Skip to main content

The Story Of My Shrinking Belize Shorts

I'm really exited to share Itch To Stitch's newest patter with you today: Belize Shorts and Skort. This is a wonderful, quick shorts project with several detail variations that you will want to make over and over. In the week long testing phase, I made 3 pairs without having to rush or rearrange my free time. I'm going to just jump in and tell you about them because I have several more versions I want to get made THIS week!

Version# 1, Half Moon At Noon: View C (no skirts or pockets). My hips measured in between a 6 and an 8 on this pattern, closer to the 8, so I sized up for this nylon fabric that has no stretch at all. This version has a very loose fit through the thigh and hip, but because the elastic is customizable, they sit firmly right where they should at my natural waist. I can walk, play with the dog or lounge on the couch comfortably without having to pull my pants back into place. The first thing my Non Sewing Friends had to say about this version was that they had to double check I wasn't mooning them in the back view shot. sigh.


Version # 2 Eve Goes To Belize: View B (Pockets). With Linen's natural tendency to grow when warm, I chose to size down to a 6 for this woven fabric. These feel just as roomy and comfortable as the first pair, and will likely be my go-to size for non-stretch natural fiber shorts. Although I took great efforts to fussy cut and print match where reasonable, I managed to make an unexpected print placement blunder.


Version #3 Secret Tiger Pocket Shorts. These are again, View B with pockets. I've had black cotton sateen shorts on my want to make list for a while, and I thought using a stretch woven would be a good opportunity to see if I could make this pattern work as a slimmer fit. Guess what? SUCCESS! These are a size 4. They are comfortable and slim without having too much extra fabric in the lower back or having to struggle to get the waistband over my hips. This is the size I will use to make several pairs in denim remnants I have stashed away and possible some ponte knit as well.


Tiger pockets using the last of my rayon challis remnant.


I've got one more week before little league football starts. Just enough time to knock out a few more pairs of Belize shorts so I can spend the practice nights comfortably on the sidelines watching my guy play in the blisteringly hot & humid Michigan August.


Will yours be sporty? Lounge-y? Casual or dressy? See what other testers did in the launch post HERE. Then, head over to the Itch to Stitch shop where there is an amazing sale this week.

You can grab your copy of the Belize Shorts & Skort pattern for 20% off-- AND you can take 15% off your total cart when you purchase 2 or more items now until August 8th! (use the code sundance)

Comments

  1. Haha, I never saw the "mooning" part of the first pair, and now I can't un-see it. X-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. And I will laugh every time I wear them now!

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Meet My New BFFF: Breaking Ground With Mountain View Pull On Jeans From Itch-To-Stitch

Finding perfect jeans is like finding a unicorn....  Do YOU have unicorn in your back yard?  Yeah. Me either. What I DO have is the newest Itch-To-Stitch Designs pattern release: Mountain View Pull On Jeans , and they are my new BFFF! They MIGHT even be unicorn jeans... Breaking Ground is mostly about trying new-to-you designers,  but you can also twist it to be a new-to-you technique, style or other such personal challenge.  Obviously, Itch-to-Stitch is NOT new to me, but the concept of pull on pants as everyday wear is, and it's a trend I've tried to avoid for a long time! Pull on pants are for yoga and sleeping, right? My personal rule is no lounge pants outside the house, unless I'm ACTUALLY going somewhere to exercise. (SNORT)  Wearing pull on pants or leggings as real pants (that look terrific) is how I'm Breaking Ground for myself! Pattern Details Mountain View Pull On Jeans gives you just about everything you find in a traditiona

My Perfect Vacation Pants, The Itch-To-Stitch Sequoia Cargos

I'm back at it with the pants again! Itch-To-Stitch has a new pattern this week: Sequoia Cargos & Shorts . It's still winter here, so I'm sharing the long pants option today. I'm taking a long weekend trip this March, and I need to start sewing a vacation capsule to pack. For the last 15 years or so, my friend has taken a casino bus trip with a few dozen of her teaching colleages. A few years back, her husband decided he no longer wanted to go, and I've volunteered to be her Plus One for the third year in a row. We will be getting on a bus super early on a Saturday and driving 6 hours or so over the Mackinac Bridge to the U.P. The ride up is filled with chatter and drinking and games, and we all have loads of fun. Then the next two days are filled with more food & drink, card games & slots. I'm not much of a gambler; I'd rather spend my dollars on a Pina Colada than a pull of the slot handle, but I find plenty of ways to enjoy myself. N

When A Pattern Test Goes Pear Shaped: Saving My ITS Danube Jean Skirt

Every now and then, I have a project where every decision I make is wrong, and I have to battle tooth & nail to get to the end. Itch-To-Stitch recently released the Danube Jean Skirt . I love everything about the design of this skirt: slim fitting, DENIM, wind friendly, go-with-everything casual, sits at the natural waist, side slits for something fun and less formal. I was very excited to jump into the testing phase. I had a couple heavier non stretch twill fabrics in my stash suitable for muslins... and exactly 1 piece of non stretch denim which I earmarked for my final skirt. In The Beginning The first muslin revealed the need for some fine tuning, something that should be expected during the testing phase. V2 for the pattern was distributed and my second muslin came together quickly. I got exactly what I expected. A pretty well-fitting skirt except for my prominent full seat which was pulling all my fabric out of whack. No big deal, right? I've had this issue for