Muslim Mom Summer Clothes

I need playclothes!  Playclothes are those items you changed into when you returned home from school as a child.  Your mom told you, “take off your school clothes and put on some play clothes.”  Clothes just for playing.  I need play clothes.

I find that that it is nearly impossible to dress by Islamic Muslim modesty standards and be really comfortable.  Most western summer clothes are not modest.  I spend hours at stores, and on-line looking for loose, summer-weight long sleeve tee shirts.  I found long sleeve t-shirts that were either too heavy or too thin and tight.  This is very frustrating.  So frustrating that I am now thinking of making my own.  To take a pair of regular t-shirts and sew them together so that the sleeves and hem line are both longer.  I know I must be getting desperate because I don’t even know how to sew!  Last year I bought nurses scrubs.  They were loose, comfortable and cool.  They clean up very easily and require no ironing!  I loved them, but they were all short sleeved.  Appropriate for my backyard play with the kids but this year I don’t have a private backyard. 

To be fair, I found tunics and kurtas of summerweight.  However I don’t particularly like playing in those items.  (And never would I do so in an abaya or jelbab.)  So nothing offered on any of the on-line Muslim clothing stores was really what I was looking for…. I did find one store that sold very cute Muslimah t-shirts that were long, light, pretty and loose.  But the store was in Malaysia and the shipping estimate alone was $40.00.  Too much for a shirt I plan to wear to the park and get dirty in!

I wonder what do other Muslim mom’s do for summer “playclothes”?  If you have any suggestions or know of any great websites please let me know.  Meanwhile I’ll probably still be out shopping and praying to find something suitable.