Skip to main content

Made by a Fabricista: Last Shorts of Summer

There are so many things that I love about summer; shorts, sandals, warm sunshine, cold ice cream, and fireflies, just to name a few. It pains me to admit that summer is drawing to an end. To celebrate my love for summer, I decided to sew one last pair of shorts and a coordinating button-up.

Fabric Mart recently started carrying Megan Nielsen Patterns, so I jumped at the opportunity to make my last shorts of summer. I've been eyeing the classic Flint Pants & Shorts pattern for years now, so I knew this was the perfect time to snatch up the pattern and start sewing. I picked a Cream and Navy horizontal stripe viscose Suiting fabric to make my Flint Shorts. 


The pattern recommended woven fabrics ranging in different weights depending on the look that you are going for. I wanted a nice structured pair of shorts, so I thought that this mid-weight woven suiting fabric would do the trick. 

While the Cream and Navy horizontal stripe suiting proved to be a bit of a challenge to work with due to its thickness, I was happy with the end result after a few modifications to the original pattern. I added a row of topstitching across the top of the waistband for added stability. I also added a row of topstitching on the front of the pockets for added stability and crispness.

Did you happen to notice any other pattern modifications, from my photos? Would you have guessed that the buttons on the front of the shorts are fake? Due to the thickness of the fabric, normal buttonholes just wouldn't work as waistband closures for these shorts so I decided on a sneaky closure instead. I added three plastic snaps to the inside of the waistband and then sewed those two cream buttons on the outside of the waistband as decoy buttons to trick the eye into believing that the buttons are real!

Even though I made so many modifications to my Flint Shorts, I am happy with my new shorts, fake buttons, and all!

Once I wrapped up my Flint shorts, I grabbed some Dark Navy Rayon Voile fabric from Fabric Mart to make a Seamwork Aster shirt. I made the Seamwork Aster shirt once before in a very structured woven fabric, so I knew that this time, I wanted to make it in a flowy, comfortable Rayon. Aster is such a great choice for beginners because it is a collar-free button-up blouse. I made version 1 of the pattern which has short, cuffed sleeves because I knew version 1 would pair well with the Flint Shorts. 

The only modification that I made to my Aster shirt is that I used slightly wider bias tape on the inside of the neckline because I wanted to use a pretty pink and blue bias tape from my stash! I'm very happy with how this Aster shirt turned out because it is the perfect addition to my handmade wardrobe. 

I know that my Aster Blouse and Flint Shorts will be the perfect pair to carry me through the final days of summer into the cooler fall weather to come! Thanks for reading, now go soak up the rest of that summer sun!

SHAINA   @shaina_sews 


Unfortunately Fabric Mart Fabrics sell out quickly!
You can find similar fabrics by shopping the following categories: SUITING & VOILE.
You can also shop our entire collection of Megan Nielsen patterns HERE.

Comments

  1. Your shorts and top are very nicely made. I love the shorts hack to use snaps instead of buttons.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Your outfit is the perfect close for summer and it is a perfect fit on you. Buttons over snaps make a great closure for sure.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Thanks for leaving a comment! All comments are reviewed before posting to help us eliminate spam. Your comment will be posted within 24 hours.

Popular Posts You Might Like

Made By A Fabricista: Playing with Classic Silhouettes and Timeless Color Palettes

When it comes to sewing, few things excite me more than reimagining classic designs and breathing new life into timeless patterns. As someone who has been sewing for over 25 years, I thrive on exploring unique details and construction techniques that make each piece feel special. Recently, I found inspiration in a previous look I’d created and decided to take it a step further, crafting a full outfit that plays with volume, texture, and classic styling. See below my dress from 2011 that I drew inspiration from. The Fabric For this project, I chose a Glen Plaid Suiting fabric from Fabric Mart, a timeless yet versatile pattern that instantly elevates any garment. The fabric’s classic black-and-white palette gave me the perfect base to experiment with silhouettes and pairings while keeping the overall look chic and cohesive. I love how this fabric’s pattern gives off an air of sophistication yet lends itself beautifully to bold, modern designs. The Dress For the dress, I used the VikiSew...

Made By A Fabricista: Liberty Snow Day

Hi everyone! While we’ve been blanketed with snow out here in Southeastern PA, I decided to conquer my fear of button holes and make NewLook pattern N6749. I was able to snag a few yards of the Jess + Jean print Liberty of London Tana Lawn for it. It’s always exciting when Fabric Mart is able to get Liberty fabrics in! I always make sure to grab some.  Cutting into a beautiful piece of tana lawn is scary every time. The fabric is such good quality, I’m afraid to mess it up! I had to be extra careful as this is also the first directional pattern I’ve worked with. But one of my assistants made sure all of my pieces were laid correctly. Something I wanted to try out with this dress was finishing the inside seams using the overlock stitch on my domestic machine. Normally I would french seam, but it was nice to not have to worry about cutting seam allowance in half, sewing, trimming, flipping, and sewing again. Next time I would cut the seam allowance back before overlocking, but I thin...

Made By A Fabricista: Ghostly School Uniform

When Fabric Mart asked me what fabric I wanted for my first project I knew EXACTLY what I wanted to make, Nene Yashiro from Toilet Bound Hanako kun (a weird but cute anime) but as cute as the design was, I knew I'd need to adjust the colors to a slightly warmer tones to better suit my complexion and undertones. For the main dress I was so happy to find an off white cotton/Lycra stretch twill that was opaque enough to not need a lining and stretched enough that I could continue avoiding my nemesis; zippers. I wanted to try out having a seamless center front panel, so I modified one of my existing go-to bodice patterns, and after figuring out what length I wanted for the skirt, was able to have the center front panel incorporated into the center front panel of the skirt. I then had the rest of the bodice as their normal waist length so that I could add an additional panel to the skirt to be able to have enough width to have volume and gather it down evenly around my waist. The hem h...