Boy Shorts

It's true that I'm a girly sew-er.  I usually pick clothing projects that will best suit me or Emma or some sweet little baby that's being born to a friend or relative.  I'm not one to tackle a collared shirt or pleated pants, and t-shirts are just way too cheap to even pretend to make for my little guy.

BUT, when my sweet friend Jenny put out the word that she needed pattern testers for her new "Classically Cool Cargo Shorts" pattern for boys, I was on it!  I let her know I'd make a pair for Oren if she'd like me to try out the pattern.

He's grown quite a bit this summer, so he's somewhere between a size 6 and a 7.  His old clothes in size 6 are all a little too short, but in his new school clothes we bought a mix of 6 and 7.  Jenny asked me to try the size 7 pattern and it fit him perfectly.

Of course I had no fabric in my stash that was both an appropriate design (what's wrong with flowers and polka dots for a boy I want to know????) or in a big enough piece, so we headed to Walmart in hopes they'd have something, ANYTHING appropriate. He's getting a little too self-conscious to sport shorts with a novelty print on them and he's got like 3 pairs of khaki shorts... (For those of you that know us personally--yes, he is his Daddy made over!)

We found a nice blue and orange-ish plaid, which is actually great since that just happens to be our favorite team's (the Gators) colors.  Oren, Daddy and I all agreed on it, so home we went to make some shorts.

I have to say Jenny's pattern was great!  I thought her side pocket construction and detailing was smart.  The side pockets are slanted for easy access for little hands, plus it looks good too.  I did have a problem with the waistband originally, but she's made a tweak to the pattern that makes them look even better and makes the pockets big and roomy for all that stuff boys "need" to collect in there during the day.

The pattern does include directions for a cover flap for these cargo pockets but I royally mis-read the directions and messed them all up, so I left them off.  Next time...

So, here's my little man in something Momma made for him.  It doesn't happen very often.  And he gave them a complete stamp of approval.  Usually if he's home longer than 5 minutes, the kid is naked or close to it.  I swear, you'd think we ran a nudist colony or something--but when I asked him to wear these shorts to let me get some pictures in them, he wore them the rest of the day and tried to wear them the next.

That's a genuine stamp of approval.  And that makes this Momma awful happy.  :)