Week 30, Summer Shorts

Making pants was a glorious disaster for me the four times I tried, yes four.  I decided shorts are a much better challenge for the moment.  I love the other pattern I tried (Simplicity 1887)  and I love both pairs I’ve made.  I bought a cute pink bodysuit to go with the floral pair and even wore them to a dinner I had in Jamaica.  I wish I would have snagged a pic then, but it was a chaotic night.

So it was time to test out another pattern, this time I went with McCalls M6930.  It doesn’t call for stretchy fabric, but I found this knit that almost had a denim weight to it.  It was one yard in the remnant bin at Joanns, so with all the discounts the piece was less than $7 and a perfect investment for trying out a pattern for fit and preference.  I prefer jeans with stretch and I can see that that preference is also taking over shorts.  With a slight stretch in the fabric it can compensate for minor fit issues, there’s just a little bit of grace.  I like a lot about how these turned out but the back still has some issues that need some troubleshooting.

Even though I followed directions the back enclosures need further attention and the zipper up the crack is still in great debate in my mind.  Zippers at the side and crotch might just overall be a better idea but I like the front enough to rework the back and try to make it more successful.  I also think it might be better to have the zipper part of the waistband too.  I’m really not loving hooks and eyes as closures.  I’m going to see if I can come up with a better solution.

I’m still on the fence about this pattern due to some of the issues with the back but I will give it another try.

I’ve looked through all of the big pattern company patterns and have bought the only shorts patterns that interested me, so I have three or four.  This might be the avenue in which I try my first indie pattern.  Do you have any recommendations?  Any indie shorts patterns that you love?