Women’s Beach Cover Up Tutorial

Mother’s Day is coming up and I’m headed to the beach! I’m making a quick and easy Beach Cover Up. To make your own or one for your mama, you’ll need:
1.5-2 yards lightweight fabric (I used voile – Amy Butler Glow, Jolie Print)
Lace or Trim of your choice
Dessert Plate
Paper and Pen
Normal Sewing Supplies

Begin by placing your fabric selvage to selvage (like it comes off the bolt) on the table. Take your cut ends (both ends of your yardage) and make them meet. You should have a nice corner on the top and a fold on the top and the side. Then, take your dessert plate and mark off a neck hole. I did mine three inches in on both sides.
My fabric was hard to write on, so I used a piece of paper to make a quick template.

When you unfold your fabric, it now has a hole in the center!

Now, decide which is the front and which is the back. I chose to put the longest sides in the front and back for the most coverage. Lay your fabric flat and cut a slit about five inches long. This slit can be shortened or lengthened based on the level of modesty you desire.

Next, with right side facing down, you will pin back the slit to make a triangle shape at the bottom of your neck hole. It will start to look like an ice cream cone!

See my ice cream cone???
Now comes the absolute worst part ever. You have to roll the hem on the neckline. There are a gazillion ways to finish this garment without doing this step, but I just love the finished look you get when you take the time to do a nice even rolled hem. Grab your pins and slowly and carefully roll that hem all the way around. Mine ended up with two quarter inch turns.

Gather your wits – that part is done. Now you have to sew that tedious little hem down. Easy peasy!

It’s so beautiful! Now comes the best part! Woo! Pick your lace or trim or whatever you decided to use and lay it out.

Fold over the neckline to get a nice crisp look (and cover up any whoopsies you may have had with that dern rolled hem) and pin the lace all the way to the bottom. With coordinating thread stitch down both sides of your lace and repeat on the opposite side of your neckline.

If you feel like getting creative, you can add lace or those dinkle ball things to the arms, the bottom, wherever your heart desires. Go for it!

I finished my sides with a contrasting thread rolled hem made on my serger. It was super quick, was light so the Beach Cover Up still had a nice drape, and was virtually painless.

And now for the modeling shots! If I can strut my stuff, so can you. This Beach Cover Up is a perfect gift for any mom because it covers all the right places (woo modesty) and is beautiful to boot! You (and your mom) mom will love it! Happy Mother’s Day!

xoxo
b.