How to: Trousers (Pants) into Smart Shorts.

How to turn trousers into shorts (which is the same as turning pants into shorts!)

A friend of mine recently moved from Hamburg to London and I went to help pack up her flat. While there she showed me a pair of trousers that she said were very nice, but had sustained some damage. She didn't like to throw them away, but they didn't cut it for the move abroad.
"You're crafty" she said, "make them into shorts".

So I did!

Here's how to turn pants / trousers into shorts! Phew, with the majority of my readers visiting from the USA I've had to turn bilingual... ;)

One thing I do want to make crystal clear here is that I am talking about smart trousers / suit trousers. Not jeans. To explain how to make jeans into shorts would alienate you all (an insult to your intelligence).

How to sew shorts:

1. Choose an old tired pair of trousers that fit good, but you are sick of the sight of. Alternatively, take a good look at that beloved pair of trousers that are getting a bit saggy around the knees, but that you can't bear to chuck out.

2. Decide how long (or shorty short) they should be. Try them on and mark the cut off point (with a pen or a pin).

3. Lay them out on a table or ironing board. If they are trousers with a crease down the front, lay them down folded at the crease as if you are going to iron them (like in the picture). Make sure everything is lined up perfectly.

4. Cut the legs off at the point where previously marked. Scary, that's the point of no return... oh well, onwards and upwards...

5. Get out the iron. Turn the trousers inside out and turn the cut edges up about 1cm (1/2"). Iron them up.

6. Turn the edges up once more, about the same distance and press again. Then pin them in position.

 

7. Hand stitch the hem using a blind hem stitch. Click for a video tutorial of how to do a blind hem stitch. I would love to try and note how I do this stitch here on the blog, but I'm left handed so I don't think my method would be particularly helpful for the majority as I go in the opposite direction! It's really very easy and a great skill to acquire. My stitches can just be made out in black in the picture below.

8. Turn the new shorts back the right way out and press. Voila!

If you make some shorts, please let me know how it went :)

Tune in again soon to find out what I have planned for the scrap fabric from the cut off legs!

I am linking this post up to lots of creative linky parties, you can find out which ones by checking out the buttons here.  

Update:  I made the cut off ends into a lovely clutch bag :)

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