Chambray IS easy to work with, by the way…MOST cottons are nice to sew…just to let you know!
Crepe is nice too – pronounced CRAPE, as it has a flow that’s simply marvelous and wonderful, however finding one that’s opaque might be difficult.
ALL the Rayons out there usually flow VERY well, again finding one that’s opaque or slightly see-thru’ well, I’m not sure what’s available in rayons. However, here’s hint, buy MORE than you need in rayon, prewash it for SURE, and on Low in Dryer, dry it, and THEN cut out your pattern…because rayons will shrink, oftentimes quite a bit!
Gauze is your BEST bet for opaque Summer fabrics! Crinkled guaze is sweet and lovely against the skin…but once again PREWASH your cottons before you lay them out to cut to iron crinkled gauze is a NO NO…just steam and hand smooth upon your cutting table, so it lays flat, but don’t use too much hand pressure on the crinkling.
One can always MIX the fabrics, too…for example use CHIFFON for the sleeves. Chiffon comes in solids and prints and flows absolutely BEAUTIFULLY!
To get a bit fancy, consider a poly lace! Some people use tear away tissue like paper when sewing with lace for ease of sewing.
Voile is a pretty fabric too, but might not be suited for pants or slacks.
Seersucker, on the other hand will hold up for tops and slacks, but it might not be sheer or opaque enough for you!?
Many Cottons like cotton eyelets or cotton embroidered are FUN to work with, and depending upon the warp and weave or looser threads, per inch, can also be rather opaque!
WHEN WORKING with ANY Sheer or Lighter Fabric, you might have to ADJUST the PRESSURE foot on your sewing machine, and INCREASE the pressure, somewhat.
You MIGHT NEED to use SMALLER stitches per inch, too! 12 to 15 per inch.
Use some SCRAP pcs. BEFORE you attempt to sew the REAL garment…
IF your machine’s needle can move from center to the LEFT or to the RIGHT…TRY moving it whereby the fabric doesn’t get ’’swallowed’’ by the those spaces where the feeddogs are located, on the bottom plate.
Using scraps before you sew will give you an idea at exactly how to set up your machine from the needle number, to pressure foot increase or decrease to the needle position ~ left, center, or right, to the stitches per inch.
If the scraps are still a problem try using a stabilzer, which can be anything from store bought to plain white tissue paper that will deteriorate and come out in the wash after tearing away from the sewn seams.
I hope I helped…now for my PERSONAL opinion…I’d use a crinkled gauze, it comes in a variety of Summer colors and is opaque, and it flows nicely, and is sweet to the skin!
Good Luck!
Dee :)

diaphanous
Main [URL removed] di·aph·a·nous
[URL removed] \dī-ˈa-fə-nəs\
[URL removed] adjective
Etymology Medieval Latin diaphanus, from Greek diaphanēs,

from diaphainein to show through, from dia- + phainein to show
— more at fancy

[URL removed] 1614

1 : characterized by such fineness of texture as to permit
seeing through diaphanous fabrics

2 : characterized by extreme delicacy of form : ethereal
painted diaphanous landscapes

3 : insubstantial, vague had only a diaphanous hope of
success

— di·aph·a·nous·ly adverb

— di·aph·a·nous·ness noun

chambray has to be ironed it’s cotton – but I love the chambray shirt I have. you are probably looking for something more sheer and lighter weight or I would think so.

thoroughly pre-washed 100% cotton muslin or chambray woven from very fine gauge cotton?
Or silk if you don’t mind hand-washing or dry cleaning???

Edited to add that the chambray I’m familiar w/ is very much like muslin in terms of texture. Haven’t bought any for years, although I have done some internet searches and found it online a few years ago, when I was thinking about it for a home decorating project. It is pretty easy to work with, depending on the hand. Much easier than silk, IMO. Silk tends to have a mind of its own sometimes.

Ooo..the chambray sounds good. Is it easy to work with, do you or anyone know?

Savage, maybe I misunderstood the true meaning of diaphanous. I always thought it meant light and easily moves like in a long dress that blows in the wind gently as well as see thru.

I guess what I want is a material that is light and gentle yet not really see thru. Gauze sounds really nice. Thank you Divine.

If it was up to me I wouldn’t wear anything in the summer. That’s what I want, something that feels like nothing. LOL!

Thanks all. Ann

Rayon or rayon blends are opaque, can come in many prints and are very comfortable and flow-y. As the other person said, you need to preshrink that fabric first. It also needs to be ironed after washing.