Shorts

More recently than the skirts I talked about before, we made (almost) matching shorts. This seemingly small project turned into quite a major effort, but it was definitely worth it! They are so cool:

So here's the story...: I had been lusting after Jack Wills' PJ shorts for ages and ages, but rather than spend way too much money (on something that doesn't seem to require much material!) I resolved to make my own.

Next came the Ikea trip (which, if you haven't already discovered, has awesome fabrics), where I discovered lovely navy blue heavy cotton curtain material with big white outlined checks.
Then my dear friend showed up at my door (and proceeded to stay for days on end, which was a nice surprise!) and announced that she wanted a pair of shorts too. So we went for it, armed with large amounts of old newspaper pages and lots of sticky tape (and a tiny bit of help from a 70s pattern for mens' pyjama trousers that we found stashed away).

We made up a pair in old white curtain lining first - really wish I had a picture of us actually wearing them...rather amusing - but this will have to suffice:

They look gigantic - but really, once there's a bit of ribbon threaded in the top and tied in a pretty bow at the front they're lovely! I think we made the legs a bit less wide than these as well, but quite long - so that they could be rolled up into turn-ups.

Ok, I'm pretty rubbish at explaining things in words - so I drew a rather primitive-looking diagram to try and show you how to make them!

Where it says the back has to be higher...I think that was just me...because of my exceptionally rubbishly-endowed behind...! It's actually probably the other way round for the majority but changing the diagram would take so long. So ignore if you're lucky enough to have more! Just play around with the template.

Put right sides together and do following:

Ok, next is quite complicated...and Really Hard to explain! Look at the shorts face on; the middle bit that is sewn together at the top (from where you went down the front seam) - make that flat (like all in a long line) and do the same to the back, and pin them together and sew down there. By doing that all the 4 bits will come together to make the crotch of the shorts. I hope that was vaguely understandable! If not, just leave a comment telling me to sharpen up my act...

So then its quite simple, fold over the top, leaving a gap where you'll feed in the ribbon (sew up by hand later). Make holes where the ribbon will come out at the front too, a bit like you would do buttonholes (i.e. stitch round them so they're not just fraying ends of material!). Then do turn-ups if you want - I'm sure those are possible to figure out! Secure them by sewing up each side of them (in centre and at sides).

And "ta-daah" you will own a lovely pair of pyjama shorts!!!

Flik

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Bit of an intro!

Well here goes, I am officially losing my blog virginity! Thought I'd start with a little intro... I'm Felicity (Flik), the brunette one in the photos, and the very clever gorgeous-layout-creating one is my best friend Harriet (Bunni).

So! The driving force behind all this blogging thing (new to me, but not to the likes of Little Miss "I'm-a-computer-boff!") came from our long and somewhat obsessive search for a website or blog full of dressmaking ideas, "how-to's" and general arty inspiration. So far, the perfect one hasn't been uncovered, but we shall notify in due course of the lovely ones that have caught our eye along the way.

But back to us... I can't really think when we got into making our own clothes; it's only really become a major obsession in the past couple of years, but it's probably been brewing for some time!

The first thing I can remember making together was a canary-yellow circle skirt (for her) and a black A-line one (for me) - [I think I just summed us up by describing those first two things! She's a tiny bit off-the-wall but ever so lovable, and me, well I'm just not as daring!]

I think the first things we have pictures of, though, are matching polka-dot circle skirts with black netting (made with Frances, a mutual high school friend, several summers ago, 4..maybe 5).

Since then, I'd like to think our sewing prowess has greatly improved, and we're a little more ambitious to say the least!

Recently, we spent several happy days in a very remote but gorgeous part of Cornwall - not that we saw much of the outside world as the majority of time was spent hunched over hoards of fabric and noisy sewing machines! But on the very last day of my stay there, we ventured down to the cliffs at Kynance Cove and Lanty (Harriet's younger brother) took millions of lovely artsy photos of us being seriously posy! Mainly because we were so incredibly proud of the stuff we'd made! All the nicest photos are in the Flickr box top left, but we'll try and work our way through them and others, explaining what we did and how to reproduce it (with any luck!). So this wonderful lot makes up the first "H&F collection" (we even have gorgeous little labels!! look look....)




Hopefully we will try to keep updating this regularly - but please excuse us if large numbers of days go past sometimes - we're probably either at work or glued to our respective sewing machines!


Flik

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