Brownie Goose Summer Sailor Shorts - Remix Edition
<- From this
To this ->
Hayley has invited me (okay, I may have invited myself…haha) to
share my remix edition I did of the Brownie-Goose Summer Sailor Shorts. Now, unless you’ve been living under a rock,
you’ve heard about these shorts. And if
this is the first you’re hearing about them, don’t worry! I was living under
the same rock just 3 months ago. This
pattern was my very first PDF pattern purchase.
It was | at first sight! In fact,
it’s the only shorts pattern I own. I
thought people may start to notice, though, if I made my girls 50 pairs of
sailor shorts in different fabrics, so I had an idea!
What if I took this great pattern and did a little remix? First, I had to decide what look I wanted. My girls really | pockets on their shorts to
collect lots of treasures so I knew I had to have pockets. Now, I’ve added functioning pockets already
to a previous pair of BG Summer Sailors, but I wanted a different look. I also knew I wanted the shorts to be a bit
shorter. I also wanted more of a brown
paper bag type of waist with belt loops and a belt! Wow, that’s a lot of changes. But, I look at PDF patterns as almost a blank
slate. So I got to work.
These are the changes I made to an already fabulous pair of
shorts:
1.) I shortened the pattern a bit.
2.) I made raised pockets with a faux piping effect.
3.) I flipped the bottom cuff down instead of up
4.) I made a brown paper bag type waist with belt loops.
5.) I created a fabric belt.
Let’s get started, shall we?
1.)
I
shortened the pattern a bit.
I really wanted these shorts to hit about mid-thigh
on my daughter so I cut out the correct size width-wise (in my case, size 3),
but I cut the length at the 6-12m size.
Since I was leaving the cuff on the bottom flipped down, I knew that
would add a bit of length as well.
2.) I made
raised pockets with a faux piping effect.
To make these pockets, I took my pocket
pieces I made from my first tutorial (adding functioning pockets to the Summer
Sailor pattern) and rounded the corner to make it more appealing. I cut out 2 pieces for each pocket, one in my
main fabric and one in my lining. Pick a
lining you want people to see because this is what creates the faux piping
effect.
Take 1 of each piece and place them right side together. Sew the whole way except for the side seam – leave that open to turn your pocket.
Before turning right side out, notch along the curved edges to along your seams to have them lay nicely.
Turn right side out. Head over to your iron and slightly shift your pocket so that your lining peeks out on the concave side (the side your girl will stick her hand in!).
Iron into place. Topstitch that edge.
Repeat with other pocket.
Take 1 of each piece and place them right side together. Sew the whole way except for the side seam – leave that open to turn your pocket.
Before turning right side out, notch along the curved edges to along your seams to have them lay nicely.
Turn right side out. Head over to your iron and slightly shift your pocket so that your lining peeks out on the concave side (the side your girl will stick her hand in!).
Iron into place. Topstitch that edge.
Repeat with other pocket.
Okay, now that you’ve got your two pockets
with faux piping, let’s figure out placement!
Take your front shorts pieces and lay them out in front of you. I shifted my pocket upwards leaving 1 ¾ inches
above the shorts and sideways leaving about ½ inch over the side.
I am using my pocket tops to double as belt
loops! Genius, huh?
Once you’ve got your pockets where you want
them, sew them onto the shorts front along the convex edge (convex, concave - never
thought I’d use those words again ever.
Haha)
VERY IMPORTANT: Leave the top half inch or more unsewn. You will thank me later when you go to sew
your waist!
Continue using your Brownie-Goose pattern
tutorial. Stop before you get to the
bottom cuffs.
3.) I flipped the bottom cuff down instead of up
and shortened it.
When I first set out to make these shorts, I
wanted a scalloped cuff. Well, that
turned out disastrous. Seriously
horrid. I knew I wanted to have cuffs
that turned down instead of up.
Unfortunately because of my attempt at the scallops, I was running low
on material. So instead of the 4” tall
cuffs in the pattern, I cut out 2” tall cuffs.
Okay, once you have your cuff pieces cut out,
fold them in half width-wise, right sides together. Before you sew them, sew your shorts in both
the rise and crotch area Then, measure
your leg openings. With that
measurement, mark your seam line on your cuffs.
Sew the ends together.
Turn right side out and fold in half wrong sides
together, matching the raw edges. Repeat
for other leg cuff.
Now, grab your
shorts and slide the cuff over the bottom of your shorts, lining up the seam of
the cuff with your inner leg seam. Match
the raw edges and pin into place.
Sew
using a ¼” inseam. Finish edges with
serger, zig zag or overlock stitch (and I HIGHLY recommend the overlock foot if
you are without a serger!). Take your
shorts over to the iron and flip the cuff down, and press the seam upward. Topstitch 1/8” from edge on the shorts panel.
4.) I made a brown paper bag type waist with belt
loops.
Okay, almost done! Let’s make that
waist! Flip the tops of your pocket
pieces down and pin out of the way.
Follow the pattern instructions to get the required length for your size and sew accordingly. Don’t forget to leave an opening for your elastic! (If you want to use your pocket lining as the inside portion of the waist, cut 2” wide strips of both your main fabric and lining. Sew, right sides together, proceed as normal.)
Follow the pattern instructions to get the required length for your size and sew accordingly. Don’t forget to leave an opening for your elastic! (If you want to use your pocket lining as the inside portion of the waist, cut 2” wide strips of both your main fabric and lining. Sew, right sides together, proceed as normal.)
To create the brown-paper bag effect, sew a
seam all the way around your waistband 3/4” to 1” up from your bottom seam
depending on your width of elastic.
Topstitch 1/8” from the top of the waist as well to give a finished look. Now, let’s sew on the belt loops before adding the elastic! Flip your pocket tops back up. They should line up with your waistband. Sew the bottom of the belt loops by stitching along the seam where the waist meets the shorts.
Then, sew the top of the belt loops meeting up
with the topstitching already in place. If
your loops are too long, fold them under at the top before stitching.
Topstitch 1/8” from the top of the waist as well to give a finished look. Now, let’s sew on the belt loops before adding the elastic! Flip your pocket tops back up. They should line up with your waistband. Sew the bottom of the belt loops by stitching along the seam where the waist meets the shorts.
If a back belt loop is desired create a square out of lining and fabric (sew
RST, flip out, topstitch... yada, yada, yada) to make a rear belt loop and sew into place.
Now, you are ready to add your elastic! Measure your child’s waist and subtract 1 ½”. Cut elastic to match. Thread it through the
casing and sew the overlap. Close up the
waist band/shorts opening. Finish raw
edges and iron in place. Adjust the
elastic so it is gathered evenly!
Woo hoo!! Aren’t your shorts just the
cutest?! If you don’t have a favorite
belt to match and would like to make a fabric one, stick around for just a few
more minutes!
5.) I
created a fabric belt.
The first pair I made of these shorts, I had
a belt/tie going all the way around the waist, but I have since decided I’m not
a fan of the belt all the way around. Since
my daughter is 4, it’s probably not the safest anyway. BUT, I love the look so I created a faux tie
to utilize those belt loops I added.
First, decide your length. It will vary depending on the size shorts you made. You want them long enough that you can tie
into a square knot. Size 3 was around 12
inches for the faux belt. I would at
double it for a full belt (always measure first!). Cut out your pieces (4 for faux and 2 for
continuous) and place right side together.
Take one corner and fold down at a 45 degree angle.
Repeat on the other tie (end if you have a continuous). Leave an opening to turn right side out. I used the straight ends and then just tucked in my seam allowance, ironed and topstitched all the way around closing it up.
(If you made a
continuous belt, thread through the loops and enjoy! You’re done!) If you made a faux belt like me, we need to
secure it to the side seams of your shorts.
I folded my ends in on the wrong side to meet. Then wrong side facing up and finished straight
edge pointing toward the front of your shorts, pin into place. Sew.
Repeat on the other tie (end if you have a continuous). Leave an opening to turn right side out. I used the straight ends and then just tucked in my seam allowance, ironed and topstitched all the way around closing it up.
To quote the wonderful Amy Norris of
Brownie-Goose… “YAHOOOOOOS!!”
 |
| Close up of details -- pocket & belt loop, button detail on cuff, square knot, and back view |
Posts
