What’s the next essential piece for a summer wardrobe? A cover-up of course! Something casual to wear to and from the pool/beach or to double as a dress on the boardwalk, the Ultramarine Cover-Up is another summer staple.
![DbCA Ultramarine Cover-Up](https://i0.wp.com/www.callajaire.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/DbCA-Ultramarine-Cover-Up-Cover-785x1024.png?resize=785%2C1024)
I originally designed this as an over-sized, woven, raglan sleepshirt and made a few for Bean years ago. I loved those big accent raglan sleeves and she loved how comfy and breezy they were for sleeping. For One Thimble Issue 12 (back in 2016!) I wrote an article about my scrap-busting fabric design technique and I used the original raglan pattern to feature it on those sleeves. Bean adored this one.
![Raglan Cover-Up](https://i0.wp.com/www.callajaire.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Call-Ajaire-Making-Fabric-from-Scraps-Bean-swimsuit-cover-watermarked.png?resize=600%2C900)
In issue 13 of One Thimble I redesigned the look to work as a fitted bodice for a party dress and the Raglan Party Dress was born. We’ve loved this dress pattern so well over the years, but the original over-sized look kept on calling me back.
![raglan party dress](https://i0.wp.com/www.callajaire.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/raglan-party-dress-stand-alone-pattern-cover-450x640.jpg?resize=450%2C640)
So several cover-ups were made using the basic shape, but adding a full elastic waist and bodice lining. I really liked the look, but the lining seemed like over-kill for a beach cover-up and the full-waist elastic made it less free-flowing than I wanted. Look how young Bean was in these old pics!
![](https://i0.wp.com/www.callajaire.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Call-Ajaire-Summer-Fun-Raglan-Cover-Up-Bean-front-2-683x1024.png?resize=683%2C1024)
When I finally decided to release the Ultramarine Cover-Up as a part of the Watercolor Beach Collection, I knew exactly the mods I wanted to make. Using bindings instead of a full lining, waist cinching instead of full-waist elastic, and adding a big over-sized hood were all of the changes that would perfect this cover-up pattern.
![Ultramarine Cover-Up](https://i0.wp.com/www.callajaire.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Ultramarine-Cover-Up-Paper-Dolls-1024x580.png?resize=800%2C453)
One of my favorite of the views is the one without any waist cinching. This view without the hood still makes a fantastic sleep-shirt and now Kitty loves them too. But I did want options for cinching too. Since there was a shortage of elastic this spring due to all of the mask making, I thought a simple drawstring cinch would be a great way to get around finding elastic. It turned out to be a fantastic design feature and one that we love. You can tie the ties into a simple knot or add two little bows on either side, which is super cute.
![Cover-Up cinching](https://i0.wp.com/www.callajaire.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/DbCA-Ultramarine-Cover-Up-cinch-bows.png?resize=800%2C573)
Sized from newborn to 16 years, this pattern will work for your girl for years. It is still designed for either woven or knit fabrics, but it’s so soft in a great french terry which has become our favorite.
![ultramarine cover-up](https://i0.wp.com/www.callajaire.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/DbCA-Ultramarine-Cover-Up-Bean-2.png?resize=800%2C602)
I’ve used some cute romper panels to make breezy dress/cover-ups for Kitty and they are the perfect size for the Ultramarine Cover-up. Stay tuned for a fun romper mashup coming soon too! And check out the Chromium Cropped Hoodie from the Watercolor Beach collection too.
![cover-up panel](https://i0.wp.com/www.callajaire.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/DbCA-Ultramarine-Cover-Up-Kitty-panel.png?resize=800%2C702)
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