SoleCrafts: Shorts and the Pattern Review Sewing Bee

I've been in the process of finalising my ultimate shorts pattern recently - Its am amalgamation of all the pants and shorts that I've made over the last couple of years.

To test the pattern I made myself a pair of shorts using some left over purple linen.

These shorts are very basic. I included front slant pockets and a 4 piece waistband,

However I decided that I was going to be lazy and I sewed the front seam together rather than putting in a zipper fly.

The waistband is secured with two purple snaps.

I didn't bother with back pockets and serged and turned under the lower edge for a simple hem.

When I finished these shorts they fit perfectly, however I've lost a bit of weight in the last couple of weeks, so when you combine that with the linen growing as you wear it I'm having trouble keeping these shorts on at the moment...I may have to take the side seams in a bit if I keep this weight loss going. (I should probably pull out the iron at some stage too).

Just after I finished these shorts I went to the Pattern Review website and found out that the first challenge in the Pattern Review Sewing Bee was shorts - I knew I had to enter.

The Pattern Review Sewing Bee started on Wednesday 1st September but I didn't have time to start making anything till that weekend. On Saturday I started going through my stash of fabric to decide what I wanted to make my entry out of. I came up with a piece of black eyelet lace that I had previously used to make this pair of shorts out of. There was just enough fabric to get a second pair of shorts, as long as I cut the length off just a smidge.

I cut out the eyelet lace and then went back to the stash to find a material to line the shorts with. I found a beautiful piece of blue knit fabric that I thought would work perfectly (and that I had enough of) and sewed a piece onto the each piece of the pattern and then turned the pieces inside out. This gives a neat Hong Kong finish to all the seams.

I did a full zip fly on this pair of shorts, but rather than the slant pockets in the front I put the pocket bags into the seam between the shorts and the waistband.

It was at this point, when I just had the button closure and the hems to do, that I went back and re-read the contest rules. One of the rules was no knit fabric. Whilst I assume that this was because they didn't want slip on shorts I decided I wasn't willing to risk getting eliminated over it and put those shorts aside and started all over again. Once I had finished my second pair of shorts I came back to these and finished them off with 3 black star snaps at the waistband and cuffs on the legs.

For my second pair of shorts, I went back to the fabric stash - I needed a woven fabric. I had two beautiful corduroy fabrics which I considered using, but they've been earmarked for pants so I didn't want to use those, then I came upon this piece of upholstery cotton in brown with colourful circle, petal motifs on it that I'd bought planning on making a pair of pants for my son. I decided I needed it more than him and appropriated it for myself.

I used the same pattern again and cut out the material. Again I put in a full zip fly at the front and this time I even did the fly shield as well.

I then cut front pockets to extend right across the front of the shorts and be caught in the fly to provide a nice stable front to the shorts.

I decided I wanted to extend myself a bit and decided on welt pockets in the back. This was only my second time doing welt pockets.

Its a bit hard to see the pockets in all the print

They turned out ok, but I was a bit unhappy with the finish on the pockets on the inside. The rest of the shorts I made using french seams so that the inside of my shorts were as beautiful as the outside, but I didn't know how to do that with the welt pockets, so they're a bit messy with just a serged finish.

The final piece of the puzzle was the buttons at the front. I had no buttons in my stash that would work, but I did have a bunch of old jeans lying around. I found one pair with beautiful crystals on the buttons and decided I wanted to use those. It took me some time to figure out how to get them off the jeans, but once I did they were easily installed onto the new pair of shorts. The button holes were another thing though. after a couple of practice attempts my first button hole went in perfectly, however the second one did not want to cooperate. I picked that thing out at least 3 times before finally getting one that I was willing to accept.