shorts on the line by i heart linen

today i'm excited to introduce Rashida from i heart linen as part of the shorts on the line sewalong! really, she needs no introduction but i'll take a moment to gush about her anyway ;) i mean, she's Rashida!! she announced recently that she'll be designing for Cloud 9 Fabrics... i'm a huge fan of washi and can't wait to see what she has in store for her next collection! and the zakka style sewalong based on her book Zakka Style (recent award winner, by the way) continues through the end of august. she's fabulously sweet and lovely and today she's here to share her Inside or Out Pocket Pants by Fishsticks Designs. thanks, Rashida!!

I was super duper happy when crafty goddess Rachael asked me to join in the 'Shorts on the Line' fun! I'm totally swamped at the moment, but I couldn't pass up a chance to make something for my littles! I had a pattern that I got at Spring Market that I have been dying to try out. This would be the perfect opportunity for me to just try the pattern already instead of adding it to my "one day I'll make this pattern" pattern pile. (Yes, I hoard patterns as well as fabric, but something tells me that, oh I dunno...I'm NOT the only one! :P)

I had the fantabulous pleasure of meeting Bonnie the rockstar designer behind Fishsticks Designs a few Markets ago and I instantly liked her. She really just has such a great spirit and you totally feel all calm and tranquil when you talk to her. Okay, maybe it's just me, but my point is she's really cool. ^_^ I saw her again at Spring Market and she gave me a couple of her patterns to try out. I've had the "The Inside or Out Pocket Pants" on my desk since I came back from the show as a gentle nudge for me to sew a pair for my boys.

This pattern is just fantastic! The one she gave me was size 6mo to 5T, but there is also a 'Big Kid' version of the pattern available. The instructions were very easy to follow and you can quickly whip up a pair of shorts (or two like I did) in a day. For this style there where 5 pattern pieces. I think this pattern would be fine for a confident beginner because you don't need to use any interfacing, zippers, or the like. All you need is about 1 1/2 yards of fabric ( I used some Michael Miller 'Toot Toot' cotton for the boy shorts and my 'Washi' for the girl version.) and 1" non roll elastic and you're good to go!

I didn't make any major modifications to the pattern for the boy version, but keep in mind the pattern is indeed for boys. Not a problem though, as I was able to shorten the pattern and add a ruffle to make girl shorts. This is a great basic base pattern for pants/shorts that can be modified in many, many ways and I'm happy to have it in my collection. I'll definitely be making more of these for my littles!

thanks again, Rashida!! how cutie-pa-tootie are those dancing littles??? and you can't possibly be the only pattern hoarder out there. just a guess, of course... i wouldn't know from experience or anything ;)