Summer Shorts Weather - Finally

Our weather is crazy. It was barely in the 50's last week and then this week it's hot and humid for a couple days, then nice (70's) for a couple and now we're expecting 90 tomorrow. I thought Elena was pretty well set for shorts this summer, but she has gotten so tall that they are actually too short. I'm tired of her little bum hanging out when she's lolling around on the floor, grass, couch ....

I traced a pattern from a Japanese sewing book last fall/winter and photocopied the instructions because I had borrowed it from the library. Somehow, I don't have the title of the book on those pages. All I can tell you is that these shorts are "h" and are called Pants with Turned-Up Hems. I liked that they had cute pockets on the back and a yoke. I dug through the upcycle stash and found a nice maternity skirt that hadn't been worn much at all but would be perfect for a muslin that would hopefully be wearable . It had great topstitching and just enough fabric to work with, so off I went.

I sewed them up with no modifications and tried them on her. Yuck. Not good at all. The front rise was ridiculously high and pouchy on her and the side seams bowed out like jodpurs. (Isn't that what those crazy riding pants are called?) The back was good, and I liked the longer length so I cut the waistband off (it's a whole separate piece) and cut the yoke down in a curve on the front. I used my favorite Titchy Threads Twisted Trousers as a guide. I also borrowed the knit waistband from the Twisted Trousers pattern, and ran back to the machine. Oh, and I straightened out that side seam while I was there.

Now they are very comfy. The fabric is lightweight making these perfect for hot days. I love that I could take advantage of the cool top-stitching and the deep hems. We can even roll these up for walking along the beach.

This shirt is one I made for her last year and blogged about here. It is my own reverse applique design on the yoke of a CINO Nessie Top. This may have been the one that started my love affair with the Nessie.

Lately, Elena wants to take a selfie with me during each photoshoot. Guess that can serve as inspiration to dress myself decently. (I'm wearing a Plantain Tee, my TNT t-shirt pattern.)

I don't think I'll bother with this pattern again, since I had to make so many changes in the end. Instead, I'm going to make some more Twisted Trousers shorts so stay tuned for that. I have an idea to change them up just a bit. Thanks for reading.