It is summer again in Northern Hemisphere countries… Be it to fight the heatwave or to get more sunlight to tan your skin, clothes are getting thinner and shorter, summer is surely the most fun season of the year!!! My sewing is just as fun as your summer activities, I sewed some shorts for my kids, I truly enjoyed each and everyone I made!!! Get the free pattern and tutorial of the kid shorts and enjoy your sewing too…
I’ve been clearing out my wardrobe lately and found some clothes that can no longer fit into my….. ahem… “WELL FED” body! I think it is good to recycle them into some short pants for my kids. I tend to sew shorts for my loved one, eg. for my husband [pattern here] and for myself, husband & my sisters [pattern here], perhaps shorts were by far the most seen and worn apparel in my family. We wear shorts every day at home since it is all-time hot and sunny here. Don’t envy because I have most of the sunbeam, I am hiding away from it and trying my best to cover my skin with lots of sunblocks when I need to go outdoors.
The origin of this kid shorts pattern is a combination of my daughter’s old shorts plus a modification from a pattern book. I changed the original slanted pocket to this rounded pocket after referring to the pattern book. I made the pattern into 2 different sizes for my kids, 7 years old, and 3 years old.
[Update 2016: I have added the pre-teenage size in the tutorial]
Kid Shorts
Sewing Pattern
Download basic sewing pattern (Choose your size):
Toddler shorts (3 years old), Kid shorts (7 years old), Pre-teenager Shorts (12 years old) [update in 2016]
Material:
1. Cotton fabric, 3/4 yard or a woman short-sleeve blouse (at least a USA size 10 or UK size 12)
2. Knitted rib (normally used on a polo-shirt collar)
3. Ribbon, short length
Tools:
1. Sewing machine with matching thread
2. Serger machine or zigzag stitch
3. Printer, letter size (8.5″ x 11″) paper 6 pcs. & glue (to print and join pattern)
4. Carbon and tracing wheel
5. Scissors
6. Sewing kits
7. Iron
8. Safety pin
Note
The sizing of the shorts is for Asian builds so it could be too small for other races.
If you prefer to have an ordinary hem, just sew the original pattern without doing any alteration in the length. Ignore the instructions that involved the knitted rib hem.
Fold the hem and double top-stitch it in place.
Download the kid shorts sewing pattern in a pdf document and print it with your inkjet printer.
Feed the letter-size paper into your printer and print the pattern without setting any scale on the printing.
It is a 6 pages pattern, glue them together according to the page number on the corners.
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 on your computer, the default folder usually is in “/downloads”}
{If you can’t download the pdf pattern, probably you don’t have an acrobat reader, download the latest version for free, here.}
To adapt a knitted rib hem, adjust the length of the shorts. Shorten the pattern by 1 1/4″ from the hem.
[click here for more about altering the length of a pair of shorts or pants.]
Cut the fabric according to the shorts pattern.
If you are recycling fabric from a shirt/blouse, unpick all the seams & iron the pieces flat, arrange all the patterns on the piece to make sure you have enough to make before cutting it. Remember to follow the fabric grain directions on the pattern.
Trace sewing lines and markings on the wrong side of the fabric by using carbon and tracing wheel.
Place pocket A onto front shorts with right side facing each other. Align, pin and sew along the curve.
Clip curve on the seam allowance.
Turn to the right side, press. Top-stitch near the edge and approx 1/4″ from the curve.
Place pocket B on pocket A and sew. Neaten the raw edges with the zig-zag stitch.
Join the front piece to the back piece by sewing the side seam.
Neaten the raw edges on the side seam.
Make a mock flat fell seam.
Join front and back on the inseam. Neaten the raw edge as well.
[See the buttonhole on the seam allowance, a great proof that the fabric is recycled from my old shirt. ;)]
Join the knitted rib to make a ring. Mark 1 1/4″ up from the edge for the sewing line.
Attached the knitted rib to the hem of the shorts. Neaten the raw edge.
Turn to right side, press & topstitch 1/4″ from seam.
Repeat the sewing steps for the other side of the shorts.
Turn one piece to the wrong side and the other piece to the right side.
Insert the right side to the wrong side.
Align the center seam and match the crotch point. Pin and sew the shorts together and neaten the raw edges.
Join the waistband into a ring. If you are using a shirt for the fabric, you will need to join a few pieces to make up the waistband.
Leave a 1″ opening on one of the joints for elastic band insertion.
Fold the waistband into half and attach it to the short. Neaten the raw edge.
Insert the elastic band into the waistband pocket with a safety pin. Join the ends with 1″ overlap.
Close the opening.
Spread the waistband evenly across the elastic band.
Sew the ribbons onto the waistband approximately 4 “apart.
Make another 3 stitching on the left, right and back center of the shorts’ waistband to secure the elastic band in place.
Embellish the shorts with an iron-on embroidery patch.
The girl’s shorts is done. This picture was taken before putting up the iron-on embroidery patch.
I was wonder what the waist and hip measurments are for the pre-teen shorts are. My 7 yr old granddaughter is a little chunckier than the regular girls are her age. She is a 29″ waist and hips. I was wonder what size to print for her.
Thanks
Sandy
The maximum stretch on the waist is about 27″ and the hip is about 36″ for the pre-teen shorts. For your granddaughter, you probably need to add 1″ to the side of the back and front pattern pieces. This will make the waist 31″ and 40″ for the hip. If she is a tall girl or you want to make the shorts longer, you can use this tutorial to add the length to the pattern.
Fantastic free pattern, I have used it over and over . I make them for Charity and donate them , they love them. I wondered if you have got around to making bigger sizes yet would love to have them for the ages 8 to 10 , thank you so much, best tutorial for the pockets ever .xx
Hi Sue, thanks for liking the pattern. There are patterns up to the age of pre-teen. You may find the downloadable pattern in the pattern section above.
Me Too!
this pattern looks amazing! just downloading it now as i am making the kids shorts for christmas (summer christmas here in new zealand!) thank you so much!
Hi, from New Zealand. Thank you! This pattern looks great, I wondered what your daughter’s hip measurement was when you made these/she wore them? I am sewing for an 11 yr old with a hip of 80cm (32″ approx). By looking at the pattern I need to decrease the width by 3/8″ per piece, for a loose fitting style, without it being too baggy. (approx 3″ or 7.5 cm ease) Does that sound about right?
Hi Haydee, I didn’t record my daughter’s hip measurement at that time. However, as an Asian size, my daughter is considered a petite skinny girl. I would advise that maybe you do not have to reduce the measurement since the kid is in the growing stage. If she can’t wear it now, she will in month’s time.
Good blog you’ve got here.. It’s hard to find excellent writing like yours nowadays.
I honestly appreciate people like you! Take care!!
I so appreciate this free pattern with pockets and an elastic waist band. It’s the ideal combination. My daughter usually wears a size 8 these days so I printed out the pattern purposely scaling it a little bigger to 105%. It worked well. She is a little curvier than this pattern so I will make it again with a little bit more room in the seat and the pockets were such a hit that I will make them even bigger. Thank you very much for your thoughtful gift to the sewing community.
Hi Heather, please check out the pre-teen shorts pattern which I have altered the pattern for a curvier pre-teen. My skinny 16-year-old daughter is still wearing it so it could be a good fit for your daughter too.
This is the best tutorial ever. I’m serious))) I’m making a third pair in a row – my kids love these shorts! And making them is so easy! Can’t thank you enough for this pattern.
Thank you for loving this pattern.
I am a little confused with the waistband!.. When it says fold, is that to fold over or place on fold?
It is fold-over to the wrong side of the shorts 🙂
My pages print off with a much bigger border, can you tell me the length and width the waistband pattern piece should be? Then I can figure out if the scale is off, and whether to put pieces of pattern together line to line, or but paper up to each other….I’m a little confused!
Thank-you!
Val
Val, you may use the same printing setting to print out the page 4 of Pre-teen shorts, there is a measurement scale of 2″. Measure it with your ruler and you will know your printer scaled ratio. Set your printer accordingly, usually set it to “don’t scale” will solve the problem unless your are printing it straightaway from the browser where you may have had set the printer scale separately.
Hope this helps.
Great tutorial. I’m making another shorts with different fabric for pockets. Thank you!
I made pair of these shorts for my daughter last summer. She loves them! Now they are too small, but she’s trying to wear them anyways. Do you plan on releasing the pattern in a bigger size?
Hi Jessica, I sewed a few more bigger shorts for my daughter late last year. Will try to share the pattern soon.
Just finished a pair for my daughter. They turned out great. I had a bit of a learning curve as I’m a beginner but they worked out in the end. The next pair won’t take quite as long…hopefully.
Thanks for the free pattern and tutorial. I’m learning a lot.
Yes, the next pair will be a lot faster. Thank you for the feedback, Theora.
Thanks so much for this pattern I have made them for my girls for Christmas. I assumed they were small by looking at the pattern. The 7 year old size looks perfect for my 4 year old. Just about to cut out the pattern for my 2 year old. I may upsize it a little. But great tutorial I have always been afraid of sewing pockets, never again all shorts will have pockets now thank you.
I remember back when I was about 12, I spent one hot summer holiday with my cousin making many, many pairs of shorts.
Now at 45, I’m going to make them for my 7yo and 4yo!
Thanks for the free pattern. I made a pocketless version of it for my 7yo girl. It generally worked well, except that it was too small! Can I suggest you change it to 6yo? My 7yo is average height and build for her age.
I did rescue it by unpicking the side seams and putting in some panels. Finished this morning and she’s worn them to school today 🙂
Hi Katharine,
What a great memory you have 🙂 Sorry that it is too small for your kids, it works well for Asian size because we are in smaller build, LOL. I will put a remark on the tutorial that the sizing is for Asian build. Thanks for suggesting.
Such a great tutorial and just what I was looking for to make my three year old some shorts for this unusually hot British summer … off to buy fabric now :0)
Thank you for this fabby tutorial. I’ve made 2 lovely pairs of shorts for my little girl, the ones in the shops are way too short! So generous of you to share your talent with everyone. 🙂 x
Can we use this same Pattern for boys?
Yes you can, Mrs S, it is a unisex pattern.
This was a fantastic and reasonably easy pattern, absolutely loved it
Thank you so much for the tutorial. Very easy to follow. Made my first pair of shorts from this pattern and tutorial. They turned out better than I ever imagined they would!
Hello! I love this pattern: super easy and super cool.
I used it twice: one without pockets to make a pajama shorts (http://oqueeutenhofeito.blogspot.pt/2014/03/pijama-de-verao-summer-pajama.html) and one with pockets for Kid’s clothes week (http://oqueeutenhofeito.blogspot.pt/2014/04/kcw-kids-clothes-week-dia-3-day-3.html).
Thank you for sharing the pattern. Unfortunately it comes in a few sizes 🙂
Thanks, Fernanda, I love your shorts!!!!
Yes, it is only in a few sizes, but…. I will make bigger sizes as my kids grow up!
Hi Joanne, first of all, thanks for this wonderful pattern! I have been looking for a girl’s shorts pattern for a while. I made a pair of shorts for my girl and she loves it but she has outgrown it. I was wondering how do you increase the pattern one size bigger? Thanks!
I do not have a proper tutorial on size grading. I used my mom old fashion method that I think it’s hard to present. A google search with “shorts pattern grading” keyword should give you some links to find the solution.
Hope this help.
Hi, great tutorial! I need one for me, but I am beginner, can you help me how to enlarge the pattern for size 12? Please! I really need them 🙂 Thank you very very much!
Hi Caroline, sorry for the late reply here but I have replied your another comment on the tie hem girl shorts tutorial.
hello,
looking forward to making this pattern. The only problem that I have with it is now that I have printed it off and sellotaped it all together I have no way of knowing if it is the right scale. I first of all printed it at 100% which looks quite small so was wondering if I now need to make it bigger? It could be helpful if on the pattern you had a 1″ scale or some such guide. Hopefully you can advise me soon as want to cut them out for my grandson.
very many thanks to you for this pattern
Marian
Hi Marian, good question. I should have put a 1″ marking for you to measure to confirm that you are printing off 100%. If you are using “letter” size paper and print on 100% (no-scaling), you will see a border just about 1/4″ away from the edge.
Hope this help.
I enjoy sewing for my kids. Very useful tutorial. I had been looking for a shorts pattern long time ago, yours it’s great, thank you so much. Congratulations
I make items for charity and recycled a pair of curtains to make these shorts; its the easiest pattern I’ve every used. Thankyou
I love this website! So glad I found it. I will gather supplies to make these shorts.
Thank you for the clear step-by-step tutorial 🙂 very helpful for a beginner. I will actually try them first in miniature form for my doll 😛
Thank you so much for this pattern, I have almost finished these shorts for my soon to be seven y/o daughter. Just have to sew the elastic together. I made them from hot pink fabric with white pin dots.
Spent the previous weekend hunting down shorts in the shops with no luck then googled girls shorts and found your site. They are EXACTLY what I was looking for. Many thanks.
That’s lovely. Sandy, I love to know that you have found it here, thank you 🙂
The elastic band in the waistband – is it 1″ or what size? Thanks!!
I used 1″.
This is a terrific pattern! I just need to figure out how to enlarge it somehow for my 6 year-old granddaughter who is true to her Northern European heritage and perhaps 3 sizes larger than this!!
But the pattern is great for adding workmanship touches that make for a very well-made garment. I’m very proud of my result & will see if these will fit the 4 year-old little boy next door! lol
Thank you!
I love your comment, Yamahamama 🙂 Thanks!
Cute shorts!
I featured them here
http://sewprettysewfree.blogspot.com/2012/06/shorts-with-pockets.html
how can I add a pic here took one of my grand daughter wearing the shorts to show they came out so cute
Just wanted to say thanks for the pattern:) I just finished making 1 for each of my 2 Grand daughter’s. Needed smaller patterns than what you had so I printed yours and reduced them by 10% to make size 5T and 18 month, perfect for those sizes, I also changed the bottom by adding a 2 inch gathered ruffle with a rolled hem, I did not reduce any length.
Also wanted to let others know what a quick easy sew this was. I mainly used my serger. Plan on making more this pattern was so quick, next time I will use more of stitch colors and design stitches. I have the time now!!!! Thank you
Wow, amazing, Michele!!!! Using serger sounds interesting… I will try when I am on sewing clothes again. I have some T-shirt fabrics laying in my craft room and wanted to make some shorts again… hopefully soon 🙂
Is it possible to show us some photos when you have taken with your grand-daughters wearing them?
Hi! I am so excited to try this. I have 3 girls that will adore these shorts. Is there a specified seam allowance? I have tried to find it written in the pattern but seem to be missing it. Thanks,
Kat
The seam allowance is included in the pdf pattern, it is about 1 cm or about 3/8″.
Happy sewing, Kat!
ha ha, figured it out. sorry. i made a pair for my daughter and they are adorable!!!!! thanks so much for the pattern. picture it- black fabric with cherries on it, trimmed it with bright red ribbon at the bottom hem. So cute!
Wow…. I am imagining a lovely sweety cherries shorts. Please share some photos with us, in facebook page if you have facebook account, or email me via the contact form above.
Has anyone else had a problem with this tutorial? I admit I am not an expert seamstress but the first section should be putting the pocket RIGHT sides together. And unless I missed it you never specified the seam allowance.
I do appreciate the free tutorial but I think it may need a few tweaks!
You are right, Maggie. I typed it wrongly, should be right side. I have corrected the typo. Sorry for the confusion!
Thanks for reading through the tutorial and pointing out the incorrect instructions.
hi,
this is a great tutotial! where can i get knitted rib fabric here in malaysia?
Hi Rozy, not easy to find it here. Try your luck on some old craft stores around you and ask them, otherwise, salvage from a of polo-shirts collar.
I stumbled upon it by chance, it is a left over stock from a craft store I have been buying since some 30 years ago.
If you are in Penang, I can tell you the exact store I bought from, but I am not sure if they still have any left.
No soy muy buena con la costura pero excelente tutorial voy a intentar hacerlo.
Muchas gracias.
Besos
Translation (by Google):
I’m not very good at sewing but excellent tutorial I will try.
Thank you very much.
kisses
Hi Doris, hope to hear back from you soon about this shorts. I love to know how you find this tutorial and pattern as a beginner in sewing.