Printed shorts are now such a hot trend for summer! Not only are they very flattering (when found in the right pattern, cut & shape for your body type), they are also so versatile. I personally think everyone should own at least one pair to spice up their closet! Not only are they are a great staple for the trending (ethnic print inspired) “Boho Chic” style, they can even be paired with a simple plain shirt and blazer to amp up the sophistication. No matter what vibe you are going for, you can find a great printed short to accentuate your personal style.
I was inspired by an outfit I found on Pinterest (seen below), but I could never find a pair of shorts similar enough to my inspiration that I wanted to get them. I did have a maxi dress in a semi-similar pattern that I was not wearing, SO… I decided that it was time to re-fashion it into something that I would actually wear and add (another pair of) printed shorts to my ever expanding collection! I can’t believe I have never done this before, and I want to share with you one of the easiest sewing projects I have done in a LONG time!
Inspiration from Pinterest
So, here is what I did.
- First, I picked out a pair of shorts that I had in my closet which had a similar style that I liked and wanted to mimic. Then I traced the shorts onto a piece of poster board, making myself a “pattern”. I left room for seam allowance.
- Next, using my “pattern”, I cut out my pieces off of the bottom part of the skirt. I decided to utilize the seam that was already sewn on each side so I didn’t have to sew the outer seams (I’m either lazy or genius! I haven’t decided yet.)
- After that, I serged the inner leg seams (the outer leg seams were already done) (#1), AND with right sides together I serged up the center seam (#2).
- When the center seam was finished, I serged the top of the waistband, folded it over and made a channel for the elastic. Once sewn, I slid the elastic through the channel attached it together with a zig-zag stitch, and closed off the channel! Voila!
- I haven’t decided if I am going to hem the bottom of the shorts or not because the hem has already been finished from when it was a skirt. (It is a little uneven, but I kind of like it.) For aesthetics sake I probably will, but I was excited to share the “finished” project.
SO that’s it!! What do you think!? These took me under one hour to make! If I can do it, YOU definitely can! I think they are great, and pretty close to my inspiration photo! PLUS they are SO very comfortable and light weight that I am not even worried about the back of my legs getting all sweaty when we are outside in 100+ degree weather! Best of all, they were FREE from my very own closet!
I absolutely LOVE re-fashioning things, and I would love to hear about any projects that you have re-purposed!
Until next time…
**I will admit that I had a setback. I didn’t initially measure the waist to fit over my hips, but just measured it to fit at my waist. OOPS! SO that being said, if you decide to make your own pair of shorts, make sure to make the waistband at least the size of your hips (or bigger) so it will fit over them! The elastic you add in should be the size of your waist, and will stretch over your hips.**
blissandhoneysuckles.wordpress.com 