Practice Makes Shorts {S1699, V8886, S1879}

1) side view showing a tight hipbone fit; 2) front; 3) rear with extra fabric

Store bought or handmade, shorts are always a problem for me. I can never find the right fit. If one thing is right, another is wrong. However, I know that if I can master the skill of making pants, my skill set will be vastly improved and result in better fitting clothes. So while it is frustrating, I pursue subjecting myself to trouser construction. Practice makes perfect???? Right???? At this point in the game, I’m not so sure.  


Acquiring an acceptable fit seems to always entail making a muslin and nipping and tucking all over the place, nearly making your own pattern. These shorts are a mash up between three different patterns. I started with Simplicity 1699 as the base and compared that to Vogue 8886 which I had previously experimented with fit. These two patterns are fairly similar, which made things easy to understand. After altering the patterns into one, I compared the revised pattern to the short set from Simplicity 1879, which I had made previously, resulting in a few more adjustments. After all this, I decided I wanted a waistband, so it was added.   Voilà, high-waisted shorts.

There are surely things that I am not exactly satisfied with on these shorts. I really need to add a bit of fabric to the lower hip area (perhaps by adding to the crotch length), a bit more length may be nice for the leg length, and I must figure out a better way for constructing the waist closure. One day though, I am sure that I will have pants that I am 100 percent satisfied with and if not, well I’ll still have something to wear in the meantime.