I am so addicted to sewing shorts for my kids with the fabrics I recycled from my old cotton shirts. This time, instead of sewing out of the same pattern repeats, I made some variations on the kid shorts sewing pattern for this girl shorts, by adding a knot or tie to the shorts’ hem.
Last time, I sewed the hem with a ribbed band in the kid shorts tutorial, in this girl shorts I modified the hem band to a tie-band. In addition, I used coordinating color with strawberry print fabric on the waistband, pockets and tie-hem bands to cheer up the girl shorts further.
My daughter loves this shorts so much that she wears it to her tuition class showing off to her teacher and friends “Mommy sewed this for me from her old shirts!” and proudly walk into the classroom with a **BIG smile**… Knowing that my daughter appreciates it so much really pays off the time I’ve spent in the craft room every night. Same astonished feeling happened when Jennifer showed me the boxer shorts she sewed for her husband by using the unisex boxer shorts pattern & tutorial… I am really happy and this is the best way you gals motivated me to make and share more here. Please feel free to feedback to me with your amazing handmade if you have made something from here.
Girl Shorts With Tie-Hem
Download basic sewing pattern: Toddler shorts (3 years old), Kid shorts (7 years old), Pre-teenager Shorts (12 years old)
Material:
1. Cotton fabric, 3/4 yard or a woman short-sleeve blouse (at least a USA size 10 or UK size 12)
2. Cotton fabric, coordinating print or color, fat quarter
3. Ribbon, short length
Tools:
1. Sewing machine with matching thread
2. Serger/overlock machine or zigzag stitch
3. Printer, letter size (8.5″ x 11″) paper 2 pcs. & glue
4. Pencil & ruler
5. Carbon and tracing wheel
6. Scissors
7. Sewing kits
8. Iron
9. Safety pin
[Note: If you have missed the basic kid shorts sewing pattern & tutorial, click here to go to the post and download the free sewing pattern. For younger kid / toddler size, click here for the post to download.]
Download this tie hem variation pattern in a pdf document and print it with your inkjet printer. Download & print the kid’s shorts sewing pattern too if you haven’t had the copy from the recent tutorial.
Feed the letter-size paper into your printer and print the pattern without setting any scale on the printing.
Or, draw your own by referring to the pattern.
Cut the paper pattern out.
{the pdf download will either open in a new tab or open a small window asking you to save it as a file. If you can’t find the saved file in your computer, the default folder usually is in “/downloads”}
{If you can’t download the pdf pattern, probably you don’t have acrobat reader, download the latest version for free, here.}
Shorten the front of the original shorts pattern by 1 1/4″ from the hem. Repeat the same to the back.
Place the tie-hem pattern onto the new shorts length, align the side seams, don’t glue.
Tear or cut vertically on the swirl line on the tie hem pattern (shorts side) to split the tie side and shorts side.
Move the shorts side to align with the inseam.
Glue a piece of paper in between, draw with pencil and ruler to extend the seam lines and seam allowance lines.
Repeat the same to the back pattern.
Cut both tie hem with the shorts fabric and a piece of coordinating fabric, 1 of each side. You will end up with 8 strips altogether.
Sew the pockets and join the front and back of the shorts at the side seam. Mock flat fell on the side seam.
Cut 2 curve notch patterns from the same fabric as the shorts.
Over-lock stitch or a zig-zag stitch on the outer edge of the curved notch.
Place a curve notch on the right side of the shorts, align the center to the side seam and both hemlines.
Sew on the inner curve and trim the seam allowance to around 1/8″.
Turn the notch curve to the wrong side of the girl shorts. Press and topstitch around 1/4″ from the curve.
Repeat the same to the other side seam.
Continue sewing the inseam and center seam of the shorts.
Either sew the elastic band now or after installing the tie hem band.
Join the front-back pair of the tie hem on the vertical edge (inseam of the shorts).
Sew the matching pair with right side facing each other, a little away from the notch marking, sew to the end, then go down diagonally, then to the bottom hem all the way to the other side, go up diagonally, then upper horizontally until you almost reach the notch marking.
Remember to backstitch a few stitches at the beginning and at the end of the sewing.
Clip corners on the seam allowance.
Align and pin the front tie hem’s notch marking with the hem of the shorts. Marking to marking.
Sew the front tie hem to the shorts, leave out the back portion to later step.
Turn the tie hem right side out and adjust the corners. Press with a warm iron.
Either stitch in the ditch or hand slip stitch the back tie hem to the girl shorts.
Topstitch near the edge, around.
Repeat the tie hem attachment steps to the other side.
Embellish the shorts with your girl’s favorite iron-on embroidery patch.
Sew the waistband and the ribbon if you haven’t done so.
~~ Girl Shorts with Tie-Hem is DONE ~~
Love it, but I’m stucked in the hem part, images and tutorial are not well explained. I would love to watch a video about how you did everything.
Disse shortsene er så fine, nå fikk jeg masse inspirasjon for å sy til mine tantebarn til vi skal på ferie i mai. Gleder meg til å starte syingen. Du forklarer så godt så det ser enkelt ut. Jeg kom tilfeldigvis over siden din og gjett om jeg er glad?.. Tusen, tusen takk for at du deler mønstrene dine. Ønsker deg en god og kreativ ny uke.
Translation (by Google):
These shorts are so fine, now I got a lot of inspiration to sew for my aunt children we are going on holiday in May. Can not wait to start sewing. You explain so well so it looks quite simple. I happened to come across your page and boy am I happy? .. Thank you so much for sharing your designs. Wishing you a good and creative new week.
I really enjoyed sewing these shorts for my 7 year old. They’re lovely and fit perfectly.
That’s great, Amosmum! Love to know this!!! 🙂
Hello,
those shorts are so pretty! I really need one for me! Can you help me how to enlarge pattern to size 12? Thank you very much!
I found a cool diagram for you to enlarge the size of the shorts, please click here. I haven’t try it out but it seems like a good instruction for any pants and shorts size alteration.
Instructions for the pockets would be nice!
Hi Robin, the shorts with pocket tutorial can be found at http://www.craftpassion.com/2011/06/sewing-kid-shorts-with-pocket-pattern.html.
Bellissimi!!!!!
Translation (by Google):
Beautiful!!
Hi, my little girl is a bit broad, can you tell me what I need to do if I needed to enlarge the template for a bigger size?
I am stuck in the part of the tie hem, could you help me! you sew and then turn? i want to finish the shorts for my daughter ! thank you so much
Sew tying part of the tie hem at the top, a little away from the notch marking, then the diagonal side, then the bottom. When attaching to the shorts, sew only the front hem to the shorts. After that, turn the tie hem right side out and continue with the rest of the process.
The tie hem shorts are so chic and adorable. I would like to do this for my shorts of different lengths as well. Your cherry print really adds to the red checks as well. No doubt these are your daughter’s favorite shorts.
Help! Something is not right when I try to right side the ties once they are attached. It tries sucking I. The whole shirt. Something is backward. Please provide more guidance on how to attach ties inside out to hem and flip them out. These shorts are too cute!!! I want to finish them!
Do you mean you have problem turning the tie right side out? If this is the part, then make sure when you sew the tie from the tiring part, do stop at the notch marking. Then, attach the tie to the short by sewing FRONT PIECE of the tie hem only. Turn the tie hem right side out from the opening that you didn’t sew.
Hope this help.
ohh my god!iv missed out on a lot but this is a good welcome.this is extremely luvly.i have been busy nursing my baby girl(im glad she’s a girl cos il be trying this shorts too)i dont no who i love most right now…u or the shorts.
should be your baby girl, Saaliha 😉 Glad that you are going to try it out and I’m sure your girl will love it.
Success this time – I slashed the pattern and added 2.5cm to the front and 5cm to the back pattern pieces and 2cm to the body length, I also made the pockets a bit wider and deeper as they seemed small first time round.
Happy to say DD loves them (she chose the fabrics) and has requested more!!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sew_what/5923402584/in/photostream
Thanks for a great tutorial!
Hi Liz, I am so happy to see that your DD wears it and she has a good sense of fabric choice!!!
How old is she? She seems to have better build than my 7 year-old daughter, no wonder the original size doesn’t fit on her 🙂
DD is 8 and wears age 7-8 clothes – she’s one of the smallest in her class!
I use Ottobre patterns a lot and she fits the 128 size although I suspect she has inherited her mother’s British Pear shape as her waist and chest are smaller than Ottobres sizing! She’s also a keen dancer so her legs and derriere are pretty well developed if you know what I mean!!!
Thanks for another great tutotial!
I made a pair of these last night & this morning – unfortunately in my eageress to start sewing I didn’t measure the pattern peices against DD (as she was asleep in bed!) and she can barely get them over her knees!
I’m going to slash & stretch the pattern to make her another pair to fit her dancer’s derrier!
Picture of my shorts here;
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sew_what/5918254665/in/photostream
Liz, the shorts is so pretty, I am sure your daughter will love it a lot when you sew a bigger size for her 🙂 So happy that you share the photo with us! Thanks !
I am LOVING the knots! They’re such a cute detail!! I linked to your tutorial on Craft Gossip Sewing:
http://sewing.craftgossip.com/tutorial-girl-shorts-with-tie-hems/2011/07/09/
–Anne
Thanks, Anne. I love to see the shorts in Craft Gossip, one of my favorite sites to get inspirations.