Who Wears Short Shorts?

I do!

Ok, so they are not super short or anything but this is a big step for me.   I have not worn short shorts for several years now.   I feel silly for saying this, but I haven't worn shorts because as I got older and more, um, well-rounded, I always thought my legs looked funny.  I've always had big legs, this I know.  But really?  I can wear short shorts.  My legs are totally normal.  One positive of snapping so many pictures of myself over the last couple of years is that I have a much healthier image of myself.  Hope that doesn't sound too self-centered, but if you take photos of yourself you know what I mean.  This is what my legs look like.  And they are just fine.  They take me where I need to go.  Ok, enough of that.

Feel free to laugh at my fabric choices.  I'm kind of giggling myself.  I'm not sure why I chose such wacky fabric, but I did.   I know these will not be everyone's cup of tea.  I also don't blame you if you are laughing at my hot pink crocs.  I love them, but I try not to wear them in public.  Well, maybe I don't try too hard.   I made up both pairs of shorts from the Burda 6-2011 issue, number 111B because J and I are going to the Caribbean for a week before I go back to school.  I'm so excited!  The only plan we have is to lie on as many beaches as possible, snorkel, drink fruity drinks and generally act like pirates.  I can't wait.  These shorts fill a void in my wardrobe as I don't own any pair other than athletic shorts.  I think they'll be perfect for traipsing around a tropical island.

 

I chose this Burda pattern because it is simple.  No fly front, just an invisible zip at the side.  I figured it would be a safe bet for a trial pair of shorts.  I even left off the back pockets as I didn't want to have to worry about pocket placement.  This was an experiment.  I've always heard about how wonderful Burda's trouser block is but I've never made a pair of pants or shorts from a Burda pattern.  But now I'm a believer.  The fit is not perfect, but it is SO MUCH BETTER than both the Simplicity and Butterick patterns I've tried.  One observation between this pattern and the Big 4 patterns I've tried is that there is a lot more width in the back pieces compared to the front.  So Burda makes trouser patterns for people with butts.

  

I consider the blue batik pair to be more of a success than the crazy orange and pink pair.  I actually made the blue pair first.  Are you tired of batiks yet?  Well, sorry.  I had a small one yard piece of this batik from Hancock and I was happy to use it up.  The waistband is different by accident.  Don't decide to make a Burda magazine pattern when you are in a hurry.  I had a limited amount of time to sew when I made these and I was determined to finish.  I traced off the front, back and side seam pockets and cut out my fabric right away.   Then I settled in to sewing like a banshee before I realized I missed  the waistband pieces.  The navy polka dot fabric was lying on my sewing table and I was struck by how well it matched.  So I cut the waistband from it.  As I was cutting the waistband I had a moment of clarity where I realized I had not added in seam allowances on the other pieces I cut.  D'oh!  It worked, but just barely.  I think I'm pretty generous with my sizing most of the time.  I give myself some room for mistakes because I figure I can always take it in. 

 

Anyway, I won't ramble on.  Long story short, they fit but I didn't want to lose any length.  So I also cut a hem facing from the same polka dot fabric.  I like the little bit of weight it gives to the hem.  I did not pay one lick of attention to the instructions thinking that I knew better.  I didn't.  I put in the zip before I added the waistband (I put the zip in around a pocket, I might add ;) so my zip doesn't reach the top of waistband.  I made two button loops and threaded some cord elastic through to make the loops stretchy.  I actually think the stretchy loops are what make the waist fit better on the blue pair.   Hooray for elastic.

 

After all my screw ups and fixes on the fly, I figured I owed it to the pattern to make it up right.  So the pink pair of shorts are made properly; with seam allowances and following instructions.  They are okay.  A little too baggy, a tiny bit too long and there is a little bit of difference in the way the crotch fits.  The wrinkling at the front crotch is definitely more prominent on the pink pair.  But wait... is that a side seam split?

Why yes it is.  Thank you very much, Sherry! :)  I'm so excited to know how to add this fun little detail.  You may see this here quite often now.

 

Aaaaannnd, the back view.  It's alright.  I'm not sure I ever really like anything from the back view.  I'm a little worried about the print placement on the pink pair.  My main goal was to keep it symmetrical.  But if you look closely you can see...

 

  

...a face!

I'm not sure what my other options were.  They'll suffice for a Caribbean vacation whilst wearing a long tee.

 

Happy sewing, friends.  

I'll be sure to have a fruity drink for you.