One Last Pair of Summer Shorts

Hey ya'll! My name is Sarah Jean and I am SUPER EXCITED to be one of the newest contributors here on Refashion Co-op! I kind of have a lot going on right now; I'm in school full-time working on a degree in Information Systems Technology, I work part-time for a local company called BLOOM as a seamstress, and I blog about my various creative endeavors over at Hey, it's SJ. Even though I sew everyday at work, I still manage to make time to sew for myself, and refashioning has found a special place in my heart. I love being able to take unworn, neglected garments and turn them into something modern and wearable.

I know it's almost October (seriously, this year has gone by way too fast!), but here in Virginia temperatures have still been getting into the 80s during the day, so I figured I could squeeze in one last pair of summer shorts before it's boots and scarves weather.

I started with this lightweight denim tunic that I got a few years ago at Wal-Mart of all places. The whole denim shirt trend had just started and this was one of those, "That's cute and inexpensive, I'm just going to get it without trying it on" purchases. Well, it turns out that it didn't really fit at all; there wasn't nearly enough room in the bust for me and the side tie thing-ys hit in me in a weird place, plus the fullness made it look like a maternity shirt on me. It hung around in my closet for a little while until I decided to scrap the entire shirt idea and make it into a pair of lightweight denim shorts.

I unpicked all of the seams until I was left with 5 main pieces: the two sleeves, two front pieces and a back piece. I decided to use one of my tried-and-true shorts patterns, the Prefontaine Shorts for Women by Made with Moxie, to make my new shorts. I was able to cut each of the pockets from the sleeves, the front of the shorts from the two front pieces, and with some careful placement I got both of the back pieces from the back shirt piece.

You can find more details about the construction and pattern modifications I made here. I absolutely LOVE how they turned out, and I've already worn these shorts more times than I ever wore the ill-fitting tunic. They look dressy and "put together" while still being super comfortable, and the pattern was really quick to sew up.

I so happy to be here, and I look forward to sharing my refashion journey with ya'll!