I threatened that I would make these bubblegum pink stretch velour shorts in an earlier post. And I did. And I love them too. I’m not embarrassed to say so. Everyone should have some pink shorts. Even if you only wear them at home….

So this was my latest project from the Craftsy Sewing with Knits course. I had learned so much and done so well with earlier projects for the fleece hoodie and the scoop neck and v-neck t-shirts that I got sidetracked and went onto other knit projects – this time with great success.  But I’m back on the course and keen to learn more.

This time the project was for pants.  You could either chose shorts, cropped pants or full length yoga style pants.  Well full length warm pants are rarely needed here in Cayman but I wear shorts nearly every day so the choice was an easy one.  The pattern comes free with the course.  For the fabric, I had a couple of yards of this awesome/horrible? bubblegum pink stretch velour that came in a free fabric bundle from FabricMart Fabrics. I really wasn’t sure about how the shorts would look so decided to combine two ‘not sure’ into one project and see what happened.

The pattern and tutorial includes side seam pockets if you want to add them, and gives a full tutorial on how to sew them in, and also how to stop them stretching out and going all baggy.  However with my hips and bum being baggy enough, I decided I didn’t need to add any extra volume with some thick fleecy pockets at this time of life and left them out for a more ‘streamlined’ look.

I made a size medium without any fitting adjustments.  That is what I love SO much about sewing with knit/stretch fabrics – the fitting is so forgiving and is a nice break from horrors I’ve had fitting some recent woven fabric projects from big pattern companies.

These shorts/pants come with a wide waist band so they would be super comfy and perfect for maternity wear, either as shorts, crops or pants.  Or if you prefer a higher rise.  You can fold over the waistband half way to the low waist, or fold it all the way down to wear them low on your hips – entirely up to you.

And because they are knit fabrics, they are really not only suitable for comfy and casual wear around the house, but also for exercise wear.  Which is what I suppose the cropped and full length pants are designed for (as well as lounging).  Since lounging is the only thing I plan to do in my plush shorts, here is an action shot of what you might look like if you were to run!

Want to know all the secrets about how to successfully sew with knits and make your own casual clothes including a hoodie, t-shirts, shorts, pants, skirts and a dress?  Then sign up for the Sewing with Knits course at Craftsy – great for beginners.

Authored by: Deby at So Sew Easy