Sewing: Two Pairs of Shorts from Women's Jeans, Plus one more.

Finally I finished making all the shorts the boys need (shirts are next!). These next pairs are made from a pair of women's denim pants, and a scrap of black denim left over from other clothing I made last year.

Here are the pants. I got these for free. They were like new and pretty large, and a thicker denim than the fabric from the teacher skirt. I also liked the waistband and front pockets on these.

To start, I took the pants apart at the crotch seam.

Then I cut down the inseam, so the "fabric" would lie flat with the side seam undisturbed.

I wanted to make use of the waistband elastic and front pocket for one pair of shorts.

I used bulldog clips to stretch the waistband and fabric flat on my cutting board.

I took my two-piece shorts pattern from Kwik Sew's Sewing for Children and pinned it together (overlapping to accommodate the seam allowance), then centered it over the side seam of the "fabric". I also folded down the waistband allowance, since the waistband is already on the fabric.

After I cut out one side, I clipped down the other pants piece and placed the shorts piece on top. I did this, then put the pattern on top of it. I wanted to make sure both pieces were pretty similar, which is sometimes tricky on shifty fabric.

For the second pair of short from these, I'm use the existing hem, but I'll have to cut out a waist band. So, I unfolded the waistband allowance on the pattern piece.

I folded up the hem allowance. I actually made these shorter than I would normally just so the pattern would fit from crotch to crotch on the fabric I had.

All cut out and ready to sew!

While I was cutting out, Aldous cruised by for some "lap time"

I cut out a pair for Aldous from the last of my black denim scraps. I included side seam pockets on these: no fancy lining, tho, just the shorts fabric.

All three pair finished!

The hems

Top stitching.

Here are Amanda, Emily, Audrey and William (Aldous behind him), with William wearing the shorts from the waistband part of the pants. Congratulations to Emily, who just graduated from high school.

I'm so glad to have this summer's shorts wardrobe done! I have to make about 3 shirts total. With our heat and humidity, a cotton button up is much more cool and comfortable than a cotton tee. I know from running how soggy tees can feel when you get sweaty in the heat!