In this final post of what I made this past summer, I made well-known pieces in the sustainable fashion world: the Georgia Tee and Dress from Elizabeth Suzann. This iconic design is effortless and loose with flared, double layered cuff sleeves that look amazing on anyone and works in just about any type of fabric. Read for more about how my take on this iconic design came out.
Elizabeth Suzann is an American designer best known for igniting a craze for sustainable, slow fashion and setting a standard for other emerging sustainable brands. The small design house announced its shocking closure during the beginning of the pandemic, but Suzann promised a new era for the brand, Elizabeth Suzann Studio. Pivoting by releasing her iconic designs as accessible sewing patterns, and selling fabrics and second-hand ES pieces or photoshoot samples at discount online. The brand has only released a handful of digital sewing patterns so far, and there will be more in the near future.
I’ve always admired the Elizabeth Suzann Georgia silhouette for the simple-yet-chic design that looks effortless and put-together on just about anyone. The Georgia Tee was one of the first Elizabeth Suzann pieces I ever invested in and is still a prized possession in my closet today. This sewing pattern offers three Georgia lengths: tee, dress, and midi, offered in the brand’s flexible and inclusive sizing options: OSM (one size minus), OS, OSP (one size plus), OSP2, OSP3.
I was very pleased with the in-depth and thoughtful pattern instructions and illustrations. It was surprisingly easy-to-follow and a generally quick sew. I liked the helpful prep tips included, such as pre-pressing hems and sleeve cuffs, and basting, which allowed for speeding up the sewing process. The most challenging part for me, as it always is, was topstitching the neckline, hem, and sleeves. But after many pulled out stitches and re-sewing later, it’s worth it because the topstitching really makes a beautiful difference.
I was itching to sew up a Georgia Tee in a more fun and colorful fabric, as most of Elizabeth Suzann pieces consisted solely of solid, dull-toned fabrics, and only in linen, silk, or canvas. I chose this brightly colored, abstract-patterned cotton voile from Mood Fabrics for a lightweight and eye-catching design.
Overall, the cotton voile fabric was a nice choice for the Georgia Tee, the overall feel was very lightweight, breathable, and durable, perfect for warmer weather. The silky, delicate texture wasn’t too problematic to sew due to the simple nature of this pattern. I usually find the Georgia style to have too much of a wide neckline and loose shoulder space for my frame, but I think the lighter weight cotton voile helped with more snug sizing.
I am very pleased with my Georgia Tee and wore it all summer-long. I think it can still be a great piece to wear throughout the year, under cardigan sweaters or with a turtleneck underneath. The fun abstract pattern and bright color make me so happy! In these photos, I couldn’t help but style the Georgia Tee with another Elizabeth Suzann staple: my beloved pair of secondhand midweight linen Clyde Work Pants.
Top to Bottom: my me-made Georgia Tee and my beloved purchase from ES in Linen Gauze, Pepper.
I was also excited to sew up a Georgia Dress since the style is a perfect, chic one-piece to casually throw on, or layer on top of pants or underneath a cool jacket. I was attracted to this French hammered polyester from Mood Fabrics and knew it would be a unique fabric to make into a Georgia Dress. The silky, hammered texture and deep gray-green color seemed perfect for a drapey, effortless silhouette, plus this fabric has two textures that can be used: a matte side and a satin side. I decided to use the matte side for my Georgia Dress.
The steps were generally the same to make the Georgia Dress, except for the longer length and the dress hem having a subtle hi-low hem. This hi-low hemline is found only in the Dress and Midi styles.
This was another easy sew and while I struggled again with topstitching, I accidentally left a gap on the sides of the hi-low hemline due to reading the instructions incorrectly. There is a bit of space and loose ends, which I tried to fix by hand-sewing, though no one would ever really notice.
Overall, I am also so happy with my Georgia Dress! It’s long enough for me to wear as a simple shift (comes right up to my knees), or as a tunic shirt over pants/leggings. It’s a chic staple that I’m excited to get more wear out of! The fabric is really unlike anything I have in my closet. I love the silky, lightweight feel, the lovely gray-toned color, and subtle hammered texture. (Note: the naturally wrinkly texture means less of a need to iron this dress!)
I definitely plan on making more Georgia style pieces and am excited to now know how to sew these up with more confidence and ease. This is a simple pattern to sew, but the results are beautiful and eye-catchingly chic, as is only expected from iconic Elizabeth Suzann styles.
The next best thing to not being able to purchase new ES pieces is to be able to sew them up myself! I’m anxiously looking forward to more patterns being released so that I can finally make the pieces that I never had the chance to purchase from the brand.
Pattern: Elizabeth Suzann Studio Georgia Tee and Dress, suggested retail price is $15 (PDF), but the pattern is offered on a “pay what you can” rate.
Fabric: Tee- Nebulous Amalgam Cotton Voile, Mood Fabrics; Dress- Deep Olive French Hammered Poly, Mood Fabrics
Size made: OSM for both styles
Patrice Robins
Great job on the dress and tee. Can you please tell me how much fabric is needed to make the tee using 56 inch wide linen?
Thank you.
Patrice