Sewing: Burdastyle 03/2013 #126 Shorts

By Tiffany - Thursday, June 06, 2013

I've been wanting to show my new shorts off for awhile. I made these a few weeks ago, but then left on my trip to England. Also, the weather was lousy until a few days ago. Now, we have lots of good shorts weather.

Materials

Polyester Twill (?): $0.50
Pocket lining (old bedsheet): $0
Interfacing (already had): $0
Button and Zipper (from secondhad shorts): $3.50

That's right - the materials only cost me $4! The twill is maybe a bit thick for really hot days. On the plus side, it seems to be very water and dirt resistant. If I had more of the fabric, it would make good outdoor jacket material. Time will tell if it will make comfortable shorts.

Pattern

Burdastyle 03/2013 #126

I really needed a new pair of shorts and even put that in my 2013 Wardrobe Plan. I had this fabric lying around and a copy of the March 2013 of Burdastyle, so I thought "why not?".

I was a little apprehensive with how these shorts would turn out. There are no side seams. Instead, there are side pieces with large pockets that go around to the back. I was afraid it would make my butt look weird. But, I think it acutally makes my curves look better. Plus, I love usuable pockets and these are definitely easy to use.

Alterations

I found out that my measurements match the existing grading between the waist and hips. So, I didn't have to alter to get a custom fit. I made a size smaller than what the chart said and they fit prefectly (my measurments are 30" waist and 39" hips - so a size 40 instead of 42).

The only things I changed was the hem length (I made it a couple inches longer in order to be able to comfortably wear them in the office) and the button layout (one on the outside instead of two). That's it!

What I Learned

This was a great project! It did not take much material or time. I could now make another pair in a flash if I had to.

One part I had to stop and think about was the fly front. I've never sewn one before and the written instructions with the pattern are terrible. These two videos really helped me out: