Remember a couple of years ago when Sarah Beth showed you how to hack Harper into tapered pants? Well we’ve had another Harper pants idea on our minds – wide legs! You can do full length or cropped – either are cute and very in style right now with the patch pockets.

This version is super easy because it basically just involves lengthening your shorts with straight lines down to the hem. Meg has whipped up a free add-on pattern piece that will be sent out to all of our newsletter subscribers tonight (make sure to sign up if you haven’t yet!) so you can choose to download if you choose to make a pair of wide legs.  But I’m also going to show how to make the addition quickly yourself, if you would rather do that!

I also have one more bonus to show you in this post, too – the option of leaving off the lining and using only the facing to finish the waistline. This works well if you are using a heavier weight fabric and don’t want the extra bulk of a lining. Or maybe you just don’t want a lining, which is fine, too! And this can applied to any version, shorts or skort, not just pants.

Are you as excited about this post as I am? Let’s take a look!

[Read more…]

You did it, friends! You made it to the end of your Harper construction. The last one is a simple one – hemming. Again, it’s pretty straightforward and simple. You just have to hem both the outer fabric and the lining.

Ready to finish it all up? Let’s keep it short and sweet and just get to it….

[Read more…]

I know what you’re thinking – this has to be the most intimidating part of Harper construction, right? While attaching the lining to a pair of shorts or pants may technically be the most complicated step, it’s actually not complicated at all. It’s pretty easy, in fact. So please don’t be intimidated!  I’m going to break it down step by step for you, and you’re going to have a smooth, cleanly finished, lined pair of Harper shorts in no time.

And everything you will see here applies to both versions – shorts or skort (or pants, if you decide to make the variation we will be showing you soon!).

Ok, let’s get started!

[Read more…]

Now that the outer fabric of our Harper shorts and skorts are put together, let’s move on to the lining. Fully lining a pair of shorts or pants may seem like a difficult task, but I swear it’s not! If you’ve never done a lining before – it’s just as simple as the outer garment. Literally, the construction is pretty similar, almost exactly the same.

So let me show you, you can do this! Remember, this step is for all versions, whether you’re making shorts, a skort, or another variation. It’s all done exactly how you see here. And stay tuned for the next post on how to attach your lining to the outer fabric.

[Read more…]

We’re covering a very quick and simple step today in our Harper sewalong – attaching the side seams and inseam. Whether you’re making version 1 shorts or a version 2 skort, by now you have a complete front piece and a complete back piece. So now let’s put them together! Nothing fancy here, just a few basic seams and we’ll be good to go.

Ready?

[Read more…]