Sewing Bee Shorts

I haven't forgotten my pattern selections for this season's pattern curator, but I have been distracted with a last minute decision to join the Pattern Review Sewing Bee.  Here is my first entry, which had to be shorts or capris with a closure.

The pattern is a rub-off from some RTW Roxy shorts. I remember rubbing the pattern off on yellow wooden floorboards,  and I haven't lived in that house for 6 years now, so these shorts have been a long time coming.  I guess that back then I did not have the confidence to finish the pattern off, draft all the extra bits and sew the shorts up.


These shorts have the following features
- front fly closure, with zip and two buttons - front pleats
- back darts
- curved front pockets
- jetted back pockets
- wide, shaped waistband, with front waistband sitting lower than the back waist band.
- wide belt carriers
- cuffs
- inseam 4 inch / 10 cm

 The fabric is 1.4 m of white, stretch denim from the Fabric Store remnant bin. I didn't want to utilise the stretch (I hate my shorts falling down during the day), so I cut them with the stretch going vertically instead of horizontally.

The pocket bags are cut from bed sheets that had ripped down the middle. The edges of the sheet were still good, and I thought that the colour was ideal for white shorts, as it would minimise show-through. The sheets were a good quality, and the pockets feel really nice!

The bottom edge of the waistband facing is finished with Hug Snug rayon seam binding.
 

This is the first time that I have made double jetted pockets (as opposed to welt pockets) and I much prefer making them to making welts. I followed a method described by Martyn Smith in an old Australian Stitches magazine.
 
 

The buttons are large, clear, shank buttons, from a jar of Liberty buttons given to me by a friend. This was such a great present.  Even though she has moved far away and I haven't seen her in a while, I think of her every time I go looking for buttons for a project.

 

For the cuffs, I used my new favourite method, same as my previous shorts, where a double hem is folded up and sewn, and then flipped to the outside to form the cuff. I find that this method makes for a nice, crisp cuff.

Truth be known, the shorts are probably half a size too big, but now that I have the pattern sorted, I can easily correct this for my next pair.  In the meantime, I have a new pair of white shorts for summer.