Back in the blogosphere with holiday shorts

Well, I am back from a week in lovely Marbella. I managed to pack a few home made items but I drew an epic fail on completing my Burda shorts (02/2013). I was sewing to a deadline but then my son piped up that he would like a pair of shorts too, and by the time I'd rustled him up a pair I ran out of time to finish mine. Particularly as I made a load of balls-ups along the way. I'm not saying that I saw it coming, but I invested in a seam ripper before I embarked on this project... and I needed it. Several times. Bloody zip. Bloody Burda instructions.

This is what they are supposed to look like. Chic, no? They actually seem a lot more flared than in the picture, which is partly why I struggled with hemming them. Couldn't get the length right.





I made them (am making them) in the navy gaberchino from Minerva crafts. Not as shiny as it looks in the picture and a nice drape. I would definitely use it again.
I only bought a metre as I was only planning to make my shorts, but by using a different material (some left over Ponte) for the pocket linings and for the reverse of the waistband, I was able to squeeze out my shorts AND my son's from the metre. Thrifty.






This is my shorts as they currently are:

They have an "integrated yoke with pocket", for which the Burda instructions are nigh-on incomprehensible. I eventually managed to work it out with a lot of googling and the result is rather pleasing. I will save the full reveal for when/if I finish them. I also broke the iron which rather hampered the hemming process.

My son's shorts were also a Burda pattern (05/2010 - for Bermuda shorts and also trousers). This time I downloaded it and printed it out. I made a bit of shambles of the fake fly because I just winged it. And they look a bit like school shorts, but the boy wore them a lot on hols. I just need to pink the hems because they are already fraying a bit.

The BIG error I made on both pairs was that I didn't add the seam allowance to the waistband. Burda's instructions say that you need a rectangle "x by y" for the waistband, so that is what I cut out. It doesn't say you need a rectangle "x by y plus seam allowances". For my shorts, this meant I ended up having to line the waistband with a different fabric, otherwise I would have ended up with piping rather than a waistband.

So I should get my shorts finished in time for the autumn. They will have to become city shorts to wear with tights. Still, I have learned a lot about integrated yoke pockets, invisible zips and Burda instructions.