How to Sew

Pattern Hack – Making Lined Gym Shorts plus a Free Pattern


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Have you seen gym shorts that have two layers? Usually a light knit underlayer and then a stretchy mesh kind of top layer? Well, I decided that it can’t be that hard to make them without buying a special pattern. Guess what? I was right! My boys have both been wanting new gym shorts – the kind with just elastic, no tie waists.

Elastic waistband

I ordered some fabric from Amazon (yes, they really do sell everything!). It was a little thin so it was perfect for my experiment. I’m using the Tupelo shorts pattern by Sew Like My Mom which is free, by the way, and comes in sizes 12M – 16!

This is my wannabe ninja putting his shorts to the test.

For the first pair, I used a double layer of the orange. I folded the fabric the “wrong” way because I wanted the fold to be at the hem of the shorts. Instead of folding the fabric with the selvages together (so it’s half the width), I folded the fabric and kept the selvages on either side (so it’s half the length).

Place hem on the fold.

Keep the pieces folded and treat each one as one piece. If it helps, you can baste the raw edges together. Sew the center front seam and the center back seam. You will be sewing through 4 layers of fabric.

Line up all the layers to sew.

Then clip the inseam together and sew that as well.

Clip the inseam together

Because there is no need to hem them, you will need to tuck in the tails from serging.

Tuck in serger tail

Thread the tail into a large eye needle and pull it into the serger stitches.

Now it won’t be visible from the right side.

Next, attach the waistband per the instructions in the pattern. Just remember that you will be sewing through 4 layers of fabric rather than three. Also, because my fabric doesn’t have very good stretch/recovery, I used 1.5″ elastic. I measured it to fit my son’s waist, zigzagged the ends together and put it in the waistband before attaching it.

Attach waistband

Because the hem was cut on the fold, there’s no need for hemming! If you wanted it to look hemmed, you could sew a line of stitching around the bottom 1/4″ from the fold, use your twin needle, or zigzag (one of my current favorite ways to hem sports type clothing).

No need to hem because they're cut on the fold

The neon orange is one of his favorite colors (actually, any neon is good with him).

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How to Sew: Sewing With Knits

Sewing with Knits

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Recently I’ve seen a lot of people in different groups commenting that they’re unsure of sewing with knits. Sewing with knits opens up a whole new world of fabric and patterns!

Here are five tips to help you get started sewing with knits:

Always use a ballpoint needle – a ballpoint needle pushes between the threads in the fabric rather than trying to poke through them and creating holes. I use either a 90/14 or 75/11 (the lighter/thinner the fabric, the smaller needle number you need).

You don’t need a serger – sure it makes a nice professional looking finished seam, but seriously, who’s going to see your seams?? I sewed for years without a serger. Actually, it wasn’t until I opened my etsy shop that I even considered buying one. A basic machine with a zig zag or stretch stitch will work just fine.

Clips are your friend – this is not the time to try and get by with just a couple clips. Use clips, lots of clips. I like them even better than pins and I find them easier to use.

It takes practice – just like when you first started sewing, you didn’t make a wedding dress! The same goes for learning to work with a new material. Pick an easy pattern (this is one of the easiest I’ve made – a dolman t-shirt or a maxi skirt – plus they’re both free) and some cheapy fabric (think clearance at your favorite fabric store). When you’re ready for good fabric, check out this website – her fabric is sew nice! Raspberry Creek also has great quality knits!

Finally, take your time – Don’t sit down to sew your new project when you’re pressed for time! Pick a time when you can focus on what you’re doing.

Do you like sewing with knits? What’s your favorite tip?

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How to Sew: Replacing Elastic in Shorts

Ever have a pair of shorts that you love, but the elastic in the waist looses it’s stretch? Well, I haven’t had these shorts long enough to love them (they were hand-me-downs), but I love the cargo style (hello pockets galore!) and knew that they would be comfy. They were a size too big, but that meant they would fit my hips and then I could just take a couple tucks in the waist to make them fit. After I tried them on I realized that the elastic in the back waist was shot!

Skipping ahead for a minute just so I can show you the elastic. Look how stretched out it is! No wonder the shorts were so loose!

Since these shorts were otherwise in great shape, I knew I wanted to try and fix them. The first step is to remove the old elastic. To do this I took out the seam at the bottom of the waistband

Of course the elastic was also sewn in along the top and it was sewn in along the fold at the bottom. So, I had to seam rip three seams total! Fortunately, it was pretty easy.

Check out the old elastic vs the new elastic! I cut the new elastic at about 80% of the length between the belt loops on either side of the center back. Then I clipped it in place and tried on the shorts just to be sure they were tight enough/not too tight. It’s very easy to adjust the length now! It’s frustrating to get all done and realize they still don’t fit.

To put in the new elastic, just reverse the process. First, I sewed the elastic to the waistband on either end.

I pushed the belt loop over just a bit and sewed the elastic in place. This way the seam will be hidden by the belt loop.

To make sure that the elastic is evenly stretched, I mark the middle of the elastic with a highlighter. I also marked the middle of the waist with a pink fabric pencil.

Then I line them up and clip the elastic to the waistband

I sewed the elastic in place using a zigzag stitch since it won’t show from the outside. This way you aren’t trying to stretch the elastic evenly and sew the waistband back down at the same time.

At this point I realized that the center back belt loop was going to be in the way of sewing the waistband back in place.

I undid the top of the belt loop so I can easily fold it out the way.

Then I folded the waistband back into place and stitched it down with a straight stitch. I sewed it on the outside so that I could be sure I was staying on the original stitching line. I also redid the top stitching along the top of the waistband and sewed the center back belt loop back down.

Now my shorts stay put and I’m sure I’m going to love them because, again, pockets!

Sewing with Kids – Making Pajama Shorts Plus A Free Pattern

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I made the mistake of taking my youngest son with me to JoAnn’s one day (I’m sure he went along because we always stop at Starbucks afterwards!). He found some woven (non-stretch) material that he really liked. I had no clue what we would make with it, but I bought a yard for him.

He told me he wanted to make a sheath for his sword. Boys! (picture a mom eye roll) I suggested that we could also make some pajama shorts for him and that maybe he could even help with the process – I would cut them out and then he could sew the two pieces together and then I would do the waist and hemming (I’m sure kids can hem, but my 10 y/o isn’t ready for that yet).

I knew that the Walk the Plank PJ Pants by Patterns for Pirates would be perfect and it’s free – no code, no joining a Facebook group, just hop on over and “buy” it.

I made his somewhere between short and knee length. The short shorts I made for him previously were too short for him and the knee length were just too long to be comfy for sleeping.

He was so proud of himself! Using Mom’s machine for the first time, learning to use clips instead of pins (which are so hard for kids!), and the final result is wearable. That’s a win in my book!

For reference, here’s the short shorts length on him. I feel like just a couple extra inches made a huge difference in how comfortable they are for sleeping and lounging.

Even though the directions don’t call for it, I sewed around the top of the waistband too – just about 1/4″ from the fold. I think it adds a more finished look to the waist.

I also made some Walk the Planks for my other two kids. Besides short shorts and knee length, it also comes in pants length (or you can be like me – have them try them on before hemming and choose your length). Both of these are knee length.

There’s also an adult version (I have not made this version) which is also free and includes men’s and women’s sizes. You could make family pajama pants!

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Shortening the Rise on Elastic Waist Shorts

FixingDroopyDrawers

Ever buy a pair of shorts (or pants, but I’m in Florida and basically live in shorts) and the rise is just too long? You feel like you’ve got them pulled up to your chest just to have them not look like droopy drawers. Most annoying! With kids, you can roll the waistband down, and chances are as they grow, they’ll grow into them and you won’t have to roll it anymore. However, as an adult, you probably aren’t going to grow into your shorts (or at least I hope not!) As long as they don’t have a functional fly, it’s actually very easy to fix!

First, I iron the waistband to get rid of the wrinkles and to make it easier to line up and sew in place.

Jeans shorts that are too long waisted

For kids, you roll the waistband down and to the outside simply because that’s the only way it works. However, for adults, you want to turn it to the inside so it can be sewn down. I turn it down on the seam and clip it into place.

Fold the wasitband in and clip it

Then, sew it down by sewing close to the bottom edge. I usually line up the outside edge of the presser foot with the bottom edge of the waistband. If you have thread that matches what the manufacturer used (in this case denim yellow) that’s fine, but in my case I went with navy blue so it wouldn’t show.

Sew the waist band down

All sewed and ready to go. It probably takes 10 minutes tops to do this – quick & easy!

Finished jeans shorts with waistband sewn down

The only thing that might be a problem is the pockets. You’ll be sewing through them and making the opening about two inches smaller. It shouldn’t be a problem, but it’s something to think about before you sew the waistband down.

The pocket will be slightly smaller

See – you can still fit your hand easily into the pocket. It’s not as deep as before either, but it’s still functional and there’s no more droopy drawers!

Even though the pocket opening is smaller, it isn't too small