--- OTHER --- Blog tutorial: Side-knot shorts

This tutorial guides you through adapting a pattern you already have to create a pair of shorts with decorative knots at the side.

Link.

First things first, this is not a pattern, but a guide to re-drafting a pattern you already have. The tutorial points you in the direction of another tutorial if you don't already have a pants/shorts pattern you want to use.

My base pattern was KS2918, which I know from experience runs wide for my kids. So I used my size 2 tracings as the basis for side-knot shorts for my four-year old. The instructions state you will need 1yd of main fabric and 1/4yd of facing fabric, but I was able to squeeze my main pieces from an odd cut that was just over 1/2yd and use scraps for my facings.

The tutorial instructions for drafting the new pattern from the existing pattern were good, easy to follow, decent photos to help you along. HOWEVER, the tutorial assumes (and I did not realize this until it was too late) that your original front and back pattern pieces are the same size. Mine were not. The tutorial has you draft just one pattern piece for the facing, to be used for the front and back of the right and left legs. I drafted the facing piece using the measurements of my front shorts piece, which means my facing was about 1" too narrow for my back pieces. :shakinghead[1]: I just went with it after checking my kid's measurements (she has a little bottom!), but I HIGHLY RECOMMEND drafting the front facing and back facing separately.

Moving on from pattern drafting, the tutorial becomes less clear. The written instructions are fine, but lots of steps aren't pictured, so if you aren't paying close attention, or you are assuming that the written line just above/below the photo actually goes with that photo, you may run into trouble.

The only construction problem I noticed was that the facing is stitched to the lower hems and outseams before the un-faced part of the outseams are sewn. Which means by the time you get to sewing the outseams, you have considerably less seam allowance to work with. In the end, my skinny girl does fit into the shorts I made her, but only just. And I without taking the pair I have completed apart, I am not sure I can suggest a better construction method...

The major sewing step is attaching the facing to the shorts. It's already attached at the side and inseams, but unless you sew it to the main panels, your kid's foot is going to get stuck in there every time she puts the shorts on. The tutorial suggests you can do this sewing with the machine, but I felt like that would be too noticeable. So I tacked the facings down by hand. You can hardly see the evidence from the outside. Hurrah!

I am happy with the results and will likely make another pair or two, with a more carefully drafted pattern.

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