Me Made May - Boardwalk Shorts

Hey friends! Today, I am joining in on Me Made May. If you don't know what that is, it's a challenge to wear your handmade items throughout the month of May. It's been really fun to see a ton of other makers showcasing their handmade clothing. It's been encouraging for me to think that I really can wear the things I make!

Since I have mostly made things for my daughter, I am going to be doing a smaller version of #memademay2017 and hopefully wear one handmade item a week. This has also required me to step out of my comfort zone of children's clothing and actually make more things for myself.

Lucky for me, my birthday was this week and my husband bought me Caroline Hulse's new book, Sew Caroline - Weekend Style, 15 Easy-Sew Patterns for the Must-Have Weekend Wardrobe. With that and a gift card to JoAnn's from my grandmother, I am all set to complete my challenge!

So today I'm sharing my first Me Made May make: the Boardwalk Shorts from Weekend Style. I was in need of a pair of denim shorts so I chose this as my first pattern from the book and grabbed this 4 oz Indigo Wash Denim from Joann's. I got 2 yards of the fabric: 1 1/2 yards for the shorts and a 1/2 yard for the tie belt, which is actually a separate pattern in the book.

The shorts have an elastic waistband which makes thme super comfortable and easy to wear. The waist is gathered to create the paper-bag waist. I was a little unsure of this style as I was making it, but I was pleasantly surprised at how much I like it! Plus, adding the tie belt makes it really cute! 

The only difficulty I had with this pattern was getting my elastic down into the casing. Since you're maneuvering it down between several lines of stitching, I had a bit of trouble keeping the elastic from getting twisted. No big deal, and with a little patience, I got it through. 

What I loved about the pattern:

- There are only 5 pattern pieces (excluding the 1 piece for the tie belt)

- There are no zippers or buttons, making it a quick & easy sew

- There are pockets! I love that I can stick my phone and keys in the pockets when I want to go walk around the block with Addison. 

- There are a lot of fabric options: it calls for medium to heavy weight cotton fabrics so you can use anything ranging from chambray to canvas. Imagine how many fun pairs of shorts you could make for summer!

- They are flattering! Does anyone else have trouble finding flattering AND modest shorts. I love the length, but if you wanted them shorter or even longer, Caroline has included instructions on how to alter the patterns for that. 

This won't be my last pair of boardwalk shorts! I think I need some in a fun print. I also *might* size down from the large to the medium. I'm right in between the hip size for those two and I went with the large on these, but I think I might be able to do the medium. 

I've already picked out a few other patterns from the book to make. Right now, I've got a Darling Shift Dress all cut out and ready to sew up! 

I highly recommend this book if you're getting into sewing and want to try a few new things. The patterns are easy and quick to sew, which is really satisfying as a beginner. Seeing something come together in an afternoon or weekend tends to encourage me to keep sewing!

If you want to see more of what I make, be sure to follow me on Instagram @jaylynpace_handmade

Happy Weekend!