Shorts Marathon

The challenge: Make 3 pairs of shorts for Thalia to wear during camp this week. She will be leaving Tuesday at 1pm, so we're working on a deadline.

Saturday evening: Purchase fabric at JoAnn's on sale. Thalia wants brown, black, and blue linen. There's no blue linen, so I get some sort of cotton/poly blend in dark blue.

The brown has this interesting detail in the weaving:



The black is nice and thick. I wish I could think of something I want for myself in linen, because this is really fun fabric and it's 60% off.


Sunday: Wash fabric, ignoring care instructions. Trace out size 12 of pattern, as Thalia has grown since last year. Cut out brown pair.

Monday: Pack lunch for Rick. Pack lunch for Annabeth, and take her to dance camp. Stop by grocery on the way home, since lunch-packing has revealed a lack of food in the house. Home, put away groceries, laundry, go mow lawn (at 10am the temperature is 89F and the heat index -- which factors in high humidity -- is 99F). Back in, re-hydrate, deal with phone calls and emails, laundry, discover I've lost the pattern envelope and directions, decide I don't care, begin sewing.

Break at noon to fix lunch. Answer knock on door. It's a couple of contractors. WHAT? We were told no one would be here to work on anything this week! I stare at them blankly. They say they are here to accomplish this and that. I tell them maybe they shouldn't do that because the pipes seem to be run in the wrong place. They say they'll do it anyway, and then just rip the drywall back out if it's wrong (umm, why would you spend time putting joint compound on the drywall while someone is telling you that you're probably going to have to rip it back out in a couple of days? In what universe does this conversation make sense?)

Decide to go out to get something for lunch. Contractors are gone by the time we get home.

Take Thalia to piano lesson.

Home, Thalia tries on Pair 1, decides they fit, so we are good to go on the next pair using the pattern as is.

Go pick up Annabeth from dance camp. They will be having a "wig rehearsal" Tuesday, so we need to have her wig organized for her to take in -- I have no clue if it still has bobby pins hanging in it from the last feis, but we'll deal with that tomorrow morning. Cut out blue shorts. Sew.

Take Thalia to Beginner Class, at which she is a teacher's aide (earning service hours for her Silver Award). Drop her off, discuss various things with the teacher, come home. Make supper.

Rick comes home. He has called the head contractor about the drywall and various other issues. During the conversation he discovers that the plumber and electrician are scheduled to come at 9am Tuesday. Surprise! Too bad no one will be here to let these people in the house, since we were told no one was working here this week and had planned our lives accordingly. He has sorted that out -- they'll come Tuesday afternoon while he's here to let them in and supervise them.

I go pick up Thalia from dance, which is running late. Home. Thalia and I eat. I sew. Blue shorts done. Take Thalia to her dance class (Novice/Open). Stop to pick up more elastic and bias tape at fabric store. Home. Cut out black linen. Sew.

At this point I'm getting fairly good at this pattern, which is a simple one from New Look. Not that I can tell you what number it is, having lost the envelope and all the pattern pieces -- I'm cutting it out from a Pattern-Ease tracing because 1. I altered it, and 2. Pattern-Ease holds up better to multiply cutttings. But, it's just legs and a waistband, with elastic in the waistband and also a drawstring. Buttonholes allow the drawstring through the waistband, and I'm using bias tape in lieu of making my own drawstring. Easy.

Pick up Thalia from her dance class. Come home and start elastic and waistband -- the home stretch. Things start to go wonky. Something is wrong. Egads -- the elastic is totally too short. Also, why have I been fussing around with these waistbands -- why haven't I just finished the inside edge, folded the whole thing down, and then stiched-in-the-ditch from the right side, just as when making trousers?

Up early Tuesday morning, take the waistband apart, put more elastic in, re-sew. Thread bias tape.

Done.



Except my camera's fogging up because it's so humid. Let's try getting another shot.



Hey, those shorts are pretty boring. You know what would really make this photo better? Put a cat in it.




As a matter of fact, I think these shorts need my special finishing touch -- a boatload of cat fur.