Sailor Shorts

Several weeks ago I purchased a bunch of beachy quarters, not knowing how I'd use them (as most fabric buying goes).  The fabric is from the Jack and Lulu It's a Shore Thing collection.  Soon after, I also purchased this Sailor Shorts pattern from Peek-a-boo Pattern Shop after falling in love with the pictures.  The shorts look so different than most out in stores!  It took me a long time after purchasing the pattern and cutting it out to get started.  It was a little more complicated and I couldn't find the perfect nautical fabric.  Then I remembered the quarters and decided to make it work!

I'm in love with the color combinations I was able to put together.  I used 3 different quarters for this pair.  These shorts still took me a lot longer than I expected because I had to re-read the directions a lot and seam rip some areas.

I made size 3T for my 2/3T wearing girls and the fit was pretty good.  I had to shorten the amount of elastic recommended for the back by a little over an inch though.  I left the extra elastic inside the band in case I want to adjust these next year, though these girls just keep growing up at this point instead of out.

I used 4 different quarters for this pair of shorts because I wanted this color combination.  One thing I learned making these shorts - I didn't use wide enough bias tape.  I looked all over the pattern instructions several times and couldn't find a recommended bias tape size, but I probably missed it.  I used some I had on hand and it turned out okay.  The curved areas were nearly impossible to sew with the thin tape.  Also, I'm a little bothered I couldn't match fabric patterns at the seams because of the small amounts I had available.  Both problems are an easy fix next time.

For more shorts inspiration, check out the Shorts On A Line series!






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