Summer Shorts

Are you being asked by your husbands, boyfriends, brothers... to sew garments for them? I try to push my husband to let me make him a duffle coat every winter, but he refuses, and he doesn't want to get anything for him sewn by me either. With one exception: shorts! He gets a pair of them every year, and as we skipped last year, I had to make two pairs for this summer. Of course he has also bought ones, but he keeps telling me that those made by me are the best, and who can withstand such a wise and true argument?

So this is the first pair, made of a thicker cotton poplin, with huge pockets at the sides. I used the same pattern as always, although I made a muslin again to fit the pants. Again, it became clear to me that sewing pants is easy, whereas fitting pants is a nightmare. I know I didn't get it perfectly, but I couldn't do it any better, it's just too difficult. Especially men's pants. But my husband likes them, so I think the whole project can be assessed as a success.

This time, the shorts look nice from the inside, too, thanks to my new cover locker. I still have to practice going around curves, though. 

For the second pair I had a sturdier fabric, so I decided to make these up in a jeans style, with a fifth pocket and metal rivets and topstitching and everything.

They came out quite nicely, especially when you don't look at the snatchy topstitching at the fly-front. The topstitching with the thicker fabric was the worst part, after all. I was sewing with a pair of bought jeans at my side, to check the right jeans construction during the process.

I think this pair does even look quite good at the back, better than the older ones:

Please excuse all the wrinkles, once this man had put the shorts on, he didn't want to put them off again.
Now, my sewing duty for this year is carried out, and I can sew for myself again!