought a bike during Covid and started riding a lot, and last summer I noticed more freckles and what my Auntie Virgie used to call "liver spots" on my hands. Bedouins don't walk around bare-armed in the desert, which got me thinking.

Last summer I sewed some silk sleep sacks for my son's hosteling adventures, and then ice-dyed the leftovers. I knew I wanted to make something cool with them.

A bicycle hoodie would protect me from the sun and keep me cool, but also keep me warm when temperatures drop. It would be so lightweight I could easily shove it into a pocket, or put in my handlebar bag. A non-white front will hide inevitable dribbles.

Raglan sleeves are the perfect sporting shape because they fit roomy and allow for arm movement. Most raglan sewing patterns are designed for knits, while I would be working with a very non-stretchy woven fabric. The Remy Raglan by Sew House Seven is designed for woven fabrics, and seemed like a good base, so I sewed up a toile in linen.

I lengthened the arms by a couple inches, but they were still too short, so for the silk I made them unreasonably long. I thought for sure I would be too long, but when riding they just meet my gloves. Too long is just right.

The hood I drafted kinda sucks. It's not tall enough, so it fits tight around my face, and when I buckle my helmet it pulls the whole shirt up off my shoulders. I am going to pick apart the top seam and add a middle panel. This will be painful, but much less painful than picking apart the whole neck seam.

The only other change I made was to add several inches in the back to cover my butt crack when riding.

And it is perfect.

Sunday I left at midday, 88 degrees, and I stayed cool all 26 miles. Instead of a sweaty betty, I felt like a flowy kite, like a fancy dancer, like a beautiful psychedelic bird zooming through the woods. After three hours my arms weren't burned — they barely changed color when I pressed the skin.

Now of course my son wants one in red. He's very tall, so I think I can just straighten out the sides and make the hood much much taller.

Every time I sew with silk, I tell myself THIS IS THE LAST TIME. But then I touch the finished object and I just want more.

---

Pattern: Remy Raglan from Sew House Seven, size 22 curvy, with self-drafted hoodie hack.

Fabric: 8mm habotai white silk from Dharma Trading, front and back panels ice-dyed with Jacquard dyes, various colors. Soaked in gelatin before cutting and sewing for sanity.

Techniques: French seams throughout, rolled hem on bottom.

More makes on my Insta.