Our friend Brittney is back today! Yesterday, she dropped by to kick things off with a roundup of the Puppet Show Shorts for size 5. Now, she's here to host a full-blown sew-along for these adorable shorts, and we’re so grateful she took the time to do it. After all, we want to make sure we sew as many of these as possible before the kids outgrow them! Welcome back, Brittney!
We all know Liesl’s instructions are top-notch—they’re what got me started in sewing. So naturally, we’ll be following her guidelines to the letter. But sometimes having visual aids can be really helpful, and sew-alongs are just plain fun. I’ve added a few extra tips I’ve picked up along the way, so let’s dive into the process.
### Assembling the Pockets
1. Start by folding and pressing one long edge of the bias pocket binding by 3/8†toward the wrong side.
2. Next, baste the outer curve of the pocket 1/2†from the raw edge. This stitching will serve as a folding guide and ensure a smooth curve at the pocket’s edge.
3. Loosen the machine’s top tension and create two rows of gathering stitches at the top edge of the pocket, between the two stars—one at 3/8†from the cut edge and the other at 5/8â€.
4. Pull up the bobbin threads on the gathering stitches to cinch the top edge of the pocket to match the length of the pocket binding. Pin the pocket binding to the top edge of the pocket, right sides together. Evenly distribute the gathers and stitch the binding to the pocket with a 1/2†seam.
5. Press the binding and seam allowances away from the pocket.
6. Fold and press the pocket’s curved outer edge along the basting stitches, ensuring a smooth curve.
7. Fold and pin the pocket binding over the pocket’s raw edges so it covers the stitching on the wrong side.
8. From the right side of the pocket, edge stitch the binding just above the seam, catching the folded edge of the binding on the wrong side in the stitching.
Here’s a little trick I learned somewhere along the way that’s saved my sanity: Cut out the pocket placement from the pattern piece and use it to align your pockets. Place the pattern piece over your fabric, insert the pocket inside the hole, and pin everything in place. Trust me, this saves a ton of time.
9. Finally, pin and edge stitch the pocket to the main panel of the shorts. Add a small triangle at the top corners of the pockets to reduce stress on the fabric.
### Sewing the Shorts
I find it helpful to finish the inseam seams at this stage.
1. Fold one main panel, right sides together, and sew the inseam as indicated. Repeat with the other panel.
2. Turn one main panel right side out and slip it inside the other main panel, which is still right side out. Match and pin the inseam and raw edges, then sew the rise with a 1/2†seam. Reinforce the rise by stitching it a second time, just inside the first row of stitching, in the seam allowance. Press the seam allowance and finish it using your preferred method.
### Creating the Waistband Casing
1. Sew the two short ends of the waistband together to form a loop, right sides together. Press the seam open. Fold and press one long edge of the waistband by 1/2†toward the wrong side.
Sometimes, I like to press the waistband by 1/2†before stitching the short ends together, then press it again afterward.
2. Pin and sew the unfolded edge of the waistband to the top of the shorts, right sides together, using a 1/2†seam.
3. Press the seam allowances toward the waistband and trim them to 1/4†to reduce bulk.
4. Fold the top of the waistband inside the shorts so the folded edge slightly overlaps the waistband seam. Edgestitch the waistband from the right side of the shorts, just above the waistband seam, leaving a 2†opening near the back or side seam. If you don’t have a label or size tag, consider adding a piece of folded ribbon to the back center to distinguish the front from the back.
5. Feed the elastic through the channel via the opening, adjust to fit the child’s waist, and sew the two ends together, ensuring the elastic isn’t twisted.
6. Edgestitch the opening in the waistband closed.
### Attaching the Leg Bindings
1. Loosen the machine’s top tension and create two rows of gathering stitches at the leg openings, one at 3/8†and the other at 5/8†from the edge.
2. Stitch the two ends of the leg binding together, right sides facing, with a 1/2†seam at the angled edge. Press the seam allowances open, then press one edge of the binding by 3/8†toward the wrong side.
3. Pin the unfolded raw edge of the binding to the leg opening, right sides together. Cinch the short to the same length as the binding by pulling up on the gathering threads.
4. Adjust the gathering evenly, pin, and stitch the binding to the leg opening with a 3/8†seam.
5. Trim the seam allowances to 1/4†to reduce bulk and press the seam allowances away from the shorts.
6. Fold the binding to the wrong side of the leg opening over the seam allowances and pin it to cover the stitching line.
7. From the right side of the shorts, edgestitch the binding 1/8†from the binding seam, catching the folded edge of the binding in the stitching.
Finally, remove any visible gathering stitches from the pockets and shorts legs. Put them on your model and enjoy! These shorts will likely become their new favorite pair in the closet.
Don’t forget to share your finished photos in the Flickr group so we can all admire your adorable kids and your fantastic sewing skills!
P.S. Good luck getting them off once they’re on—these will be hard to resist!
Skirt Series,Comfortable Fabric Long Skirt,Women's Solid Color Long Skirt,Long Skirts for Women
Suqian Surui Clothing Co., Ltd , https://www.suruiclothing.com