Project of the Moment - New Look 6951

About 6 years ago I bought a similar Simplicity pattern to make drawstring shorts for my husband (who was my boyfriend at the time). I never did sew those shorts for him and when we moved into our house I donated the unused sewing pattern. Agh, what was I thinking?!? I don't know why I didn't keep that pattern, I guess I figured he'd never wear a pair of shorts made by me. Pretty silly for me to think that, because he likes my work and he lives in shorts year-round.

I'm not sure what prompted me to ask him if he wanted me to make him shorts, but when I asked he said yes. After mending the wear and tear on his current shorts I decided to look for a drawstring pattern. You see, he has this habit of hanging his heavy key ring off his waistband and it pulls his shorts down and puts a lot of strain on the button and buttonhole area...so I thought a drawstring with a little elastic would be best for him.

Source: simplicity.com via Ashley on Pinterest

So after looking through all of the men's shorts patterns, I thought this had the relaxed fit he would like. Once I cut out the pattern pieces I compared them to his favorite pair of shorts and added 3" inches to the bottom of the shorts so they would fall below his knees (like basketball shorts).

When I saw the fabric I thought he'd probably like it so I bought it...little did I know it would be a nightmare to cut and sew.   That fabric unraveled and frayed all over the place!  Not to worry, I used my serger on every piece!

The pattern was simple but I didn't like the cargo pocket instructions. Maybe it's just me and I did something wrong but the flap and pocket don't look like the picture on the pattern envelope. My husband doesn't care but it bothers me because I don't know what happened there...I mean I cut it out as directed...so what gives???

I expect this pattern will be a staple in our house because my husband grabbed his finished shorts and wore them as soon as he saw them.  His only complaint is that the waist band isn't as tall as he'd like it to be, so I intend on enlarging the band the next time I make these shorts.

Funny story...while I was cutting out the shorts my husband said he liked the material (whoops!  I didn't even think to ask him what fabric he wanted for his shorts...good thing he liked it...), and that it reminded him of the new Mac OSX background....uh yeah, me too...ha ha ha...(what on Earth is he talking about???).

p.s. - Please excuse the wrinkles...

Front View

View of Side Pocket

Back View

View of Cargo Pocket

After I made these shorts I really started to think about how life must have been before ready to wear clothes.  It blows my mind to think of how much work was involved in making clothes back then and how easy we have it now!  I sure am thankful for modern technology!