For those crafters out there who delight in creating children’s couture–here is a free pattern for shorts I stumbled upon recently while checking out Tara Miller’s stuff on fabric.com blog! Shop J&O Fabrics and find dozens of cute designs to create your own shorts. Use your intuitive inner design guru to fashion fabric combinations for these cutie pie pants! You may begin by browsing our fabric selection online for inspiration, many of which are on sale!
(All photos by Tara Miller of Fabric.com, one gifted Mom! ) This pattern is called ‘Aiden Appliqued Shorts’
Begin by cutting out the desired size from the pattern. Next, cut two strips of fabric for the side ruffles, about 4 inches wide and twice the length of the shorts.
While these shorts are intended for a boy, they can certainly be feminized, depending on the type of fabric you decide to use.
Align the right sides together and press the ruffle in half lengthwise. Stitch down the open side with a 1/4” seam. Next, turn ruffle right side out and press flat to center the seam.
Take the ruffle strip through your ruffler foot stitching down the middle along the seam. For maximum ruffling, set it on 6. Don’t have a ruffler foot? Run a basting stitch down the center and pull your bobbin thread to gather.
Fold the shorter pieces in half and press a neat center seam. Pin the ruffle with the seams down to the shorts. Place your stitching along the center and trim excess ruffle from shorts.
Finally, stitch the remainder of the shorts together!
Align the right sides together and press the ruffle in half lengthwise. Stitch down the open side with a 1/4” seam. Next, turn ruffle right side out and press flat to center the seam.