shorts on the line: a little gray

Alright ladies and gents, it is an honor to present winner of Project Run and Play 4, sewer of fabulous children's clothing and quilts, and all around fabulous gal: Jessica of a little gray as part of the shorts on the line sew along.  Jessica has the distinct honor of sewing what I claim to be the coolest kid's outfit ever.  Seriously, I tell everyone I can about that jacket and I can't get enough of it.  And as if that wasn't cool enough, she also just started a series called film petit with Kristin of Skirt as Top that is sure to provide endless inspiration and more that a few smiles.  Today Jessica has whipped up an adorable pair of shorts for her daughter and she's going to teach us how to make contrast bindings!

How great has Shorts on the Line been so far? There are so many good ideas, I'm just itching to make more shorts!

I've made many pairs of shorts for my 3yo Hendrix, but this was the first time I tried them for my girl Elsie. I didn't use a pattern, just grabbed a pair of Carter's shorts that fit well and traced a front and back pattern piece. If you have not tried making clothes like this before, shorts are such an easy and satisfying way to start out. In fact, this pair was the first piece of kids clothing I ever made, and I found this tutorial so helpful.

The main fabric is upcycled from a top of mine that I never wore anymore. The front was a black knit and the back was the semi-sheer floral fabric. So I cut two of each pattern piece from the front and two of each from the back, and layered the sheer fabric on top of the knit as I sewed the shorts together. 

Finally, I added a waistband facing and hem bindings in a light blue cotton from my stash. I felt like the thin sheer fabric was way too fragile and fray-prone to hem nicely, so the contrast bindings worked perfectly and really brighten up the black shorts. 

After I finished them, I realized she had nothing that would look that great with them. So I whipped this up using my Simplest Summer Top tutorial. On my 14 month old, I only needed a fat quarter of the pale pink Pearl Bracelet print by Lizzy House, plus a few inches of white for the straps. It's a sweet, matchy, and totally girly outfit- something I'm still getting used to sewing!

To make contrast bindings to hem your shorts:

1. Cut your fabric to a width of 3" times the distance around the leg hole plus an inch. (These do not need to be cut on the bias.)
2. Press it in half lengthwise, then open it up and press each long edge in again to meet the center crease. 
3. Turn your shorts inside out and open up the folds in the binding so that you can match the raw edges. Start at the inseam on the leg and fold the short end of the binding away from the shorts by a half inch. Continue pinning all the way around, right side of the binding to the wrong side of the shorts, until you meet the starting point. The other raw short edge should overlap your folded one by a half inch. 
4. Stitch all the way around, right in the pressed crease that is closest to the edge. 
5. Now flip the shorts right side out and bring the binding to the outside, refolding the original creases around the raw edge of the shorts. Top stitch on the fold. 
6. Repeat on the other leg and you are done!

Thanks for inviting me on this super fun sew along Carla, Vanessa, and Rachael!

Thanks so much for sharing, Jessica.  A super cute outfit for a super cute girl!