While in Charleston a few weeks ago, we stopped by the outlets and I popped into Loft. It’s been quite a while since I’ve gone shopping for clothes. There’s a reason for that…

As my husband noted on this very trip: “It’s easy going shopping with you now that you sew because you never buy anything.”

Nailed it.

Sewing has changed how I shop (aka: I don’t). If I find myself in a store, I’m mostly just gazing – trying to figure out what’s trendy (although we all know trendy isn’t something I’m any good at – as I confessed in my Instagram reveal of the very shorts I’m telling you about today!).

Rather than hours spent in a dressing room sifting through clothes that don’t fit right and passing a lot of judgement on my own body for not fitting into ready-to-wear clothing as perfectly as the mannequin, I browse. And browsing for inspiration takes far less time than trying on clothes. And involves far less self-shaming.

So back to Loft: It is my favorite store to shop for ready-to-wear clothing {hats off to Loft for having a legitimate Petite section!} The day we were at the outlets was one of the first warm days this season and I was realizing I don’t have many shorts (and among those I do have, I don’t feel comfortable in any that I could think of). As I walked into Loft I saw a lovely display of the cutest little drawstring shorts.

Yes! I love comfy clothing and these were the perfect balance of you-don’t-look-like-you’re-wearing-pajamas-but-feel-like-you-are. I was all set to try them on until I looked at the price tag. Spending $50 on drawstring shorts was not something I was prepared to bring myself to do that day.

Maybe some other time.

So, I headed back home with zero bags from the outlets (seriously: I bought nothing at the outlets. I think that’s a new world record and you should all take me out for coffee to celebrate).

A few days later a call for testers popped up on Facebook from one of my favorite designers {remember my love of the Out And About Dress 1 + 2, & 3?! And I’m working on #4}. And guess what! The call was for elastic waist shorts – sign.me.up!

{Image via Sew Caroline}

I was so excited to be able to test Sew Caroline‘s newest pattern: The Parkside Shorts + Skirt. The great thing about the pattern is it’s a two-for-one: You get both a skirt and shorts pattern. #winning

I knew this was going to be my new favorite pattern and it totally is.

My stepbrother’s wife’s mom had a collection of fabric in her attic from a relative who had passed away. She covered my parent’s garage with bags of fabric for me to plunder through. It was like winning the vintage fabric lottery! I immediately filled 2 giant plastic bins with my choices and headed to the laundromat. I am thrilled to say all of the fabric survived the wash. I plundered my pile a second time and took some of it to my last quilt guild meeting to share with the ladies.

Luckily for me, no one snagged the lightweight denim. It’s not typically a fabric I have on hand or would purchase so I was very excited I had it for testing these shorts. It has great drape and isn’t too heavy so it’s perfect for summer.

I used some vintage floral scraps (also from the attic stash) for accent pockets. The fabric was really thin so I cut double what I needed for the pocket pieces. To make my double-lined pockets, I lined the mirrored pieces up right-sides-facing and stitched along the bottom curved edge. I used my pinking shears to cut around the curves then flipped the pockets right-sides-out and pressed. The perk: my pockets are equally as pretty when the pants are inside-out 🙂

I’ve never sewn pants of any kind so these shorts were a little scary at first. However, the way you set one leg inside the other when connecting reminded me of constructing a bag (when you set the exterior inside the lining to connect before flipping). These were a great confidence builder!

I’m pretty sure I’m going to be wearing these non-stop all summer!

The two-inch elastic waistband provides optimum comfort with the ability to pull your shorts up high [like this shameless old lady] or low around your hips. Either way, it’s a winner.

I wore these to brunch for Mother’s Day. The Hubs and I even went for a walk around town while waiting (note to all: if taking your Mom to Cafe Strudel for Mother’s Day, arrive an hour and a half early to get your name on the list…). I’m happy to say: they performed well!

I was pretty excited that my sister showed up wearing the Date Night Dress I’d made her for her birthday last year! It looks amazing on her – especially with that snazzy belt I hand-me-down’d her from Butterfly Vintage.

photoshoot blooper #1

We’re hoping to work on sewing a Date Night Dress together soon – the pattern is great for beginners and the flutter sleeves are amazing for our incredibly humid summers.

Pretty sure my sister could wear a trash bag and still look AMAZING! She’s so chic

We had a lovely Mother’s Day brunch! Proof:

I might make sharing photoshoot bloopers my new thing…

Typical: everyone looks great and then I sneeze.

Moral of this story: hop on over to Sew Caroline’s site and purchase yourself a copy of the Parkside Shorts + Skirt pattern and get sewing! These are perfect for summer. You can even add a drawstring (like on this skirt that Caroline made) for a more professional look. Once I figure out how to sew a buttonhole (yep, still on my “learn how to do” list..), I’m totally adding a drawstring!

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UPDATE – You can see my Parkside Skirt in this post.