8 The Anywhere Shorts ~ a tutorial

I love these shorts!!!!  Because truly, they can be worn anywhere!

They are preppy enough for preschool and comfy enough for constant motion. From the skate park to the sand box these are your new go-to shorts!  My kids have been wearing them anywhere and everywhere!  Here's what you'll need...

Materials

1 meter of fabric {closer to 1/2 meter depending on size}

1/4 inch to 1/2 inch elastic {cut to the length of your child's waist}

Resources

A pair of shorts that currently fit

Pocket pattern from Dana at MADE

Dana also has a ton of little boy pants and shorts tutorials.  She has the most detailed instructions with gorgeous photos too!  Be sure to check them out.

Okay ready to make your own Anywhere Shorts?

Start by tracing one leg of your current shorts onto craft paper.  Don't forget to trace right to the inseam and add at least 1/4 inch all the way around for seam allowances.  I added 1 inch to the bottom of my shorts pattern to allow for folding and sewing the hem on each leg.  I also added 2 inches to the top of my pattern for folding, sewing and creating a pocket for my elastic waistband.

Cut out your pattern pieces.  Here is my pattern sketched out onto craft paper.  I have also traced the pocket pattern from MADE.

Cut out your materials using the pattern that you've created.

You will need two pocket pieces and two leg pieces.  They should look something like the above photo.Now serge or zig zag stitch all of your raw edges.  A Serger is on the top of my Wish List for sure!

Cut or snip little slits into the corners of your pockets.  This will help to create smooth, even curves. Fold and press all of the pocket edges. Use a 1/4 inch fold all of the way around the pockets. Top stitch the opening of the pockets using a 1/8 inch seam allowance. Pin the pockets to the front of the short pieces.  When the leg of the shorts is folded in half, the bottom edge of the pocket should line up with the outside fold.  The pockets should also be about 2 inches from the top of your shorts to allow room for the waistband. Sew the pockets to each leg using a 1/8 inch seam allowance.  On a side note ~ I started to lose natural light and turned on the light in my dining room at this point.  What a difference in picture quality hey?  I'm so glad that the days are getting longer.  Hooray for sunshine! Now lets work on building our shorts.  Fold each leg of your shorts so that right sides are facing.  Next, sew each leg of your shorts together.  You are sewing from the pointy part of your fabric, down, using a 1/4 inch seam allowance. After you have sewn each leg, invert one so that the right sides are facing out.  Now tuck that leg into the other so that right sides are together. Pin the two legs together. Sew legs together using a 1/4 inch seam allowance.  Be sure that the leg seams meet and line up. Iron and press all seams flat.

Fold the top of the shorts down about 5/8 inch and iron. Fold the bottom of each leg up about 1 inch and iron flat. Sew a hem into each leg using a 7/8 inch seam allowance. Sew a pocket into the top seam of your shorts using a 1/2 inch seam allowance.  Leave a 1/2 inch space for inserting the elastic waistband. Insert the elastic {measured to be the same length as the child's waist}, sew the end of the elastic together and sew the waistband closed.  Trim off excess thread. And there you have it!  Great shorts that can be worn anywhere! Like jumping outside of preschool... or running in the activity room... or while playing airplanes. How about out at the playground... while getting messy?! Currently "anywhere" is every. single. bike. park in a 40 kilometer radius.   Like this skate park... where our shorts prove their comfy capabilities. Or while clearly attached to our bikes.

I hope that you'll trying making a pair!  They truly are fabulous shorts to have anywhere.

Thanks for visiting!!