A few years ago, I noticed a trend in terry garments, particularly shorts. As a sewist, I thought, why not make my own? So, I decided to hack my Fieldfare joggers pattern into a pair of shorts. It’s a straightforward pattern hack, and I'll share some tips on how to do it yourself. And I know I’m a late bloomer when it comes to trends because this summer I’ve been wearing them basically every day...
Choosing the Right Fabric
For my project, I chose a terry bamboo viscose fabric. It’s incredibly soft and has a wonderful handfeel. However, since I ordered it online, I couldn't check the stretch. It turned out to have almost no stretch (it was marketed as suitable for bathrobes, so I should have guessed it had no stretch!). This meant I had to adjust my pattern to compensate for the lack of stretch.
Adjusting the Pattern
The Fieldfare joggers are pull-on pants with a relaxed fit, but I needed to add some width to make sure I could pull the waist over my hips comfortably. And of course, adjust the length into shorts. Here’s how I did it:
Measuring the Inseam: I measured my desired inseam length for both the front and back pattern pieces, aiming for a 6 cm (2.4”) length. I drew the new length at the front side seam straight across and made the new bottom hem slightly curved.
Adjusting the Length at the Back: I measured the placement at the side seam on the front pattern and marked it on the side seam of the back pattern piece as well, then drew a line between them. The new bottom line at the back can be quite shaped.
Adding Width
Since my fabric had little to no stretch, I needed to add extra width to the waistband and the legs:
Extending the Waistband: I measured the extended waist and compared it to my hips. I needed to add 10 cm in total to the waistband and the waist on the trousers to ensure I could pull them over my hips. I extended the waistband 5 cm since it’s against a folded edge, making the total 10 cm.
Adding Width to the Leg: I cut both the front and back leg patterns in half and added width throughout, including the waist, hip, and bottom leg areas. This added volume gives the shorts a more relaxed look, which I prefer. Since I wanted to add 10 cm in total at the waist and hips, it meant adding 2.5 cm to each leg.
Adjusting the Pattern Pieces: I opened up the front leg just beside the pocket placement notch to keep the notch placement correct. The side seam notches remained accurate, but I needed to move the waist notches 2.5 cm to line up with the side seam.
Bottom Hem
Adding Hem Allowance: Finally, I added a 3 cm seam allowance to the new leg opening.
Final Thoughts
Making these adjustments was straightforward, and the result was a pair of custom-made terry shorts that fit perfectly and looked great. If you’re thinking about making your own, don’t be afraid to play around with the pattern and make it work for your fabric and style preferences.
Stay tuned for more sewing tips and tricks in my next posts! Happy sewing!
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