Sunday, April 27, 2014

Shorts: Chapter 1 closed


Hi everyone !

Do you remember my struggles with shorts ? Well, I have not abandonned ! The muslin stage was very painful and I needed to close the difficult chapter with a temporary happy ending...



Erlier this month, I attacked the mythical shorts with my usual optimism. I thought that using four different patterns would at least bring a couple of successes. From the bunch, I only liked the version with 3 pleats : Burda 7/2013. But still, they were riding up. So many of you sent me tips and tricks and I decided to apply some of them to the shorts I found the best original fit:
  • using a heavier fabric : beige denim
  • lower the crotch length



I was not expecting much but I was pleasantly suprised with the result ! In this case, the weight of the fabric makes a huge difference. And there is almost no bunching thanks to the changed crotch length. When I put them on, I was pretty surprised.



I had no great expectations but now I know that I will get some wear out of them, Even in public !



To be completely honest, I will not be able to wear these for my hiking plans. I think they are not long enough. But they will be perfect for the warm summer days at home, even with guests, on vacation, or gardening.



Now, this first chapter is closed with a happy ending. But there is still a lot of pages to be written ! I am trying another pattern at the moment and it is quite promising. I have also ordered the Chataigne from Deer & Doe. This shorts adventure promises to deliver much more surprises !


16 comments:

  1. Great job! The fabric looks good en they fit you perfectly! AND they look comfy as well!

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    1. Thank you Natalie! I actually wore them a few days ago and they are so comfy!

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  3. Great job! You should be proud of yourself for persevering and getting such a nice result. These should give you a nice starting point to figure out what you want/need for your hiking shorts.

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    1. Exactly! I tried another pair the other day and it is giving me hope that I would eventually make some hiking shorts :)

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  4. I know you want shorts rather than a skort but something like Sahalie's Be Free Transport skort is great for hiking - as long as the shorts underneath don't ride up. I'm going to have to add elastic with silicone to the hems of the shorts on 1 of the 3 that I own - then figure out a pattern to make my own in the future!

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    1. I'm such an idiot and didn't mean to be rude - how could I not comment on the subject of the post!

      The shorts look good and I agree with Michelle that you have a great starting point for future shorts. Hopefully you have time to wear them a while to see how they perform before you have to figure something out for your trip.

      Thanks for letting us see the entire process - the various comments with advice are priceless! I might even be inspired to attempt pants and/or shorts although I really prefer skirts -they just seem cooler in the neverending summer in Florida.

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    2. Hi Cheryl! No worries, it was not rude at all. I always like to get some good advice. I checked out the link and they are nice. I am sure I will end up wearing leggings/tunics for some of the walks, which is kind of the same idea.

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  5. They look fantastic on you, way to stick it out! You've inspired me to maybe try my own. I haven't worn shorts in... hmm... two years maybe? I've always hated how they fit my legs. Now that I'm learning to sew my own clothes, maybe I could even like shorts again!

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    1. You should completely try your own, and not worry too much if it does not work. If I can give one advice, don't abandon after a first result if you are not happy. It is completely worth sticking to it!

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  6. I'm just glad that you're being our test subject! lol! I think your shorts are super cute and look good on you!

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    1. Thanks a lot Tanya! I am still trying more patterns, as you know. I learned to enjoy this short adventure, but I still need to sew gratifying dresses in between, to not lose my mojo...

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  7. These are so, so cute! Great job!

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  8. It's such a pain to find shorts that fit and, just like you, I'm finding that sewing them isn't a dream either! Yours seem to be a good start in heading down the right path. Bunching is the bane of my existence- I live in CA and work in a very hot environment and I would die without shorts! Glad to know heavier fabric helped.

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