Shorts, Shorts, Shorts...My Version of the City Gym Shorts

I didn't have any plans to make shorts.  But, I've been seeing some Shorts on The Line posts over at Imagine Gnats and discovered the free City Gym Shorts pattern.  I love me some free patterns, so why not make some shorts!  I ended up modifying the pattern a little bit more for each of the 3 versions I made.  Here's what I did.

The pictures of these shorts are really wonderful and there are so many great versions out there, but the style just isn't me.  So, I decided to modify the pattern so that I could sew them like regular shorts without the bias tape.  I just added a bit of a seam allowance to the side and straightened the curve on the bottom. 

I also decided to add pockets.  I actually followed my own tutorial and pattern for dress pockets which you can find HERE.

 This first version came out pretty well.  In fact, I'm wearing them as I type this.  The fit is more of a pajama short for me.  I ended up just serging the bottom since I didn't think they'd be wearable if they got any shorter.  The pockets turned out a little small, but truth be told, when I look at the picture, I think they look great.  But on my body, they feel a little bit small for my taste.

I also was a little hasty and used my good fabric for my first pair.  So, I mustered all the patience I could and made a second pair with fabric that I had sitting around and not my favorite.

 For this pair, I added a little bit of length and width to the pattern and made the pockets a little bigger.  They are good and I will definitely wear them, but still aren't exactly what I'm after.  I decided to print the pattern out one more time and cut in between sizes.  Here's a comparison of the pattern I used for my first pair and my final and favorite pair.  The piece on the left is what I did for my last pair and the piece on the right is for my first pair.

These shorts are exactly what I had in mind.  The fit is amazing.  Not to loose, but not too short and tight either.  I love that these shorts have an elastic waist, but don't look frumpy.

 For this pair, I used the full size pocket from my tutorial and it's perfect. 

 I love the way the side looks and I love this fabric.  I was hoping the color and print would work with tops other than white, and I think it does.

So I guess being a little bit obsessive does pay off.  And, before I forget, I have to mention that the instructions for this pattern are really great.  I didn't get a picture of the inside of the shorts, but I think part of what makes them look so great is the way the waistband is sewn.  It ends up being 4 layers of fabric plus elastic, so it's really stable and there are no unfinished seams on the waist on the inside.

There are also kid sizes, so I might try modifying the pattern for a kid version as well.  Did I mention how much I love free patterns?

Winter Vacation Shorts Mini-Tute

We'll be flying south soon for our annual winter vacation.  So in honor of Rae's KNITerview series, I thought I'd put together a little tute for some knit kid shorts.  Now if you read my KNITerview, you'll see that in my humble opinion, the easiest way to sew knits is on a serger.  But, there are tons of resources out there for sewing knits on your standard sewing machine.  And most people, other than me, do this with great success.  Here's a great post at Prudent Baby. 

I'm calling this a mini-tute because I'm not going to show you how I made my pattern.  Dana over at Made has a great tute for this. 

On to the shorts.  I made my pattern from shorts that fit my daughter.

Lay out your pattern and cut 2 front pieces and 2 back pieces with your fabric folded.  For these shorts I used about 1/2 yard rib knit I bought at Joanns. Rib knit has a nice stretch and is a good medium weight.  You could also use interlock or a thrifted tee.

 

Sew the back to the front (right sides together) at the crotch and on the sides for both legs.

This is what you should end up with

Turn one leg right side out and insert into the other leg, with right sides together. Sew from one arrow to the other.  

Turn right side out.  Super easy and almost done. 

Measure all the way around the waist and subtract 1 inch.  Mine were 18 inches around, so I cut a waistband that is 17" by 3 inches.  

Sew the short ends together.

Fold in half with the seam on the inside and iron.  Mark the center on the front and back, and side.

Match your marks with the side and center front and back seams.  Your shorts will be wider than the band.

As you sew, stretch in between the marks to make the band fit.

Now you just need to hem, and you're done!

For these, I did a lettuce edge on my serger.  From an Igloo has a nice tutorial showing how to do this without a serger. 

Or you can just do a regular hem.

Now we're ready for our winter getaway, though it hasn't really felt like winter here.  

Hope you're enjoying the winter where you are.