To be honest, I wasn't sure how much I was going to like these shorts, partly due to the aggressive pleats. I was a bit hesitant to spend this much money on a sewing pattern ($14 USD) for a style that's new to me, but I have enjoyed the "Love to Sew" podcast that Helen and Caroline do every week so much that I wanted to support Helen (it might be a while before I can justify shipping costs for buying fabric online). Helen's series on how to hack the pattern different ways really sold me on it though, because I was hoping to incorporate an elastic waist to account for my weight fluctuations and bloating due to parties with way too much delicious food.
On to the shorts! The pattern is the Winslow Culottes by Helen's Closet with the elastic back as shown in this blog post. I made a straight size 14 with the shortest length (I added 4ish inches and then took them all off) and due to the fact that I omitted the invisible zipper in favour of the elastic, these came together in no time. Usually it takes me a few evenings to finish a garment, but I after cutting them out I got them done in an evening and made it to bed on time. The next morning I ended up taking them in because I wanted them to sit at my natural waist and I accidentally inserted a longer elastic than I meant to.
I was a bit worried about my fabric selection for this. When I bought the pattern I went out and bought 2 fabrics from the discount section, this purple fabric and a navy blue that will give them a fancier feel. this purple fabric has a lot of texture and body, so I was a bit worried about how boxy they might look. In the end, I am very happy with how they turned out. I wore them to church Sunday because I know I can get honest opinions out of the women there, and generally plenty of compliments (shout out to the ladies at Faith Baptist for being awesome), and they were a hit. Many people commented that the shorts looked like a skirt, which is what I was going for. The texture of the fabric made them lovely to wear in the July heat because there wasn't much fabric touching my skin and they are so breezy.
I know these are going to get a lot of wear this summer, and I can't wait to make these in blue, this time with the invisible zip. I'm not sure if I'm ready to make these in the longer lengths, but I definitely wouldn't rule out the possibility! Also, these photos were taken on my phone by my wonderful friend Holly (thank you!), and once I started moving to my different poses she commented that I had clearly done this before.
Details
Pattern: Winslow Culottes by Helen's ClosetMaterial: Discount woven fabric from Fabricville - $3/m!
Modifications: None!
Learning: This would be a great pattern for a beginner, they are so easy! Nothing new for me!
