Sassy Shorts!

I made these cute pleated shorts as a last minute, secret Costume College project for the Carmen Miranda Pool party.

Fabric: teal cotton twill
 Pattern: Wearing History Rita Shorts
Year: late 30s/early 40s repro
Notions: zipper, hooks and eyes
First worn: August 2012
Wear again? Of course! I actually ended up wearing these three times at Costume College! The pleats make these shorts super fun to wear and they look just like a skirt. The only thing is that they are short and voluminous so I have to be careful not to bend over in these shorts. I'm really thinking that I need a pair in white with contrasting top stitching! And a pair with the suspenders!

They are super flattering from behind!

These shorts were very easy to whip up. I ended up making 2 muslins and wearable muslin, but I went against my gut and cut out a size smaller. If I'd cut the larger size, I'd probably only have needed to do one muslin. I did my wearable muslin in a plaid (oy, don't ask me why) and on that pair, it's much more obvious that they are shorts and not a skirt because my plaid doesn't match up exactly at the center seams. Just keep that in mind if you want to use a fabric that needs stripe/plaid/print matching.

The pattern directions were very easy to follow. It includes a nice step by step lapped zipper insertion. I loved lapped zippers! They are so 40s! This pattern even includes extra seam allowance on the side seams to make the lapped zipper insertion easier. I may never sew a lapped zipper with less than 3/4" seam allowance again because it was sooooo much easier than with 5/8" or 1/2".

I paired them with my 40s style wedges for a super fun outfit! I'm so happy that I made these with enough summer left to really enjoy them.