We’re seeing a resurgence of Mexican serape patterns in interiors and fashion lately, and I’ve got to say I’m into it! I came across this lovely serape printed cotton and impulsively bought a yard, not actually knowing what I was going to do with it. Risky! Considering it ran the potential of ending up untouched in my fabric stash bin, but it’s good to live on the edge once in awhile, right?
The fabric arrived and it was everything I hoped it would be: vibrantly colorful and a good print version of the real thing, so until I could figure out exactly what I wanted to do with it, I used the fabric to style various posts and instagrams.
One fine day while preparing for our Big Sur trip I came across these serape shorts on Oh Joy’s Blog and #lightbulb! Why not sew up a more casual version for summer lounging? And that’s precisely what I did. Here’s how they came together:
Materials:
- 1 yard of cotton printed serape fabric
- 1″ Non-roll elastic
- Your favorite pair lounge shorts that fit you like a dream. (We’ll use this as the pattern.)
- Sewing machine and iron
- Basic sewing materials (pins, scissors, coordinating thread)
For the Shorts:
1. Fold the serape fabric in 1/2, top-to-bottom, right side facing outward. Line up the stripes up on both layers of fabric. Then fold your shorts in 1/2 lengthwise so the front of the shorts face outward and lay them on your serape fabric. Trace around the shorts giving a 1″ border for seam allowance.
Since my original shorts (that I’m using for my pattern) has a little bit of a stretch to the fabric, and the serape fabric does not, I also need to leave extra fabric towards the top of the shorts (not including the waistline).
Once you have the outline drawn, pin both layers of serape fabric together and cut out the front pattern pieces of the shorts.
Repeat Step 1. only this time with the back side of the shorts facing outward.
2. Sew the front two pattern pieces together with a 1/2″ seam allowance, wrong sides together. I double sewed the seams for stability. Repeat with the back two pattern pieces, and label the front with an “F” and the back with a “B” to help keep track of which is which. Do this at the bottom near the inseam.
3. Open up the newly formed front and newly formed back of the shorts and match up, pin and double sew the inseam (crotch).
4. Pin and double sew the sides of the shorts together. Turn the shorts right side out.
For the Waistband: To achieve a more tailored detail, I decided to have the elastic and gathering run just along the back of the shorts.
1. Cut two 1.5″ strips roughly 1″ longer than the top of the shorts. Sew the strips together at one of the ends. Then attach the elastic to the seam as shown above. Fold the waistband strip over the elastic, completely enclosing it. Iron the crease to keep it in place. Pin and sew the waistband strip (don’t sew the elastic, it should just be encased by the fabric.
2. Pin the waistband to the shorts by matching up the raw edge of the waistband with the raw edge of the shorts. The portion of the waistband with the encased elastic should run across the back of the shorts. Sew the two pieces together leaving a 1/4″ unsewn at each end of the waistband.
3. Try your shorts on and determine the length of the elastic. Pin the elastic into place and sew right into the seam as you close up the waistband.
4. Last but not least, hem the shorts by turning the edge under and sewing. Then, turn over the seam and sew one more time to create a beautifully finished seam inside and out.
