Hanging by a Thread

One of the main goals I had for this learning project was to eventually be able to create clothing for myself. I have limited material so I’m a bit limited in what I can create. I decided that I would start off simple, create something that didn’t take too much material, and create a pair of shorts.

Up until this point, most of my creations have been functional, if not very pretty, and so I figured that if I do my research and follow a video, I would be able to do the same with a simple pair of shorts, right?

Wrong.

This was the first time that I have experienced my project turning out completely useless, for me at least. So without further ado, follow along with my process of creating shorts that I really can’t wear.

Hopeful Beginnings

I went into this project with a ton of optimism and motivation. I was determined that I was going to get this right and have a new skill set. Spoiler alert, things did not go the way that I had planned.

I watched several different videos in preparation, carefully looking for one that made sense and included fairly detailed instructions. After my first attempt at making a mask, I figured I would try to follow along to something a bit more visual, because I had found myself struggling to interpret the directions in the correct way.

Eventually, I found a video that I liked

The steps seemed clear, it used materials that I had access to, and it seemed to show each step as it went along. Nothing could go wrong!

So with that, I got started!

Step One: Cut out the fabric

The first order of business was finding a pair of loose shorts that I could use to trace and create a pattern to follow and cut out. Believe it or not, this is where the problems started, although I wouldn’t realize until it was far too late.

So I got my shorts, and I traced out the pattern. I folded it one way to create the front pieces, and folded it the opposite way to create the back pieces. Once everything was cut out, I had four pieces and was ready to start sewing.

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Step Two: Start Sewing

After cutting out all of the pieces, it was time for me to get sewing! This whole portion went really well. I sewed two front pieces together down the curved side, and then did the same for the two back panels. Next was sewing the front and back together. I sewed down the straight side seams and then sewed the crotch to create the space for the legs.

Running into Trouble

Sewing went well, but I decided that I should probably try the shorts on just to make sure that everything looked okay. And this is where this project completely stopped and fell apart…

The shorts did NOT fit.

At this point I was very frustrated, mostly with myself. This was definitely the result of my own errors rather than the video I was using to follow along.

I made the decision to stop at this point and not complete the shorts, there were a few steps left but there really wasn’t any point in continuing to create something that just wouldn’t function for me.

For Next Time

Once again, my main focus for the next post will be increasing the size of my pattern. I will be sure to draw my pattern with more space at the top, the size seemed to be fine except around the waist portion. Overall, I think that I prefer learning from a video rather than a step by step website like I had used previously. Despite the issue that I ended up having, I was able to go back and reference the video to see exactly what the instructions outlined. It was much better to have a clear visual in addition to verbal/written instructions for me!

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