Sewing a (Practice) Pair of Shorts

I mentioned before my need for a new pair of shorts.  This past weekend I scoured Goodwills all over the area to find a pair that fit nicely--with no strange bulges, gaps, creases, or pulling.  I also did not want short shorts.  Apparently, I am a strange size because I tried on at least a dozen pairs and none met my criteria.

New Look 6354

I've been perusing so many crafty blogs lately that I was inspired to use my incredibly rusty sewing skills.  After looking for patterns online for awhile I decided that I liked this one.  It is an easy pattern and supposedly only takes two hours!

This past weekend we went thrift store and fabric shopping.  It had been ages since I was able to peruse the aisles of a fabric store.  I had so much fun.  I eventually settled on on fabrics for two pairs of shorts (and maybe more!).  Somehow I did manage to misread signs, because on one of the pieces of fabric I ended up paying more than double what I thought I would.  Oh well, our normally frugal lifestyle allows for small hiccups and mistakes.  (The shorts will still be cheaper than the pair that fit me best at Target.)

Even though once upon a time I had some sewing skills and this pattern didn't look difficult I was a little hesitant to make that first cut (especially since I felt like I overpaid for my fabric!).  I decided to make a practice pair.  So I brought out some fabric from my stash.  The fabric pattern is one that I like--but is maybe a little odd for shorts; however, it had been in my stash since before I got married and I picked it up super cheap from a Wal-Mart clearance bin.

I am glad that I started with a practice pair.  They turned out pretty well--but there certainly are some flaws/things I need to work out.  I think that there is a little too much fabric in the front and that causes it to droop a little strangely.  I don't think that I am going to add elastic (at least to both pairs).  The drawstring with bow adds a nice touch.  I also think that I will make one pair of shorts a little longer and another pair a little shorter.  It was obvious that it had been awhile since my last big sewing project--I wasn't as steady and confident as I had been, my seams weren't perfectly straight, I had to rip out an entire seam, etc.

(By the way, it is absolutely impossible to get a decent picture of yourself in your new shorts with your toddler running around and no sunshine.  Just sayin'.)

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