The Harper Tunic: My First Try

 

The good news: this Harper Tunic is easily the most comfortable item of clothing that I own, second only to my four-year-old Black Panther-branded jersey knit jammy pants.

The bad news: it's so roomy that it's probably unwearable on any occasion in which I care what I look like. That's not many occasions, true, but it's not none occasions!

Even though I've been sewing constantly for 18 years (my first project was a ring sling for tiny baby Will!), I can count on one hand the articles of clothing that I have actually sewn for myself---including that ring sling! I've sewn countless garments for the kids, and even a few things for Matt, but I am very much a novice, still, at sewing for my own body.

For the Harper Tunic, I'm on the cusp between the OSP and OSP2 sizes. The Chest measurement for the OSP is 38"-45", and the OSP2 is 45"-52"; my chest measurement is 45". I'm solidly in the OSP2 range with a Waist measurement of 42.5", but I'm again on the cusp between two sizes with my Hip measurement of 49"; the OSP is 42"-49", and the OSP2 is 49"-56". I read somewhere as I was researching this pattern that I should opt for the larger size if I was between measurements, so that's what I did. 

I sewed this tunic from an $8 cotton sheet from Goodwill--Goodwill's prices have gotten RIDICULOUS, so please don't tell them that their sheet prices are still reasonable, lest they up those, too, and I lose my favorite source of affordable fabric! This was mostly intended to be a muslin, so I'm not super sad that I don't love it. Instead, it's like a bonus that it's wearable at all, even if its entire lifespan will be spent with me doing kitchen and yardwork.

Because look at those pockets!

I added a matching pocket on the opposite side of the tunic, and now I have enough room in my pockets to fit five five-week-old kittens:

I mean, they don't hate it...

My next step will be to cut down my pattern to the smaller size and try it again--I've got a $4 dark red sheet already picked out for it, so I'm pretty stoked. Will is still in the process of assembling her Harper Tunic pattern--so far, her sewing lessons have consisted of the fact that cutting and assembling pdf patterns SUCK!!!!!--but I think I'm going to have her cut her pattern down another size, too, as she is also on the cusp of two sizes and unlike me, she would majorly loathe wearing an oversized shirt.

I mean, she's also probably going to loathe wearing matching shirts with her mother, but to be honest, she's kind of oblivious so there's a good chance she won't even notice...