Perfectly Pink Shorts ~ Jalie 3243

Hooray Hooray! Miss K has finally taken to a shorts/pants pattern!  I ordered Jalie 3243 hoping it would be a success.  K doesn't want zippers/buttons on her pants in this current phase she is in.  Well it was a giant success and I couldn't be happier.  This gives me a lot of pants options for her for in the fall/winter since she is so hard to fit into RTW pants.

front

There are two options for these shorts/pants, you can choose to have exposed facings or hidden ~ I chose hidden for this go around or View B.  There are a total of 6 pattern pieces.  I chose a size N (146cm or 10 US) for Miss K as she is in a 10 RTW and her hip measurements fit right with an N. (she is a 76cm in hip and 63cm in waist).

pocket top-stitching and hem

back

I had this fabulous solid linen in pink coral that I picked up from Hancock's sale Monday. It was $17.99 a yard but on sale for only $3.20/yd!!!  I picked up 1 yard at 60" wide for this project; the pattern calls for 1/2 yard.  I used only 1/2 yard.  The weight of the linen is perfect - a nice medium weight.  I did cut my pocket facings and waist facings out of some cotton scraps from Miss K's dress.

top front - showing facing

a peek at the pocket facing

Jalie directions are wonderful however I did make a few changes.
I double stitched the crotch seams in step 1 and 2.  I like to do this for added strength.  After step 5, the pocket, I under-stitched the facing to the seams and trimmed.  I then continued to step 7 to top-stitch the pocket facing edge. For step 8 I suggest serging or finishing the raw edges before folding them under - plus this helped to get a nice even fold line to press.  After step 10 I basted the pocket top edge and side edge to the shorts.

inside back 

inside front

Again, for step 12 I double stitched the crotch.  I switched and did step 16 before 15 because I don't enjoy serging in the round, it was much faster to do it while the facings were flat.  However, make sure to mark which facings are the back!  I also under-stitched the waistband facing after attaching it in step 17 - this really keeps the facing on the back side where it is supposed to lay and it doesn't peek out. I trimmed seams where pockets are to reduce some bulk.

For the elastic I went on my own way.  I like to sew the elastic into a loop and mark it into fourths.  I then mark the pants waist into fourths as well (these were already marked with their facing seams). This is sewn with the waist facing up away from the pants.  I sew in the elastic stretching between each fourth.  I like to position the elastic 1/4" from the bottom edge when I sew it in with a zigzag stitch.  Once all the way around I flip the waist facing down inside fold that 1/4" edge up and then again sew all around while stretching the elastic.  This keeps it snug in place with no shifting or flipping.

(unfortunately I didn't sew the elastic far enough away from the bottom edge so I couldn't fold it under - good thing I serged it before hand in step 16 lol)

Likes:
K approves and will actually wear them
The fit is good - perhaps a tiny bit long in the front crotch (due to K not pulling them up correctly)
Easy to sew
Uses very little material
A wardrobe staple
Nice not to have to fiddle with a zip fly!

Dislikes:
I wish the waistband was separate from the pants, next time I may alter this so that the waistband is not attached to the pants but that I attach it while sewing.  I like it when the pockets are below the waistband and not sewn into the band.
This is just a personal preference.

Conclusion:
Excellent pattern.  K will see many uses out of this one for sure!  I plan on making myself some linen pants too and maybe some cotton shorts when summer rolls around again next year.

~ Happy Sewing! ~ Kristin ~