Winter Pants become Spring/Summer Shorts Tutorial!

With a houseful of girls that play really hard, come spring, we always have a handful of pants that need to be 'SPRING-A-SIZED'!
(I'm sure most everyone has children that get holes in their knees of their pants!)
Well, here at our house, I cut them off (to extend their wear) and make them into long shorts!!

Here is a fast Tutorial for Winter Pants become Spring/Summer Shorts!




#1 -
Lay the pants on a flat surface.
Decide the length of your shorts.
Allow for the seam (folding under for your seam, usually 1 inch).
I like to fold up the bottom, so that I can cut across evenly. (1st pic of these 2)
Then cut all the way across both legs (both layers). I like to lay the first one that I cut on top of the other leg, so that the lengths are the same.


#2 -
SERGE around the bottom (where you will hem them, if you don't have a serger, ZIG-ZAG them. Because only folding up once on the seam will create less bulk).



#3 -
Pick the thread.
(I like to pick a Copper-Gold or Gold shade, just match it to the stitching on the rest of the pants. It's very handy to have these shades in your thread supply).


#4 -
Fold the SERGED or ZIG-ZAGed edge under and hem around the bottom.

And PRESTO!!
The finished product.
Time to let the kids hit the playground - Enjoy SPRING :)

To SEW or not to Sew?....

Here's how it went...and almost always goes. Our 2nd daughter, Sydnee and I go looking for the perfect Preference Dance dress. I cannot believe that she is 17 and this is her second Preference. Where did the time go? We look at a hundred dresses, only to come to the conclusion that they are either, too itchy, wrong size, would take too much altering to make it modest, she doesn't like it, wrong color and probably a few more reasons why it 'just won't work! So far with the first two daughters, we have had stories like this. I wonder if it will be like this for the rest of the 5 girls too? My guess is Yes. It's a funny thing how because I can sew, they honestly believe that I can sew ANYTHING! Did I mention how great it is to have all these daughters! They have the confidence in me that helps pull me through the rough patches that all of us mothers have. Like our four year old tells me, sometimes a few times a day, 'Mom, your Cute!'! How can you not love daughters like that! Anyways, after one disappointing shopping trip, we take another to the fabric store (JoAnns), with a few ideas on how we want the dress to look and see if we can possibly find a pattern that resembles the 'Dream of a little girl all dressed-up looking like a Princess for a night at the Ball'!
I will have the faithful help of my sewing machine, that my sweet hubby gave to me for our wedding, almost 22 years ago (It's a 'RICCAR', and has been very dependable. And it's trusty side-kick, a 'Bernina FUNLOCK' that the hubby gave me a few years after the sewing machine!) I am very grateful for these two machines that have helped make my life easier.
At last we find a pattern that has the style she is looking for (believe it or not, it is all in one pattern too, YEAH!) Now for the right Material and Color! Sydnee finds a pretty, soft mint with a lining that she will be totally comfortable in, even better:)! And to top it off, we find a headband that we can adorn with roses to complete the outfit. Mission Complete! (Well, almost, now I get to sew another 'Dream Dress'! A least I do love to sew!) Wish me luck, in making Sydnee's dream come true....
I'll post the finished product (with the PRINCESS) later! Stay tuned!