Thursday 16 January 2014

January : Shorts

Basic Knit Shorts

This is a project I started on a while ago, and the extreme hot weather we are having gave me extra motivation to get it done.

I drafted the pattern for these shorts from some pajama shorts I have that I really liked the fit and cut of.   I had a few difficulties getting the pattern pieces right, as the knit fabric kept stretching and distorting the shape, but I it worked a lot better when I worked out that the important thing was to keep the bottom and side straight and work out from there.  I made them a bit longer than the originals, as the originals are fine for bed but not something I would wear outside the house.


I am not sure what the fabric is - it is a light knit with a crepe like finish, which drapes really well.

After sewing them up, I found that while the extra length was fine, the legs were a bit too full.  I re-sewed the side seams to make them narrower, and was happy with the width, but where I re-sewed I stretched the seams a bit and made it sit a little funny.


I was not completely happy with the folded over waistband - it works ok (and will be worn with a top over it anyway) but I think I would prefer to have a sewn on band.  It would also make the finishing with the double needle easier, as there is a seam line to sew along to make sure you are in the right spot.

Overall I am happy with the pattern, and should be able to make future items with a lot less problems.  I was less happy with the photography - I took lots of close ups of details, but none of them worked well enough to use!

If anyone has any tips to help me to get a better result next time, I would love to have them.


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