Wednesday, August 15, 2012

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.

7 comments:

  1. Super cute! I was on the fence about these shorts but you've definitely made me want to try them out.

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  2. Oh, what a nice shoes! It's so easy to find cute shoes for summer with a vintage style, why can summer not stay a liitle bit longer?
    Your short is just perfect, why not a stripped one?

    http://lostin1950.blogspot.fr/

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  3. Such pretty shorts, what a great job.

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  4. I LOVE these shorts. I can't wait to be sans baby and make a pair!

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  5. Just discovered your work on We Sew Retro. Love these shorts. Really flattering. The entire outfit is adorable.

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  6. I love these!!! Officially convinced that I have to make a pair in the blue Kona cotton I ordered a few days ago...

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