Pietra shorts

These shorts have been a journey to get to. This is the fourth time I’ve attempted them and the second time I’ve finished them. One of the first things I sewed was a pair of these shorts, as part of learning to sew with the course I took online. As is normal when learning something, my first attempts weren’t great and the shorts I made were too big. It took me making more pants to realize it.

When I decided to make more, I had a hard time figuring out what size to cut and got frustrated and after cutting the wrong size, stopped. I gave myself a year away from the pattern and decided to make a muslin to see if I could get a fit and that patience and work paid off, I found my fit. These are a size 8 with the side seams let out (love large seam allowances, it makes all the difference when fitting pants), a low seat adjustment, one inch off the rise, and I lengthened the elastic a touch to get it over my hips. I really loved working with this cotton, so crisp and clean looking.

a detail shot of some panels of quilting cotton with bees flying on a cream background, showing a bias bound seam over the main fabric of the interior of the shorts.
A detail of the interior facing on the Pietras, love the bees!

I took my time with these shorts, using quilting cotton for the interior front waist facing and did a bias binding in order to make it softer against the skin. I’m so glad I did that. I’m not great at bias bound seams as the stitching in the detail image shows, but it was good practice somwhere no one else will see it regularly but me. Now I can’t wait to wear them out and about, these photos were taken while sewing and immediately after finishing.

Pattern: Pietra Shorts by Closet Core Patterns
Fabric: 7oz Softened Organic Cotton in colorway Petrol from Blackbird Fabrics

A pair of dark blue cotton shorts laying on a wood floor that is shades of brown. The shorts have an elastic band on the back waist and two pockets on the sides of the front that angle down.