I’m so happy to be able to finally share our newest pattern, the Harper shorts and skort with you today!
This pattern has been one of my wardrobe staples since it first appeared in my Sunburnt Country ready to wear collection a few years ago and has been requested by so many of you since then that i knew i had to bring it out as a pattern. I’ve worn this pattern every summer for the last few years – tweaking the fit, updating the pockets and finally adding a really awesome skort variation. I am thrilled with this pattern. I’m not usually a fan of shorts as they can look so casual and boring and frumpy – but not these. These are literally the only ones i wear.
These shorts are designed to be comfortable but leaving you looking put together. They’re a good length and not too short (but lets be honest, it’s super easy to lengthen them if you need to!). The skort is mid length with slash pockets and combines the comfort of shorts with the appearance of a skirt. I decided to add this variation, as i’ve definitely reach a point in my life where short skirts are not super practical. I adore the look, but can’t stand the impractical nature. The skort is the answer! It’s that skirt look in the front, with the comfort and ease of wear that shorts give you.
The rise is high for both variations, but sit just below the natural waist. This means you can easily leave your top out, or tuck it in for an elegant look. The fit is close, but not too close, they will hug you in all the right places, and still have great range of motion and movement.
Both versions include a flat front, darts in the back, and are fully lined with a self facing included. Both the shorts and skort have pockets, but applied in a different way. There is an invisible zipper in the centre back to keep everything nice and clean.
I wanted this pattern to be very versatile, like all my patterns, so the V1 shorts include a patch pocket. It’s applied directly over the top of the shorts, which leaves you open to leaving the pockets off entirely for a clean look, or getting creative and designing your own patch pocket to apply. I really really want to try lengthening the shorts into some long pants or even cropped pants – wouldn’t that look awesome?!
The base short used for the V2 skort is a longer version of the shorts, which means you can mix and match both variations. Oh yeah, i love that! It makes it super easy for you to lengthen your shorts if you want, or mix and match pattern pieces. It would also be super easy to design your own skort panel and add it to the front instead!
There are a lot of great skills to learn in this pattern, my favourite of which is attached a lining to shorts that completely encloses all the raw edges with no handstitching. Of course you can easily leave the lining out, and just use the included facings, it’s such a versatile pattern!
When it comes to fabrics – you’ve got a lot of choices! Basically any bottom weight fabric will work well for this pattern. I used a denim for the V1 short sample in these photos, and the V2 skort sample was made out of a lovely camel tencel. I do recommend choosing a fabric with a little drape for V2, as the skort does need it to hang well.
Personally i’ve made Harper in everything from cotton to crepe to wool suiting and corduroy. It looks good in all of them. I really can’t wait to show you the pattern tester creations next week, because there are a huge range of fabric choices and body types and this design literally looked gorgeous on everyone.
I hope you love this pattern as much as we do! We would love to see your Harpers so don’t forget to tag #MNHarper and @megannielsenpatterns when sharing your makes on Instagram.
As always please let me know if you have any questions in the comments below!
