Shorts On The Line: Lace Shorts

6.13.2013


Welcome to my little part of the Shorts On The Line series!  If you're wondering how I got so lucky to hang out with such an amazing group of crafty women, well don't worry, so am I!  So you'll just have to forgive me for taking a second to thank Carla and Rachael for inviting me to be a part of this fantastic series.  Thank you!  But in addition to that I want to thank them for giving me the kick in the butt that I needed to actually get around to sewing my first(!) ever pair of shorts (well, if you don't count culottes as shorts, that is).

I actually bought Grainline Studio's Maritime Shorts pattern several months ago with every intention to whip them up in the spring. But then I totally chickened out and the pattern just laid around our house, buried under the mounds of papers that call our desk home.

Until now that is.


See that, people?  Shorts!  For me!


Now I did do something very un-Carolyn-like in making these shorts - I actually made a muslin!  But I mostly did it out of fear because I was really worried about getting the fit right since I've never sewn shorts before.  Unfortunately I made my muslin out of some left-over quilting cotton and so I thought that the size four was going to be a perfect fit.  But when I sewed up my first pair out of a bottom weight fabric that was thicker than the muslin cotton, the fit was a bit tighter (and therefore shorter) than I was looking for.  I hemmed and hawed and groaned over it for several days and then made my peace with the fact that I just wouldn't be happy wearing shorts that tight and short.  So it was back to the drawing tracing board as I traced out a size six and kept my fingers crossed that things would go better this time around.  And fortunately they did.


I purchased the gray lace overlay fabric at Pacific Fabrics back when I went to the Sewing and Stitchery Expo and the underlining is a cream cotton lawn that was hidden in a package of fabric that my little sister brought back for me from Pakistan.  I've been eyeing the fabrics that she brought back for ages but I've been a bit terrified at cutting into them and messing something up.  I figured though that if I was eventually going to find the courage to cut into them, some plain cotton lawn was the safest place to start.  Oh, and no handmade garment would be complete without a little something extra thrown in, right?  Hence the bright pink lace hem tape.  Ka-pow!


As for the pattern itself, I love Jen's garment construction because it results in a garment that looks handmade rather than homemade.  I mean look at this fly front!


It's a little sewing miracle in itself that it looks this good considering that I've never sewn a fly front before and that I had no idea what I was doing when I put it together.  Instead I just blindly followed Jen's instructions and hoped that this little sewing trust exercise would work out in the end.  And for the record, I totally trust her now.


I did choose to leave off the back pockets because I figured that I wouldn't really use them since the pattern already has very functional front pockets.  Plus back pockets would probably distract from the lacey awesomeness of the fabric.  I also chose to hand sew the waistband and the hems on the legs of the shorts to make these little suckers as pretty, pretty as possible.  Hand sewn hems aren't just for dresses, you know.  Show a little love to your shorts!


Now go check out some of the other great posts that are part of this fantastic series.   But most importantly - go sew some shorts!

This post is part of shorts on the line sewalong hosted by imagine gnats and small + friendly, sponsored by Jo-AnnPretty Prudent/Pellon®, and Hawthorne Threads.

6/11 - Delia Creates and Buzzmills
6/17 - girl inspired and Casa Crafty
6/19 - Made by Rae and Craftstorming
6/20 - Noodlehead and emmyloubeedoo

25 comments:

  1. love these! i was just looking at this pattern last night. i think i'll need to give it a go :)

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  2. these are so nice!! casual, but a little flirty too- love!

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  3. Wow! Love the lace and the shorts fit you perfectly. Great work!

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  4. gasp! these are so beautiful! great job, esp. considering it was your first time sewing a zip fly. I've done it once, and never want to again! You did a beautiful job!

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  5. These look store bought, but way better fitting than most shorts in store! love the grey lace.

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  6. whistle, whistle! great job!

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  7. I love love love them! And hand stitching? You really outdid yourself! Thank you so much for sewing along!

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  8. Oh man, this is definitely my new favorite Maritime shorts version! The lace was a genius idea and I'm so happy you liked the pattern! I know I do the fly a bit differently than a lot of instructions but it always works out for me every time (I learned the method from an industrial sewing book in school). Also glad to have found your blog, love it!

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  9. um, wow! i am an admitted shorts-hater, but these lace beauties have just about changed my mind. i know i say this about every garment you make, but i seriously can't believe you sewed these. they look so professional!

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  10. lace! genius! and they fit wonderfully. and they're not too-short, either, which is nice. i love that you hand hemmed them, the lace is too pretty for top stitching. ;)

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  11. These are awesome! I'm scared of pants and shorts patterns in general, but may have to give this one a try.

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  12. Oh, I love these shorts so much - they look PERFECT on you. Fantastic job!

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  13. Oh gosh, your lacey version of the Maritime Shorts = swoon-worthy / best shorts ever! LOVE SO MUCH! I made a wearable muslin of the Maritime earlier this week and I'm utterly smitten with this pattern --- sewing a hot pink denim pair today, but now you have me dreaming about a lace pair next!

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  14. Very nice! I need to make myself shorts for next summer, remind me in January, 'k?

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  15. daaaaayummm girl! these look fantastic on you!!! beautifully sewn.

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  16. These are the best looking shorts I've ever seen! Seriously fabulous ...

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  17. I really really love these. The fit is fantastic. And great pins doesn't go astray either!

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  18. Just found your blog for the first time and I'm in love with your shorts. Plus your "about me" profile thingy almost made me snort coffee out my nose. Thanks for the laugh and the pattern tip! :)

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  19. these are super fantastic!!!! beautiful job!!! I am also making a muslin for these. I think I arrived at a size 6 too, but my waist and hip measurements were so far apart, a 2 and 10 I think, crazy!!!

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  20. The shorts look fabulous! You did a fabulous job with that zip fly.:) I purchased this pattern and printed it off a couple of months ago for my oldest daughter and myself. Time to get to it!

    Cindy

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  21. They look great! Nice fit. I sew shorts for the littles in my life. My version of sewing shorts for me is finding a pair of pants that I like and cutting the legs off.

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  22. those are fab, fit is awesome, and I love the hot pink hem facing!

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  23. Those shorts are gorgeous and so flattering! Great job!

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  24. These are amazing!!!

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A comment? For me? You're the best!