So I was supposed to be writing about something else today but I made shorts yesterday and I am so excited about them I had to post. These shorts. Wow. No I know what you are thinking….they are just shorts but seriously. How. Cute. Are. They.
These shorts are the possibly the biggest bang for your buck sewing project I have ever made. And here is why….they are;
- Free - the pattern is free and you can find it here on the ever inspiring Purl Bee. They are called the City Gym Shorts and it is a free pattern for kids size 2 right through to womens size 46 hip. Who doesn't love The Purl Bee?
- Fast - super fast. I think they took me about an hour per pair.
- Cheap - They can be made from scraps as they need tiny amounts of fabric and look great in two fabrics so you only need a small amount of each one.
- Long lasting - what I mean by this is that you can make them two sizes too big (which I love doing for small people as they grow so damn fast!) and they still look ace. They would look better obviously if they fit her but they still look super cute. The photos show size 8/9 on a 6yo who is nearly 7.
- Beautifully finished - for how truly simple these are, and for how easy and fast they are to put together, you get a beautifully finished garment.
- Cute - I mean come on! Kid legs in floral liberty gym shorts are possibly the sweetest thing ever.
So a couple of quick notes.
- Part of why these flew together was that I don't pin at all - right up until attaching the waist band! You do need to pin the waistband. If you are an advanced beginner then give not pinning a try. Even the binding. Just go slow around the corners and you will be fine. The worst that can happen is that you need to unpick a bit. With a bit of practice, less pinning will make you very happy and very fast. Note that not pinning will not work as a sewing strategy on slippery fabric, or things like armholes. Or gathers. Maybe I need to write an actual post on things I do to speed up sewing?
- When preparing the waistband and ironing the edges towards the centre crease (this will make sense when you see the pattern) I make a small change. I ironed one side perfectly to the middle, as directed, but then ironed the second side about 1 or 2mm back from the centre. This means that this second side is slightly wider than the first. When you initially attach the right side of the waistband to the inside of the shorts, attach the side that was ironed exactly to the middle, so the skinnier side. This simple change means that when you flip the waistband over it easily covers the stitch line. I wish I had taken a photo for you! This is a really simple change that makes things much easier and neater.
I talk about my favourite shorts for small boys in this post about Happy Homemade V2 (apologies for the gender streaming!) but I've included a picture of them below to whet your appetite. They are a fantastic project.
So City Gym shorts - one of my favourite sewing projects ever! Are you a fan?
Felicia x
