In Perfect Harmony

THE LOVE NOTIONS HARMONY BLOUSE

I discovered the Harmony Blouse years ago when I retired and had plenty of time to sew! It was my first Love Notions pattern and it was instant love for me! I have a closet full of them and they get worn year round! It can be dressed up for work with a pencil skirt or dress slacks. But since I don’t do that thing called “work” anymore- it looks just as great with a pair of jeans, casual linen pants or capris!

I like to think of the Harmony as the LDT for woven!!**

The Harmony is perfect underneath cardigans too! Grab yours today 9/9/22 for just $5!!

THE DETAILS

The Harmony Blouse is a versatile little top that can be worn all year long! It works perfectly by itself, but is also awesome underneath a cardigan! It is fitted at the bust (with darts) and is flared at the waist and hips. It has a slight high/low hem. There is a center back seam, that helps to create some subtle shaping(thus avoiding that “tenty” look). There is keyhole opening at the back neck that buttons up with a thread loop. I found this a great way to use up some of my random vintage buttons!

There are 4 sleeve options:

• Sleeveless
• Cap sleeve
• Short Sleeve
• Flutter Sleeve

Below you will see some of my collection of Harmony Blouses. I do not have any of the Cap sleeve version, as a cap sleeve isn’t very flattering on me. I have however seen it on many sewists and it is adorable!

Short Sleeved

I typically don’t have to do a large bicep adjustment on my patterns. My very first Harmony with the short sleeves was a tad too tight. It then shrunk in the wash-so it got passed on to my sister. Be sure to check the bicep measurement when making this for yourself. Make a muslin of the sleeve and check it on your body for size. You may want to make a full bicep adjustment if necessary. I did a very small adjustment on the sleeve for this version. You can find a good tutorial HERE.

Flutter Sleeve

This is my favorite sleeve and version of the Harmony. It sews up beautifully in all different type fabrics. I think Rayon Crepe is my favorite. Beware that all Rayon Crepes are not the same. Some companies call their fabrics crepes- but essentially they are more of a rayon crinkle. When pressed rayon crinkle will loose some of it’s wrinkles- thus making your garment seem stretched out. This can lead to problems with the neckline being too big. Want to guess how I know this?

Below are some of the very first flutter sleeve versions I ever made. I just love how comfortable and cool this blouse it so wear! I still wear these below!

Sleeveless

The sleeveless version is perfect for summer. I love wearing them on hot summer days. I wear them when we are out adventuring on our bikes, because they keep me cool and still look cute when we find our way to a little cafe for lunch. I’ve worn them peach picking, grocery shopping and to the movies! It’s so easy to throw a cardigan or denim jacket over it too!

When I make the sleeveless version, I raise the underarm just a tad so that I have full bra band coverage. Again, I can’t stress the importance of making a muslin for this purpose.

Sleeve Hacks/Mashups

If you follow me on Instagram or read my posts on the Love Notions Facebook page, you might know that I love to mashup patterns and copy RTW looks.

These two versions were made using sleeves from the Rhapsody pattern. The Bishop sleeve and the 3/4 Sleeve with Flare look so cute on the Harmony if I do say do myself! Purchase the Rhapsody blouse pattern HERE!

SIZING/FITTING

The Harmony is now available in Ladies sizes XS-5X. There is a full bust adjustment front pattern piece included. (YAY! This is one of the many things I love about LN patterns!)

Remember to choose your pattern size according to your high bust measurement. It’s important to get a good fit across your bust, so it doesn’t look too “tenty”. For example, my high bust is 39″ and my full bust is 43″. This puts me in-between the L and XL. I found my best fit by using the Large with the Full Bust front piece. My hips measure into the XL, however there is enough ease for my hips. Remember that using the Full Bust front pattern piece adds 2″ to the waist and hip finished garment measurements.

The first time I made the Harmony years ago, I did make the XL. I was new to PDF patterns and didn’t know how well Love Notions patterns fit me at the time. I found it too big for me at the neck and shoulders. I made this tester(muslin) version from an old challis from my stash that I really didn’t like anymore. Never use beloved fabric for your first version of any pattern, no matter how many people praise it. So even if your measurements are the same as mine, all bodies are shaped differently so PLEASE make a muslin!

I am only 5 feet tall, but I did not shorten the Harmony, as I prefer the top to hit me a tad lower than designed. It is designed to hit at the high hip in the front.

FABRICS

The Harmony is designed for light to medium weight wovens with a good drape. The drape is the most important aspect of selecting your fabric. Rayons work beautifully for this pattern whether they are crepe, challis, poplin or lawn. Other good choices are stretch crepes or georgettes(although these aren’t very beginner friendly).

If your fabric doesn’t have enough drape, you might end up with that dreaded “tent” look.

Personally, my favorite fabrics for the Harmony are rayon crepe and rayon challis, as you may be able to tell from my photos.

I love that this blouse doesn’t require a ton of fabric. I love buying high quality rayon crepes knowing I only need 1 to 1-1/2 yards depending on which sleeve I choose.

SEW MARY MAC’S TIPS FOR SEWING THE HARMONY BLOUSE

• Make a muslin! Check the dart placement! Having the darts in the right location for YOU, makes this a very flattering blouse for any size! There are directions for lowering and raising the darts in the pattern directions.

• Do NOT backstitch at the end of the dart. Leave long threads and hand knot them after you have pressed the dart down.

• Remember to press as you go! Pressing can make the difference between a homemade garment and a handmade garment- but more on that in another blog post.

• For a really professional look- try making your own bias tape. It really elevates the look of your finished blouse. HERE is a good resource for making your own.

• I like to understitch the bias binding after it has been sewn on and pressed and before folding it to the inside. I feel it helps to keep the neckline laying nice and flat.

• When cutting out “shifty” fabrics such as rayon- make sure NOT to let your fabric hang off your cutting table. The weight of the hanging fabric pulls on the fabric and can result in your pattern pieces being distorted.

• My favorite trick for marking darts on my fabric is to cut the dart out of the pattern piece(after you have cut out your fabric). I then find it much easier to mark the dart legs. Make sure to save that triangle dart piece and tape it back on to your pattern for the next time you make a Harmony. I posted a few photos below.

Thanks for stopping by my blog!

MaryAnne 🙂

Remember to follow me over on Instagram to see all my latest makes!

@sewmarymac

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* For those of you not familiar with the LDT, that is the popular Laundry Day Tee. I have a whole blog post dedicated to the dress version! You can read about this awesome pattern HERE!

Purchase the Harmony Blouse pattern HERE. This is my affiliate link. It costs you nothing to purchase from this link, it just helps fund my fabric addiction(and helps me to test more patterns)! For an additional 10% off any Love Notions pattern, use my coupon code MARYMAC10. This code never expires!

I purchased this pattern a few years ago when I first discovered PDF patterns, long before I was a Love Notions Ambassador. It is my most made woven pattern! All my opinions are my own and this is NOT a sponsored post.

Please excuse the poor quality of some of the photos. I was making this pattern long before this blog existed and before I put much effort into my photos. I wanted to show you as many Harmonys as I could- therefore some of the photos are a few years old.

The fabrics used for these tops were mostly purchased by me. I have listed some of my favorite sources for woven fabrics below:

Raspberry Creek Fabrics-Excellent quality rayon challis at an affordable price and stretch crepes

Alyssa May Designs: Bubble crepes, georgettes and Swiss dots

Stylemaker Fabrics: Rayon challis and rayon crepes. This is my favorite source for high quality rayon crepes.