Who Copied Who? Shorts Like J. Crew
Pattern: Sewaholic Thurlow Shorts
Fabric: Joel Dewberry - Modern Meadow Herringbone in Pond
My hubs wasn't convinced, but I could see it! A perfect pair of shorts, with a plain tee and keds - it could be the perfect summer staple :) So I started on them, and everything was going great! I loved how easily the instructions were to follow, and I also used Lauren of Lladybird's Thurlow Sewalong quite a bit. It wasn't until I got to the welt pockets that I had a problem - I was debating how to use the weird print - do I try to match them, or cut them perpendicular - so I googled "herringbone striped shorts" and you would not believe my surprise when the following image came up:
THOSE ARE MY SHORTS! I mean not really, since they were just two flapping pieces of fabric at the moment, but seriously! They are almost the identical color and print, and the exact shorts design I was going for - chic and simple with welt pockets. I mean, how crazy! You can bet that I immediately felt more confident in my project, being as J. Crew is very fashionable and preppy chic, and justified my idea to the doubtful hubs, who was equally surprised - who has good taste now? Haha.
Since J. Crew obviously read my mind and copied my idea for shorts, I decided to copy their idea and pair them with a sheer black and white top for some pics, and I rather like the look :) I can definitely see this with several variations throughout the summer!
*Please excuse the sitting-on-train wrinkles :)
As for the welt pockets, I didn't get much help from the model's picture, so I went ahead and did my own thing, cutting the welt pockets to make a diagonal arrow, of sorts:
I was surprised with how well it was going making these welt pockets, as it was my first time, when I realized that I had done this several times before, just on a much smaller scale.... as bound buttonholes! (1940's dress, I thank you!) That's right - welt pockets are giant bound buttonholes - for some reason I find this incredibly cool!
As for the rest of the construction, everything was pretty painless, except figuring out what to do with the front fly extension - do I sew it to something? Do I not? It was an ongoing guessing game - lol. However, it's amazing how much motivation you have when you know your finished product is going to be something you like (or at least close enough!)
So here are the specs:
Pattern: Sewaholic Thurlow Shorts
Fabric: Cotton (probably for quilting... lol)
Size: Straight 10 - next time I might go with a size 8 at waist, graded to 10 at hips
Alterations: Only the center back seam, which is designed to be taken in or out as much as needed
Design Changes:
- No cuff
- No belt loops
- Added grosgrain ribbon trim to front pockets
And in case you're curious, here are a few detail shots:
So there you have it - I can say that they have endured a day of city walking, train riding, and ice cream eating - love these shorts! And can I also say that these have fulfilled my SEWING DARE from Gillian at Crafting a Rainbow:
"Sally from The Quirky Peach is going to use stash fabric to make one of the new indie patterns she bought recently!" I don't know what would be more stash than the first fabric I ever bought! Lol. And by "recently", she is referring to this post from January, and I'm slightly embarrassed it's taken this long. I couldn't be happier with the results though! Already have my second pair planned...
Fabric: Joel Dewberry - Modern Meadow Herringbone in Pond
Hi readers! Back when I first started sewing, one of the very first fabrics I ordered online was this fun herringbone print in "pond" (which is still available from fabric.com). I loved the pattern and the color, but once I got it, I had no idea what to do with it! Fast forward a few years and I decided it would be a really fun pair of shorts, and I had the perfect pattern to make them.
My hubs wasn't convinced, but I could see it! A perfect pair of shorts, with a plain tee and keds - it could be the perfect summer staple :) So I started on them, and everything was going great! I loved how easily the instructions were to follow, and I also used Lauren of Lladybird's Thurlow Sewalong quite a bit. It wasn't until I got to the welt pockets that I had a problem - I was debating how to use the weird print - do I try to match them, or cut them perpendicular - so I googled "herringbone striped shorts" and you would not believe my surprise when the following image came up:
 |
| J. Crew 3" Chino Short in Herringbone Stripe |
Since J. Crew obviously read my mind and copied my idea for shorts, I decided to copy their idea and pair them with a sheer black and white top for some pics, and I rather like the look :) I can definitely see this with several variations throughout the summer!
*Please excuse the sitting-on-train wrinkles :)
I was surprised with how well it was going making these welt pockets, as it was my first time, when I realized that I had done this several times before, just on a much smaller scale.... as bound buttonholes! (1940's dress, I thank you!) That's right - welt pockets are giant bound buttonholes - for some reason I find this incredibly cool!
As for the rest of the construction, everything was pretty painless, except figuring out what to do with the front fly extension - do I sew it to something? Do I not? It was an ongoing guessing game - lol. However, it's amazing how much motivation you have when you know your finished product is going to be something you like (or at least close enough!)
 |
| Front View |
 |
| Side View |
Pattern: Sewaholic Thurlow Shorts
Fabric: Cotton (probably for quilting... lol)
Size: Straight 10 - next time I might go with a size 8 at waist, graded to 10 at hips
Alterations: Only the center back seam, which is designed to be taken in or out as much as needed
Design Changes:
- No cuff
- No belt loops
- Added grosgrain ribbon trim to front pockets
And in case you're curious, here are a few detail shots:
.JPG) |
| Inside out, front fly/zipper/button/hook/etc |
 |
| Grosgrain ribbon trim on front pockets |
 |
| Happy Shorts! |
"Sally from The Quirky Peach is going to use stash fabric to make one of the new indie patterns she bought recently!" I don't know what would be more stash than the first fabric I ever bought! Lol. And by "recently", she is referring to this post from January, and I'm slightly embarrassed it's taken this long. I couldn't be happier with the results though! Already have my second pair planned...
So what about you? Have you ever seen a copy of something you've handmade in RTW? Are you doing a sewing dare? Do you like to eat ice cream in the summer? :)
0 Comments