Yes, linen is a fabric that wrinkles super fast, and yes a pair of shorts tends to shed sunlight on unattractive thigh fat... but that doesn't seem to ever stop me from drooling over all things linen (or shorts either). I love linen, it looks so deliciously simple and fresh. I also love white in the summer. It's very Mediterranean.

Thus, I can't be blamed for dreaming of balmy beaches while I was sewing the never ending sea of cloth linen napkins. Napkins=food= olives, grilled fish, fresh pasta. Sewing in the little sweatshop corner of my house definitely brought out the hallucinations. I eyed all the napkin scraps on the ground and got a little delusional. They sat up and started dancing around my sewing machine, tantalizing me with possibilities. I could sew all the scraps together and make a blouse, or maybe even a dress. Maybe I could dye each scrap a different color and make a patchwork purse like the one Ugly Betty had in back in Season 1.

In the end I settled on making shorts, which to everyone else seemed slightly crazy, but to me seemed rather rational (all things considered).

You too can make your own shorts, it's easy. Find a pair in your drawer your already like and base your pattern off them.


Fix the things you don't like, and keep the parts you do. I chose these shorts because they had a drawstring waist and that seemed simple enough. I had to take a little bit in on the edges though and re-do teh crotch a little bit, and I made them a bit longer, although by the time I hemmed and cuffed them, I should have made them even longer. :/


Cut it out of your desired fabric. In my case, a cream colored linen, so in love with this fabric. (even if it sews like a cat on rollerskates)


Sew the side seams and the center seams. I forgot to take a picture, then I cheated and used stitch witchery to finish and tack the cuff down.



So roll, iron, sew, then cuff.



All done! They took about 20 minutes to make, and now my summer wardrobe has a new addition. I think they would have been better with a regular waistband and fly, but that was a little beyond my skill for that night.


I have one secret to share... actually two. Maybe everybody already knows these, but they were told to me by an amazing seamstress and I've never forgotten them.


When making homemade clothes:

Rule #1: Choose your fabric wisely. Cute cotten prints will most likely get you comments like "oh, that's so cute, did you make it?"

Rule #2: Topstitch, topstitch...topstitch. Look at the well made clothes in your closet, they all have top stitching (and are most likely lined as well). Topstitching takes almost anything from amateur to professional with ease.

Not that I always follow these rules (ahem), but have fun, and go sew this Summer. I promise you have time.