Finished - Bird of Paradise shorts

It's happened! I've finally found a shorts pattern that I'm really pleased with! I've made many many shorts patterns over the last few years with pretty much no public wearability success. Too tight, too loose, too short, too uncomfortable. You name it, I've made it in a shorts version and spat the dummy over nearly every pair. My recent Maritime shorts are reasonable in terms of fit but they still aren't quite perfect and the whole fly front thing still evades me. But these are winners. I'm thrilled to finally get some pics, even if they are crummy iPhone pics taken by an impatient husband (at the Little Creatures brewery in Geelong if you're curious).

These are my first iteration of the Salme "shorts with side zipper" pattern. I don't know why the Salme patterns aren't more popular - I think most of the designs are very chic and stylish. Some are available in paper (Helene stocks them at Stitch 56) but the entire range is available in PDF. No seam allowances are included but there are suggestions on what to add where. These shorts have darts in the front and back (you could convert the front darts to a pleat), a side zip and lovely slanted side pockets. 

I made these in a size 10. I think from memory my measurements put me in a higher size but when I compared the pattern pieces to the Maritime shorts I thought I'd size down. I made a super rough calico toile and was pleasantly surprised with the fit - aside from the waistband. The instructions state to draft a rectangular waistband piece. This didn't work on my body shape at all. Having a rectangular waistband below the waist was never going to work for me as I have a pretty dramatic slope from waist to hip - I need a curved waistband where the top of the waistband is narrow than the bottom. I pinched out little bits around the top of the waistband, similar to how Jana described creating a waistband for her lady-Jeds, which gave me a better idea of how the shorts would look. Having just made the Maritime shorts and knowing they sat at a similar level on my body I figured I'd save myself some time and use the Maritime waistband, with just some tweaking in length (and cutting the front band on the fold, obvs).  I added the 3/8inch/1cm allowances suggested but ended up taking the side seams in at 5/8 inch. Otherwise no other fit changes!

The pattern is drafted beautifully, apart from the waistband. The pockets are great - there was one bit of WTF-ery with an extra pocket pattern piece that you don't need (lining piece 1 from memory). The instructions are a bit hit and miss but if you've made trousers before you'll be fine - I didn't use them at all once I worked out the pockets. I finished all edges of the front and backs with my overlocker before construction to make it easier to adjust fit. The zip is invisible. I thought I knew all I needed to know regarding inserting invisible zips, however when Maris posted a recent tutorial I thought it worth reading as she is so knowledgable. The pearl of wisdom I gleaned from it was to buy a zip a couple of inches longer than recommended. This makes that little step closing the seam below the zip much easier - you can get your zipper foot so much closer to the zipper without the stopper getting in the way - brilliant!

The fabric is a printed cotton-linen from Spotlight - as Kirsty says foliage is so hot right now! It's actually not wearing fabulously - I've worn these a heap since making them and there's some lintiness going in at the inner thigh, but it's a fun print (I just had to be careful of Inappropriate Strelitzia Placement) and was perfect for my Resort Collection. Next version I'm going down a size as they are a bit roomy still, but added 5/8 inch seam allowances just in case they're a bit snug, and I'm using a solid just to make sure the print isn't hiding any fitting issues. 

I'd definitely recommend these shorts if you find a lot of shorts patterns are too short in the crotch - that's my most common fit issue with shorts. I'm keen to try their Paper bag waist shorts now..... 

What's your favourite shorts pattern? Have you ever tried this pattern?