shorts

now that summer is finally upon us and the weather is warm and parties are starting to take place completely out-of-doors, it is a good time to invest in some shorts.

because y'all wanted to see my hairy white legs

i finished these up just in time for a graduation party at a pool and then tried them out for a pic-a-nic at a lake. all and all, they're pretty good. i'm still not convinced that they aren't too short, though having them likened to something james "sean connery" bond would wear makes me feel a little better about that.

more pictures and details below!

about the construction: i used the same pattern as i did for my slacks, with the same alterations for my hips. instead of seersucker, which i was planning to use but could not find, i used a nice mid weight linen with blue and white stripes. it was shiftier than i expected, which lead to less than pristine sewing. but they're shorts. for me. so who really cares? i made two major modifications beyond the shortened legs. first, i changed out the zipper closure for a button fly:

this change was surprisingly easy- by comparing the finished zipper on the slacks with the button fly on a pair of jeans, i was able to figure out how to re-arrange things. unfortunately, i only made 5 new buttons, so the waistband only has one- and since the single works pretty well, there is little chance i'll go back to fix it.

the other important modification is the addition of a 5th pocket inside the right front pocket (as you might see on a pair of jeans).

it is so standard for me to carry my little pocket knife in a 5th pocket that my belt has a worn edge and i have had to patch jeans on the spot where the knife's thumb stud has worn through. but slit pockets as on slacks really ruin that tradition. slap on a little square scrap of fabric and, bam, problem solved. (the top edge of the pocket includes a little gray stripe from the selvage.)

other than that, i made the pockets bigger and, since these will be abused more than the slacks, i was a little more careful finishing my inside seams. and, with my new shorts, i was able to get my first (and, fingers crossed) last sunburn of the year.