Metallic Rainbow Glitter Shorts!

Hi there, today I am so happy to share with you my latest make because I finally dared to cut into this amazing spangly fabric and I think I found the perfect pattern for it. Those that have been following me either here or on instagram will know that I have been testing skirt patterns over the last month or so in an effort to find the perfect pattern for this fabric. Well, as I was sewing my last piece, I had a crazy lightbulb moment and realised I already had the perfect pattern, tried and tested, and a perfect match; the Chataigne shorts from Deer and Doe.

Post Pregnancy Chataigne Shorts!

Ever since having Master Fox I've been desperate to get back in my pink wool Chataigne shorts by Deer and Doe. I love this pattern so much, and getting back into them meant I could justify making up another pair!

 

I made the first pair of these shorts when I was in very early pregnancy and couldn't quiet get my tiny growing bump into my regular shorts. I love wearing shorts, they are so practical, especially when you spend a lot of time sat on the floor. You can wear shorts in cooler months with tights or in the summer without, so versatile.

 

I cut these shorts out and half stitched them up about 9 months ago in some mad hope I was going to fit into them soon after, well that didn't really happen and so they have been sat under a pile of stuff on my sewing table ever since. I decided after making my Mimi blouse that I needed a nice quick make and spotted them sitting there looking sad so here they are. It turned out it wasn't such a quick sew (there is a lot of ironing in the making of this pattern!) but I'm glad they are finished just in time for the arrival of spring. 

The fabric is some black striped cotton type fabric. I'm not sure exactly what to call it, it was donated to me from my sister in law but its got a lovely sort of tailored look to it which is why I thought they would work really nicely with this pattern. It was only a small amount of fabric so it was nice to make something with some structure with it. I tried really hard to match up the stripes where I could and its not a bad attempt as far as that goes. Sadly its near impossible to to take good pictures of black clothing so I had to brave the early spring sunshine in my eyes to take these photos.

 

I did have a nice happy accent with these shorts though. When it came to sewing the waistband I realised that I had forgotten to cut one of the facing pieces. Because it had been sat on my desk for so long I've no idea if the piece got lost or whether I didn't cut it but all the fabric scraps must have gone in the bin so there was no more to be found. What could I do to fix it? Cut the facing from some lovely contrasting cotton of course! So I picked this lovely Michael Miller Anchors Away By the Sea fabric which I have had in my stash for ages. I really like this little detail now, the inside makes me smile :)

I could make a million pairs of these shorts, in fact I could pretty much use every piece of fabric in my stash on them... cherry print sateen shorts, jade sateen shorts, striped shorts, pink anchor shorts, the list goes on!

Upcycled Pure Wool Chataigne Shorts (and probably my new favourite pattern!)

This post might be a bit picture heavy, but its worth it to see my fwuffy cat come and join in the shoot!

Moving on... this pattern is a winner and definitely my new favourite. Will you get mad at me if I just keep making various versions of this for a while? Its probably going to get a bit samey right? Personally I LOVE a good pair of shorts. They are so comfortable to wear, you can sit down without worrying about anyone seeing your knickers, look good with or without tights and they are also great under short dresses to keep a bit of decency.

About the Pattern:
Pattern: Deer and Doe Chataigne (chestnut) Shorts
Size: 38
Material: Pure Wool thrifted from a charity shop skirt
Alterations: Absolutely zilch! 

 

This is my first pattern from Deer and Doe and I was a bit worried that sewing a pair of shorts might be a bit complicated, I mean you need to make seperate legs and everything, but this was actually a lot easier than I suspected. The pattern packet is pretty, the instructions are incredibly clear and the pattern was simple enough yet well drafted.

I normally don't have any fit issues when I buy off the rack shorts so I didn't make any adjustments to this pattern and they turned out perfectly. This will definitely not be my last Deer and Doe pattern purchase *runs off to drool over the other patterns...

The first time I saw this pattern on the website I knew that I wanted to make these in a pure wool. I prefer to wear a pair of shorts with tights and I thought using a wool would make a really versatile garment which I can wear right into the coldest of winter months. However, pure wool fabric is not the cheapest to get your hands on. Having never sewn with it before, or used the pattern I didn't want to spend a fortune on the material, so whilst I was recently browsing some of our local charity shops I found a very long, rather large, very pleased pink pure will skirt which cost me a mere £6. It still had the shop label in so the thing was practically brand spanking, except I assume it sat in someones wardrobe for a while. Looking at it I could tell that if I unpicked all those pleats I was going to have one quiet large piece if material to work with. This turned out perfectly and I had more than enough to make up the skirt.

 

You can still see the pleats in the front (close up anyway), but do you know what, I kind of like the little reminder of where the material came from, and I am sure after a few washes these will be out completely. Also, check out my invisible zipper below... is pretty invisible right! so pleased with how much better I am getting at inserting these things. It turns out you really won't get sucked into a black hole and the world won't end if you have to try mastering this! Its really not as bad as all that.

Do you have a favourite sewing pattern that you just return to over and over? Or one that just fits so perfectly you were really pleased with it. I would love to hear all about them. You never know, they might then become one of my, or another readers new favourite as well.