I backpacked for 3 years in my early 20's and had the contents of the pack down to a fine art, but I never really worked out how to pack for shorter trips, in particular how to stay warm but not overheat in variable climates.
People say "layer layer layer" but what does that mean?! Seriously, what does it mean? how do you wear more than one layer to start with, and how does that make you warm enough and cool enough for many climates?
In total despair I bought Travelling Light by Imogen Lamport of Inside Out Style It turned out it was more about travelling light (like the name said Duh! <--- silly me) than packing for different climates. Again there was that presumed knowledge in the audience. But it nonetheless gave me so many other ideas and tips I was really glad I had bought it after all.
Some of it was blindingly obvious - when pointed out! eg everything you take should match each other (she explains clearly how to achieve that). But another point, which was like a lightbulb going off in my head, is taking garments made of non-bulky fabric so they pack down into a small space. I have heard plenty before about "non-iron" fabrics, but I've never read of the concept of packing non-bulky fabrics. A quick scan of the memory of the contents of me backpack that was my home for 3 yrs made me realise I had done that instinctively but never realised its importance.
Anyway, I really do recommend the book, even if all it said about dressing warmly was to (ahem!) layer, and suggested thermal underwear (like wha-???) simply because the book is so GOOD!
One thing I realised is I could do with some nice soft, non-bulky but warm pyjamas, seeing how we will be in the mountains of Victoria and the Southern Highlands of NSW for half the trip and the nights, even in November, promise to be cold.
So I went to my trusty local fabric store and found on special some "seaspray" cotton/lycra knit. For t-shirts it is a tad heavy for this climate, but for jammies I thought it a perfect weight. And the colour is fantastic - in the fandeck of colours that suite me I got from Kerryn, it is right between "lemon" and "lime fizz", a shade usually hard to find. I grabbed it!
I am not the world's most experienced or enthusiastic knit sewer, but I was Inspired. I have no plans to sleep in them, (ok, another tropical thing - not used to wearing much at all to bed, so a tank top and undies will do for bed) but want to be able to lounge in comfort (and style!) in our various accommodations ranging from riverside self-contained cabins, to medium-nice hotels, to friend's homes. I pulled out my favourite "Yoga outfit" pattern for the pants and my favourite t-shirt pattern for the top. Having made both a number of times the cutting and basic sewing was quick.
But how to finish them off? I find the classic band-edge both difficult technically and disappointingly boring in result. I have some leftover dark purple polyester knit from my dance wardrobe project, and I love the combination of it and the lemony-lime fizz. And, I confess, although it is technically a colour that suits me, the lemony-lime fizz is something I have rarely worn before. Getting yellows that suit me has been super-hard till I got the colours from Kerryn. So the purple (a lifetime wardrobe staple) also will bring the garments right back into my comfort-zone.
My inner children (who says you're only allowed to have one?) delight in ruffles, so... I will use a technique I picked up from rtw clothes, and used to good effect previously on this dress.
This time I am not only reluctant to do all that satin stitch again, I want to take advantage of the no-fray of knits, and the slightly decontructed look it lends to them. So I simply cut strips of purple; then using a 3mm woven elastic but to 2/3rds the length of the strips, and zigzag, I stretched the elastic to fit the strip and sewed. Wow! First time I've done this but certainly won't be the last. Instant stretchy ruffle for very little time, energy and money. (It's shown in the top photo)
Now all I have to do is attach it. Photos of me wearing the finished project will have to wait till I am down south and cold enough to wear the jammies for long enough to get a photo of them.
As for layering, I figure I can put a cardigan over the top if I am cold. And if I am super-cold I can wrap my sarong round the pants as an overskirt. That is certainly putting one layer on top of another, but not entirely sure that is what people mean when they say "layer". Never mind - can't wait for my holiday!
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