The girls are growing fast. And that means new clothes. Yay!
With the weather warming up, I purchased the Dana Made KID shorts pattern, picked out some mid-weight Cath Kidston strawberry fabric, and measured up those lovely pudgy waists. The Bee, age 4, measured an age 7-8 in this pattern. The Smidge, just turned 2, measured size 6! Either I have large girls, or the pattern runs a little small – a bit of both, I suspect.
Either way, I loved making these shorts. The downloadable PDF was easy to use, and although it was a bit strange having to log onto the website to use the instructions there (I think I’ll print them out next time), they came together really easily. I chose to make the flat front version in size 6, secretly confident that – despite measurements – they would fit The Bee.
They didn’t.
But just as the measurement chart predicted, they did fit The Smidge! So she romped around the park in them this afternoon, playing Poohsticks and rolling down hills getting them lovely and muddy. Toddler bliss!
I really liked the simplicity of this pattern, and love the way the shorts turned out. I might make them a bit shorter next time: after all, she’s still toddler height, even if she’s wearing a size 6 because of that lovely baby belly! The only real downside was having to swap back and forth between two different tutorials on the website, as the flat front instructions refer you to the basic instructions in a couple of places: it would have been easier to have all the instructions for each version in one place. It was still pretty easy to follow though, and I will definitely make these again. Speaking of which… The Bee was most disappointed that these ones didn’t fit her, so I have promised to make her a pair of her own in a larger size. I’d best get to it then!
esme in the attic 
I love your blog and all of your sewing projects! Do you have any tutorial recommendations for boxy zippered pouches? I have heaps of fabric but haven’t sewn in years and your blog has inspired me. Do you also have a surger or is that not necessary unless you’re making clothing? Cheers! x
Hi there and thank you so much, it’s so fun to know you’re enjoying reading my ramblings! As it happens, I do have a favourite boxy pouch tutorial, it’s by Pretty Modern Life and it’s usually found here: http://prettymodern.typepad.com/its_a_pretty_modern_life/2009/08/zippered-box-pouch-pattern-and-tutorial-fully-lined-with-photos.html – although the site seems to be down at the moment. Another favourite is Noodlehead’s Open Wide Zippered Pouch tutorial – it’s not boxy but it is nice: http://www.noodle-head.com/2012/06/open-wide-zippered-pouch-diy-tutorial.html
I’ve made a few of both (just haven’t blogged them yet) and really love the results of both. And no you don’t need a serger for most things – I don’t have one (yet), although I’d really love one some day! Hope that helps and happy sewing!
Esme x
Thank you so much, Esme! These are perfect! Look forward to more of your posts! Ai x
These are darling Esme! Love that fabric!
I don’t have a tutorial for the other type of pockets your describing. But I may get to that one day :). Thanks for sharing your cute stuff with me!
And where did you get that fabric?
Thank you so much, I’m really pleased you like them! I got the fabric in a little fabric factory outlet in Lancaster (UK) called Standfast & Barracks, many years ago. It was a bargain – I wish I’d bought the lot! I don’t know if it’s available anymore, but I’ve seen similar things pop up on etsy and ebay occasionally, called something like “Cath Kidston Strawberry fabric in stone”. It’s great for shorts as it’s smoother and lighter than cotton duck but heavier than quilting cotton, so if you can find it you’ll love it.