Thursday, June 27, 2013

Burda Style 7195 Pleat Front Shorts



I stepped outside to do my photo shoot a little after 7 this morning - and you can see I was instantly laughing. The humidity was a whopping 93%! My carefully (kinda sorta) styled hair went bing bing into its naturally frizzy curly state immediately. And I felt like I was going to melt...

I had picked out several tops to style these cute shorts, but changed my mind really fast in favor of snapping shots quickly. Best news - no mosquitoes so far this year. I am really lucky, other parts of the county nearer the shore are having a terrible time.



I first saw this Burda Style pattern on Mimi G.'s blog. She's sewn the peplum front pants several times, they look great on her. When I looked on Pattern Review, I found Mimi's review and only one review of the shorts! And that's it - a web search came up with no other shorts versions. But what a nice pattern. I really like wide leg pants and shorts, so gave this a go.

Given the pattern dimensions, I decided to sew a size 12, instead of my usual 14. My original version was true to the pattern, with two exceptions:
  • I left off the ties. They are just a bit too much for me. 
  • And I also opted out of the cuffs. They never stay rolled! and I do not want to fuss with them. My shorts have an 18 1/2" outseam.

The front styling is so interesting. The side seam is a couple inches forward and has deep in-seam pockets. The inverted pleat on each side is echoed in the wide waistband.


The back waistband has 3 rows of 1/2" elastic that bracket the flat front. Even though this is a wide leg pant, the gathers at the waist are not outrageous and would look nice with a tucked-in shirt.


Overall, very good-looking. But I didn't care for the front waistband. For one thing, I'll be wearing all my tops out and over my shorts, and the band pleats are a bit pokey. And for another, without any gathers, darts, or ease in the front, the shorts seemed to pull up at the crotch. Out with the seam ripper, off with the waistband. I attached a simple 1 1/4" wide band with 1" elastic. Very comfy, perfect solution.


My fabric is a 100% corded cotton from Fashion Fabrics Club. It is so soft, I'm glad I have four more yards. Maybe I'll do long pants in this same fabric and pattern. My top is a self-drafted tee, using a cotton jersey tribal print from Girl Charlee. And what summer shorts outfit would be complete without drugstore zoris :-)

My hands in my pockets pulled the back view, the shorts actually fit nicely in back...


Love my newest shorts.

Ms. Squirrel came out for breakfast. The guava tree is full of fruit, she is so fat and happy.



Hope everyone has a nice weekend. Ciao! Coco

15 comments:

  1. your shorts look good and the squirrel fat - I find the abundance of squirrels we have annoying as they eat all the fat balls I put out for the birds.

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    1. I can understand your squirrel situation. I can't feed my birds, as anything resembling a seed germinates the instant it touches the ground - tropical Florida. I would have a forest! So I give them fresh water every day. My squirrel, birds, a green chameleon, and lots of lizards all share the birdbaths in a friendly way. Guess they're used to one another by now. The other thing I do is spray water into the trees when I fill the basins - the butterflies really appreciate a cool sip.

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  2. That waistband is impressive. As always you wear anything with finesse!

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    1. Thanks so much, Heather! The waistband was tricky - had to do it twice before I got the pleats and seams to match up, band to shorts, while still having it fit. Nothing like a good seam ripper - I use one from Clover, the one with the fat white handle, love it.

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  3. Another great looking pair of shorts.

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  4. I laughed when you described your hair fiasco...my hair is super flat and straight lately. It is dry where I live. dry dry dry. As in use vaseline for hand lotion dry. I love the shorts and am interested in your solution to the waistband. It looks great. Both you and the squirrel look happy :-)

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    1. Even my hair will lose curl in dry climes. oooo - dry skin, I use vaseline here, I cannot imagine what would happen to me in your neighborhood! The waistband is just a 3.5" strip cut to size and sewn together to make a circle, folded in half and attached to the top of the shorts. Overlocked the edges together, pressed the seam down, and topstitched on the outside close to the seam. Inserted 1" knit elastic thru the seam that joined the waistband end to end, then hand-stitched it closed. I do this all the time, rather than leave a space in the casing seam. Nicer finish :-)

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  5. Those shorts look nice on you and I love the Tee!

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    1. Thanks, Judi. The tee is so comfy and useful! And I can 'whip it up' ... almost :-)

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I love it that you came by...and thank you for your comments! Coco