Pattern: Megan Nielsen Flint Shorts

Currently the biggest gap in my wardrobe is shorts. I live in New England so I guess the season to wear them is shorter than in other places, but even still, wearing the same 3 pairs over and over again is very boring. Especially since my work wardrobe has gotten a lot more casual and I’ve been trying to limit the air conditioning. Last summer, I got an email from one of my favorite fabric stores that they had some madras plaid fabric on sale and I thought it would be fun to make some cool shorts from it.

I’ve always loved the look of plaid shorts. I remember when I was in middle school, I bought these brown plaid shorts at a discount clothing store. It was the first time I remember getting compliments on my wardrobe, since I was never really fashion forward growing up. But in practice, I totally forgot that when working with plaid, it always means matching the plaid. Also this fabric was not as stable as one would use for bottoms, so it did tend to have a lot of give, which maybe didn’t cause the best results. The front here looks pretty good, but the matching is far from perfect everywhere else.

Not much else to say about this. I was a little worried about the front pleats, but I think they look pretty good here. These shorts are interesting as you actually enter them from one of the pockets, and then the side is fastened with 2 buttons on the waistband. No zippers or fly construction. I have to admit, even though it took a bit to figure out how these would be assembled, it did make these faster to sew up.

These shorts being so lightweight make them great in the warmer weather. Temperatures last weekend approached the 90s (Fahrenheit) so I made them not a moment too soon. They do look a bit on the big side, but I think it’s due to the stretchy nature of the fabric. I wonder if another fabric would allow me to make a more fitted version. These are definitely one of the most comfortable pair of shorts I own now.