Made By A Fabricista: Start Summer Sewing Now!

Hello fellow Fabric Mart lovers! It’s March and spring and summer will be here before you know it! We need to get prepared for warmer weather. Fabric Mart is the place to get started with your warmer weather must haves, whether it's patterns or fabric. As you know they got it all.

I got my hands on an amazing oatmeal colored linen and it was the most perfect fabric for a vacation I took in February. For a while we (myself and my family) had been planning a trip to Maui! We finally got to see this beautiful place. It was mid 70s everyday with just the right amount of humidity. The sun shined most days and we got sprinkled on by the Hawaiian showers that pop up. We saw rainbows, whales, turtles and all the lush beauty Maui had to offer us. It was an amazing trip and this amazing trip needed the right wardrobe.

I took so many of my Fabric Mart Fabric makes with me!! But before I went you know I had to get some more sewing in. Easy and fast was the plan. Also I really wanted to make something super comfortable to wear. The Emerson pants/shorts from True/Bias made all the cuts. There were no zippers, buttonholes or buttons to sew! These shorts have an elastic waist on the back side and a flat front design for the front of the pants. This last part was super important for me. I just cannot get behind pants or shorts with a fully elastic waist, I just don’t find that flattering for me. I also liked that this pattern had a high waist version and mid rise version. I chose the mid rise option.

For a vacation style I really felt like I could dress these shorts up or down. In Hawaii I never felt the need to look fancy in anyway but just really put together at the right time. The day I wore these short we had lunch at the amazing Mama’s Fish House. They were the right choice for the setting. The linen fabric was the perfect weight for Hawaii’s weather. I love how linen has that wrinkle factor that gives your garment a lived in, vacation look. The pockets on these shorts are the right size and large enough to hold my phone! Installing the elastic was super easy too. I always like to talk about pattern instructions and they did not disappoint. They were super clear. My go-to seam finishing is the French seam, so of course that is what I did with these shorts. You could make these in so many fun fabrics and if you use a lighter fabric they could be more drapey. A note of warning though! I did try to make another pair of these in a twill type fabric, it was not a good choice. The weight of the fabric caused the shorts to bunch up a little too much in the front, not a good look. So choose fabric that’s more light to medium weight. I think I might try a rayon challis next time.

If you are looking to get started with some spring and summer sewing, this pattern is a good place to start. It’s simple, easy and comfortable style. I can’t wait to make more of these shorts in the months to come!

HANNAH | @modistrasews