more toddler shorts.

it's unofficially spring in virginia, which means it's seventy degrees one day and forty the next. the warm weather sticks around just long enough to toy with my emotions, make me dig my flip flops out of the back of the closet, and make me a bit obsessed with sewing tiny shorts.

oh how i've missed those pudgy knees.

i broke down this time and bought a shorts pattern--dana's wonderfully versatile kid's shorts pattern. it goes from age twelve months to ten years, so i think i'll get my monies worth out of it. so many shorts are going to be made! here is pair number one.

i sewed the eighteen to twenty-four month size using the flat front option. i modified the front pattern piece to have a separate waist band so that i could use the same faux fly and button front that i used for the last pair. i also made different front pockets, added back pockets, and added my absolute favorite kid shorts feature--an adjustable waistband.

i'm in love with these shorts--the rolled up legs, the black and white striped details, the pink top stitching--swoon. i like that they look a bit like denim but are actually a really lightweight cotton, making them perfect for the sticky virginia summers. i also like that i got over a yard of this fabric at the thrift store for a dollar.

the pocket fabric was another thrift store score, this time from a pillow case. i couldn't resist also using it to add a (pointless) tab to the back pocket and bias bind the seams of the rolled up legs. it's a bit lightweight, and thus a bit see through, especially when there's a neon pink shirt tucked in behind it, but i don't think margot notices.

the pattern is wonderful. the baby sizes even have extra butt room to accommodate a diaper (one of the things that made me hesitant about drafting my own shorts patterns). it specifically says disposable diaper, but margot is wearing a cloth diaper in these pictures and the shorts fit just fine, even with the extra bulk.

*unapologetic baby bum shot*

i plan on using this pattern many, many, many times in the future. it comes with a lot of fun variations and is simple enough to be endlessly modified. i've already completed my next pair, changing up the pattern a bit to make for a more bermuda-shorts like style. they're adorable. hopefully i'll get some pictures of those this week.

we're probably still a couple of weeks out from actually having shorts weather around here, but i am certainly looking forward to seeing a lot more of those little knees.