Pretty Little Ruffle Shorts

These couldn't be any cuter...or easier!

I had some leftover ruffle fabric from this skirt and thought some shorts were in order.

(Um...Does my 2 year-old-look 5 in this shot or is it just me?? Her legs look crazy long.)

The fabric speaks for itself. I didn't have to do much. I traced some shorts I own and sewed up the legs and sides. Then I sewed a casing around the waist and used a 1/4" elastic (I think. Anyway, it was really small.) I didn't need to make the waist look neat and I didn't need to hem the legs. The ruffles cover up all the raw edges. Yay!

She can wear the shorts with a top to just hang around, or she can wear a skirt over the top to look extra fancy. I TOTALLY love this idea (layering was actually the impetus for these shorts. How cute is it to see some ruffles peaking out from under a skirt? And, who doesn't want their daughter flashing the neighbors as she cycles around the block??)

Yeah, we're diggin' these EASY ruffle shorts.

* A note on the fabric. I found it at Joann's! Shocker! I love the vintage flower look of it and snapped some up. At $16/yd, it's not cheap, but hello 40% off coupon (and no shipping costs) Love those coupons. Keeps me coming in. (Especially now that I have the Joann's App, which saves all my coupons on my phone. Sooo convenient. I admit it: I love Joann's.)

Bright Balloons Shorts

 ... to match the Every Little Thing Tunic I made in the spring. I'd been wanting to do this for a while and Shorts on the Line was the impetus to get it done.

 I used this lightweight, colorful fabric for the main part, and chambray for the trim, both from Joann's. To me, the fabric looks like balloons, very cheerful!

 For the pattern, I traced some shorts that I already had. Turns out the Bright Balloons are a little small because I didn't consider the fact that the shorts I traced were stretchy knit shorts. And these don't stretch. Alas. Another learning moment.

Still, they're cute, and we'll get a few uses out of them. My daughter's not complaining. :)

Happy Wednesday!

Polka Dot Play Shorts...and Top

 Stretchy, colorful, comfy shorts! Perfect for play.

This is a self-drafted shorts pattern. I just used a pair of my daughter's pants as a guide, shortening to the desired length. I added the pink trim just to be fancy. ;) For the roll-top waist, I referred to Modkid's Yoga Shorts to guide me on the non-elastic waistband. I love the look.

 The shorts came second, actually. I made this top, modeled in part after The Audrey Cape (I made two capes of my own), but with a few alterations and adjustments.

 The Cape is cut like a circle skirt. My top is cut more like an oval, with the longer parts in the front and back. I sewed about 3" from the bottom around 4 o'clock and 8 o'clock (if you imagine the top looks like a clock)to make sleeves. I also used elastic thread for the neck line and pleated it a little too before sewing on a ribbon bow. To finish off the top, I hemmed the bottom (do this part before sewing the sleeves) and added a tag.

And voila! A hip and breezy top to dress up or down for summer.

Together, the shorts and top might be a little too much polka dotting? So I'm hoping to mix up these pieces with some solids. I think my eyes are starting to cross.

Reach, reach!

 

But I love the look of these knee-length stretchy shorts. My daughter is always running and has had so many scraped knees. My hope is that these shorts will protect her baby skin a little bit better as she hops and skips and plays.

Nice baby lounge-wear too, I think.

I'm adding these shorts to the Shorts on the Line Flickr pool hosted by Designs by Sessa. Check out the other pretty pieces!

Summer Seersucker Shorts!

Shorts!

I am very excited to be able to join in with Sessa at Designs by Sessa for her Shorts on the Line summer sewalong!

My daughter has been in dire need of some summer shorts, so motivation was already at hand. And now that there is so much eye candy over at the sewalong, there's even more motivation to join along in the fun.

I made these shorts out of some thrifted seersucker fabric, knowing that it would be light and airy for the summer months. I wanted some poof and definitely got it with this fabric. To make these shorts, I simply traced some pants my daughter already owned, adding a good 1" - 1.25" around the edges of her pants (which were slender to begin with) to make sure there was enough room for poofiness.

I made a front and back pocket and lined them with some coordinating ribbon that I just happened to have. I hemmed the legs, and then sewed a line with some elastic thread in my bobbin, about 1" above the hemline. Don't you love the look? I sure do.

 Here's the back view (never mind the non-matching blue shirt).

 hello belly!

Be sure to check out all the other pretty shorts in the Flickr group for the sewalong. Lots of great ideas in this pool!