#ESMadeByMe Series No.1 A Very Elegance Harper Tunic Tutorial | Sewing Therapy

Hello, Sara here. A project-based sewing instructor in Vancouver, BC. Today’s tutorial is special. We are going to make this very elegance looking Harper Tunic (Top). Back in April, one of slow fashion’s leading companies, Elizabeth Suzann, announced that they were closing their doors permanently. However, the owner and founder Liz has generously made her patterns available for free.

Unfortunately, there are no instructions included with the patterns, so my couple tutorials will be her patterns! I must tell you that I love her clothes since it’s very beautiful yet comfortable at the same time!

Although Liz has made the patterns available for free, she asks that you support her cause by making a donation to a local or regional Black led and by posting a picture of your make with this hashtag. I hope you will join me in respecting her wishes!

I strongly recommend you to watch the video for anything you are confused with. You can also leave your questions on a comment section below.

And there is one more thing that I should mention. As they were in a format that only pattern-makers could use, it took another team to convert them into A0 format and PDF for home print. Thank you all!

The Team
https://www.instagram.com/minimalistmachinist/ https://www.instagram.com/mombasics https://www.instagram.com/thestoryclubpdx https://www.instagram.com/luigiwu

The organizations you can donate:
https://blacknovember.org/
https://www.instagram.com/glits_inc/
https://thelovelandfoundation.org/

To access the patterns, please visit https://mailchi.mp/114abba126bd/esmadebyme – the link is in @minimalistmachinist’s profile and follows the instructions there for the download link.

Alright. Let’s get started.

Materials

My Short Dress and High-Low Tunic is made out of Rayon (Emilia by Megan Carter for Cotton and Steel) in Slate and it’s available in my Etsy shop http://etsy.me/2OdKrV3

My Long Dress is made out of Rayon (Emilia by Megan Carter for Cotton and Steel) in Plum and it’s available in my Etsy shop
http://etsy.me/31XzSxs

Elizabeth Suzann Harper Tunic pattern, 2-2.5 yards of fabric

These are my online fabric shops.
All the fabrics I use are from either Dailylike Canada or Two O Nine Fabric Studio.
Dailylike Canada http://www.dailylike.ca
Two O Nine Fabric Studio https://www.etsy.com/shop/twooninefabricstudio

Non-Woven Pattern Tracing Paper 36″ wide
https://etsy.me/3fiXTTs

Checklist on Pattern Tracing
Armhole
It has a pretty small armhole, so please measure your arm, decide if you would like a more generous fit, and cut accordingly
Length
+7″ – 12″ for Short Dress
+15″ – 20″ for Long Dress
Neckline
If you prefer Facing, Please watch my Athina Top Tutorial for the reference!
http://sewingtherapy.net/how-to-make-athina-top/

Cut
1 Front Bodice, 1 Back Bodice, 1 Pocket, 1 Neck Binding
*To make a nice curvy neckline, we will need to cut the fabric on a 45-degree angle for stretch

1. Pocket
Serge the top edge
Fold the top edge and press WST (Wrong Side Together)
And sew
Fold the other edges and press
For a sharp corner, fold the corner in before folding over
Set it aside
Place the pocket at the marks and pin
*I use Wonder Tape when I don’t want to make holes in the fabric

Wonder Tape
https://amzn.to/3egkzT4 Canada
https://amzn.to/3ffEIcZ US

Sew the sides and the bottom of the pocket
Sew the sides and the bottom of the pocket
WAIT! Let’s copy a nice detail from the original Harper Tunic! Just check out the pocket on the picture below.

2. Shoulder Seams
Pin and sew the shoulder seams RST (Right Side Together)
Serge the seams

3. Side Seams
Pin and sew the side seams RST
And serge the seams

4. Neck Binding
Sew the short edges RST
Open the seams
Fold in half and mark the middle (opposite of the sewn edge)
Fold the bodice in half and mark the front and back centers of the neckline
Match the centers of the neck binding to the centers of neckline RST

*It’s normal that the neck binding is a little smaller than the neckline, so we will pin only centers and carefully sew

Sew the binding onto the neckline, stretching it to fit
Trim half of the seam
Clip the seam
Send the seam toward the neck binding and press
Double-fold the binding, wrapping the seam, and pin
When folded, the folded edge overlaps the stitch
Edgestitch or stitch in the Ditch

*As I sew, I feel with my finger to make sure that the inside folded edge is being sewn

5. Hem
Double-fold the arm hems and press

*Tip on how to make high-low bottom
The Harper Tunic already has a slight high-low bottom. You can use this technique when making a dramatic/deep high-low bottom.
– Match side seams and place bodice flat
– Just remember, on the front and the back, the starting marks have to be 90 degrees to the edge
This technique will ensure smooth front and back hems with a great transition for the high-low

Double-fold the bottom hem and pres
Edgestitch the folded edge of the bottom and the armholes

The Harper Tunic is a cute day dress that can be dressed up or down, or even way down into lounge and sleepwear (it’s that comfortable!).

I’m finishing the tutorial with shout out to Liz.
Liz, we’re sad to see Elizabeth Suzann close its doors, but excited to see what’s coming for you in this next season. We wish you all the best and we’re grateful that we can continue bringing your excellent patterns to life. With so much gratitude!

I make sewing tutorials, tips, and tricks on my Sewing Therapy blog. So consider subscribing if you call yourself a ‘SEWIST’! See you next time!

*****Disclosure******
Some of the links above are affiliate links. .Clicking and purchasing through affiliate links gives me a small commission. BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, I wanted to help you find the materials easier. So you can focus more on your project. Thank you.
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Here’s my Patreon page link. Your support is greatly appreciated! https://www.patreon.com/user?u=32815284

Let’s get connected!
Sewing Therapy
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/yoursara_k/
Blog – http://sewingtherapy.net/
Twitter – https://twitter.com/SewingTherapy

Dailylike Canada
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/dailylikecanada
Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/dailylikecanada
Pinterest – https://www.pinterest.ca/dailylikecanada

Two O Nine Fabric Studio
Instagram –https://www.instagram.com/twooninefabric