Summer is well underway, and as usual my wardrobe shows a dearth of fashionable shorts that I can wear to work and dinners out. In performing extensive online research I discovered that the hottest shorts trend this season is bright, fun ethnic prints.
Ding! Lightbulb goes off! As we just received a new collection of very vibrant
Ponte De Roma fabrics why don't I find a tutorial and sew some up? So that is just what I did :) I searched high and low and ended up finding
this summer shorts tutorial from Anna Evers of
Plan B that includes, my favorite, a
FREE downloadable sewing pattern. One note about printing this pattern is that it is one big file so choose the poster layout from the print menu in Adobe Reader be sure to select to tile the pages!
The tutorial is easy to follow, and to translate it to knit fabric I only had to make a couple of simple changes. I just eliminated the zipper, did not sew the darts, widened the waistband to 2", and added 1" elastic to the waist. Love the results!
Note that I serged in the elastic, folded over to the inside with the waistband, and then "stitched the ditch" on the right side, but you can just make an elastic casing instead if you prefer.
Now I think my Charlee needs some matching shorts! I found this shorts tutorial from Caila of Caila Made and this one also includes a FREE downloadable sewing pattern. Who can resist Mommy and Me matching outfits with the little ones?
One tip that Caila has for making getting dressed easier for your little one is to sew in a small, soft piece of ribbon that will act as a tag. This way he/she will know which side is the back. Since the back is higher than the front, it would be very uncomfortable to wear these shorts backwards.
We hope you enjoy this tutorial and please send 1-2 images of any project you make with Girl Charlee Fabrics to gcblog@girlcharlee.com and you might see your creation featured in our next KnitPicks!
Happy sewing!
~ Heather & The Girl Charlee Team
If you have a kid who doesn't wear a 2T, the Sunny Day shorts pattern from Oliver + S is also free, and has sizes available from 6 months to 12 years. I've made it with Girl Charlee cotton sweatshirt fleece and it works beautifully. http://oliverands.com/free-patterns/sunny-day-shorts/
ReplyDeleteSarah, Thank you for sharing! :)
Delete~Caitlen of The Girl Charlee Team