I like making dresses, tops, skirts, and coats but have never been a big fan of making pants. My first few attempts to do so, all ended up in the bin. There was always something wrong with it. At least, in my head. For the outside world, they might have looked pretty nice, but not to me.

So when I attempted to create yet another pair of shorts, I was already assuming I wouldn’t like them in the end. But surprise: they fit. They look nice (at least, I think so) they feel nice to wear. They have an elasticated waistband and pockets! Everything a girl would ever want in a pair of shorts 😊

On our honeymoon, I wore them multiple times and I think I’m going to make another pair soon!

The sewing pattern

The PDF pattern I used was the Avalon Shorts pattern by Peach Patterns. It comes with several options. One with a basic hem plus curved hem and side slit options. I chose the curved hem one as I simply always think it looks adorable.

The pattern is fairly straight forward. Not too many details: which I like. It gives it a cleaner finish in my opinion. And I am all for the Scandinavian style. The pockets are a bit on the small side, but that’s not surprising since it’s a pair of short shorts. And the waistband was very easy. You sew the waistband to the shorts and feed the elastic in, close the gap and you’re done. I’ve added another row of zigzag stitches in the middle of the waistband to accentuate the gathering effect. The waistband tie is optional, but I thought it was a nice touch to the overall simple-looking shorts.

What I want to change for the next Avalon shorts is that I am going to raise the waistband by 5 centimeters. I like my shorts to be high waisted, and since I am 1.77 tall, I need to add a bit of length to the top of the shorts. I think it’s an easy fix and it will give me the look and feel I love even more.

The fabric

These shorts are a perfect scrap buster! You only need around 1-1.25 meters for this. And this even includes pockets! The fabrics suitable for this pattern are fabrics with good drape, such as voile, viscose, rayon challis, chambray Tencel, lightweight linen, lawn, crepe, silk, or chiffon. It gives a secret pajama’s feel when wearing it but you still look put together.

The fabrics in our collection that are perfectly suitable for this shorts pattern are the Medium twill fabrics by meetMILK. That is also the fabric I used for this pair of shorts. It's made of 100% TENCEL™ which means it's breathable, airy and strong, yet soft to wear. And although it’s a medium weight it is very drapey. The positive thing about it is that it’s opaque so you don’t have to worry your underwear is showing through the fabric.

Next to that, all crepe and viscose fabrics we stock are suitable when looking at weight and drape. Have you seen our leopard viscose? Or the viscose with people print? Adorable in these shorts.

Or what about our Atelier Brunette fabrics? The Mind the MAKER printed fabrics? Love them! And they are very suitable for this pattern.

Another option you could go for is our linen collection. With this fabric, you have to take into account that because it’s lightweight linen it could be a bit see-through. But since it’s a loose-fitting pair of shorts, this might also not be a big issue. Did I hear someone say nude color undies?

Last but not least, you can make it into real secret pajama’s creating it out of one of our lovely Tencel modal jerseys. Although this fabric sewing pattern doesn’t require a stretch fabric, it doesn’t mean you can’t use stretch fabrics. The look will be a bit more casual, but that’s not a bad thing at all!

Happy sewing and if you decide to make a pair after reading the blog, we’d love to see you wear the online!