City Gym Shorts - S, M, L

Has it been 3 months since I've been away!?? Time flies.. the thing is, I lose my sewing mojo...

Tutoring a Primary 3 kid add with Term 3 examinations mean zero sewing time for me. I hardly could find the energy to sew. But the good news is, something caught my eyes and I just can't resist the temptation.  It's the City Gym Shorts by Purl Bee.

It was seriously so cute. I'm also not a gym person but I can't resist these cut shorts. They do as lounge shorts for me and it only needs so little fabric to make one.  I have lots of fat quarters laying around and these are just the right project to use them.

For my kids, I use the waist measurements to determine the size. For mine I use my hip measurements and just adjust the elastic bands since I don't like my shorts to be too tight or short. It worked out fine.

This one is for my 4 year old, using the 6-7 year old size since that correspond to her waist.  She is a cubby girl.  I use the Narwhal in Bloom from Sarah Jane's Out to Sea fabric collection, at the front and match with a lilac cotton I've in my stash. I also use the Narwhal for the waistband but I got it upside down! oops.

The instruction is super clear. I attached the binding the traditional way as I'm not so confident that I can catch all the raw edges one go.  I think the making of the bias tapes is the longest process but the final product is worth it! I just watch korean drama as I iron them into the fold.

Next up, is for my 9 year old which I use the 11 year old measurements. She picked the dog fabric herself. I got these at a sale at Spotlight for $4/metre, thinking of gifting them to my girl as she is learning to sew. The blue cotton is from my stash, left over from my Iris shorts project.

I change the way I sew the waistband because I don't like to leave the gap on the right side for the elastic band. Instead, I left a gap in the wrong side of the waistband when I sew it to the shorts. Then, when I turn over and sew on the right side, i just make sure that I don't accidentally sew up the gap behind. After I insert the elastic, I then sew up the gap. It looks neater on the outside.

Lastly, I sew one for myself. I'm so happy that Purl Bee had one in woman size.  I used Sarah Jane's Summer Ride from her Wee Wander range.  It was gorgeous! I was hesitant to cut it up at first and had plans to make a dress or a bag but I'm not sure if I will dare to wear this bright dress so a short it is!

There is quite a bit of ease in the pattern cause when I choose my hip size, it was very loose fitting and the waistband measurement was 35"! So, I adjusted elastic band size. I think the loose fitting suits me but if you like to be more close fitting, do check against the paper pattern before you cut into your precious fabric.

All in all, I really enjoyed sewing these shorts. If you use store bought bias tapes, I would say it is a super quick sew.  I got order from my sisters so back to sewing again. I think I get the most satisfaction from sewing for people who appreciate handmade items!

Iris Shorts & Another Sorbetto

I'm so excited to share that I bought the Iris e-pattern from the newest Coletterie collection.

It was really easy to sew and I was thinking hard on the fabric to use.  I've made this for my sister Iris. Haha...the shorts has the same name as her!

I've used cotton lawn for this project so it was a bit light weight and sheer, so I underline it. Basically, I used a lining fabric and serged the sides/edges together so that I sew them as one piece and they will not shift as I sew.  I underline all pieces except for the waist band since it will be interface and don't need the bulk.

The instruction is really clear and I sew it up in no time. Got some difficulty with the facing at the waistband cause I was stumbled by the zipper and all but the Coletterie website had great instruction so I refer to it much. See, the concealed zipper is really concealed!

One main feature that attracted me to the shorts were the pockets. I've used the lining fabric for the pocket.

Well, a shorts is incomplete without a top, so I made her a Sorbetto using the chiffon that I've on hand.  I made a size 0 with waist at size 2.

This one goes so much faster since it's my 3rd! Since I'm using chiffon, I've used french seams to encase all the raw edges. If you are not familiar with french seams, basically, you sew the pieces Wrong side together and then turn it inside out and enclose the seams again to sew it right side facing.

I love how the stripes looks so pretty on the pleats. I've tried hard to match them when cutting.

Happy birthday Iris!

Woman Ribbon Tie Shorts

I'm not someone who wear shorts out of my house.  To the beach or swimming pool is still okay but for shopping, church and dinners, I mean, culottes and bermuda are usually my limit since I'm quite conscious of my chubby legs.

But this shorts from the Cucito Early Spring 2012 issue really caught my eyes. I was so tempted to try and I reason with myself that I can wear it with a black tights. So cute and Japanese/Korean like right?

Anyway, that's what I did. There are 3 sizes and I took the L size since I'm bottom heavy. It fits just nice for me since the waist is elastic so it is not too loose either. But if you have waist bigger than 30", the L size may not fit you cause the pattern for the pants run small, as compared to their top, this is my observation from sewing so many japanese pattern.

The shorts has pockets at the back but I would have prefer it to be at the side since I'm use to putting my hands into them but maybe that would have added to the bulk at the hip area.

The shorts have additional band around the hem area so it gives it some weight and hold down the shorts. I can't figure out how they attach this band and I did it my way. I also sew down the side seams to prevent the bands from folding over due to the weight.

This is how I wore it when I went to church - with a top and dark blue tights! I think I managed to pull it off..what do you think? The shorts will match my Peter Pan collar top too!

I've also bought the Iris Shorts pattern from Colette Pattern. Bought the e-pattern online but didn't have the time to cut the fabric. So now, I think I am ready to handle another shorts!

Knot shorts

I jumped on the band wagon and made a Knot Short for my girl. Didn't have the guts to make one myself but it's so lovely and I had to do one. Don't you think?

The next day, we went over to the old Railway track near Bukit Timah for a family photography outing. It was a hot and crowded afternoon. Soooo many people was there. The railway was closed recently and had used to ply between Singapore and Malaysia. It holds lots of memories for many and so many people were there with their cameras and even a wedding couple were there to take photos!