It's the last day of school for a lot of kids in the area, mine included, so it seems like a good day to talk kids' summer wardrobes! I haven't been impressed with the shorts selections in stores lately. I am the first to admit that I may not be up on all the fashions the tween/teen kids are into today, but I stand my ground that shorts' inseams should be more than an inch!
After scouring a few stores, I decided my time could be better spent sewing!! Enter the
City Gym Shorts pattern by Purl Soho - another FREE pattern from their site. The pattern is available in girls and women's sizes so I knew it was going to work for us. I have a slender tween, which complicates things further since shorts that fit in the waist do not seem long enough to this mom! So, being able to use the waist of one size with the length of the next size is perfect for us.
Thankfully my daughter is still excited to wear things I've made her (Please Lord, let this last!!) She had a great time picking out fabric for her shorts. I also love how much she got to personalize her wardrobe. I'll take any chance I can get for her to be her own person and let her creative, silly self show. So,
gorilla shorts it is!!
For the gorilla shorts, I followed the pattern and used
chambray for the back, binding and waistband. I used the size for 11year olds. They fit well, but feel a little baggy. The great part? They come together in a flash. I would highly recommend using a
bias tape maker, as making bias tape by hand took me longer than anything else. Even with that, these shorts were easily done in an afternoon.
My second pair was the floral shorts and this time I used the 10 year old size with just a little extra length. Perfect fit this time!
I love this color combo. We have no plans to stop here! Fun printed shorts with simple tees and tanks and her summer wardrobe is planned!
Just the Details:
Pattern:
City Gym Shorts by Purl Soho in size 11 kids (Gorillas) and 10 kids (Floral)
Fabric:
Mountain Gorilla in Green and
Dark Indigo Chambray;
Wild Orchid in Multi with
Scallop Dot in Straw
The Purl Soho pattern is really well written and super easy to follow. Printing the pattern pieces and taping them is no big deal since there are only two pieces and they are pretty small. The pattern size range from 3 years old to XL womens. It's an excellent first garment project since fitting them is a piece of cake. And great news!
Have any great summer wardrobe staples for you or your kids?! We would love to see them! Tag us on
Instagram or
Facebook or stop in the shop to show them off. Summer is a great time to dive into garment making with simple projects like skirts, tanks and City Gym Shorts!
Happy Sewing!
Roxanne
