Sew with Me ✂👖 // A Cozy Evening Sewing My First Pair of Shorts

Hello Folk of the Hollow!

So around this time last summer I made the decision that I wanted to learn to sew my own clothes. I had this romanticized idea of living in my little cottage in the woods, hunched over my sewing machine, and cobbling together an outfit that was one hundred percent unique to me. I have always loved the idea of being able to customize every little thing in my life (which is probably why I love playing the Sims lol) and ever since I was a kid I wanted to learn how to do that very thing with my wardrobe.

Well, that ended up not happening last year after all.

I think it was because we didn’t have a printer at the time (well, we did, but we never really got around to getting ink for it) or perhaps I just forgot that I was planning to do anything of the sort (thank you so much ADHD), but a year went by and I hadn’t learned how to sew a single thing for myself.

That is, not until today.

I had been sitting on this pattern for shorts since last year, and I finally decided today was the day I was going to sit down and learn to sew them!

Whenever I tried to sew in the past, I usually looked only at the skill level required and not so much if it was something I wanted to make. It wasn’t until I decided to work on this particular project that I realized I needed to find a project that was an intersection between the two: something beginner friendly that I was actually excited to work on. Luckily, these shorts were the perfect middle ground.

It was really, really hot today so it was the perfect day to work on a project indoors. I think the temperature might have been . . . somewhere in the 90s? That, plus the ungodly humidity from living not far from a pond, makes one’s skin feel sticky and unpleasant and I’m not a fan of that myself. So with the air conditioner blasting cool, forgiving air through the cottage I squirreled myself away upstairs in the library to work on my project.

I wanted a bit of ambiance while I worked—something that made me feel like a little hobbit doing her little hobbit crafts, so despite how silly it feels to do so in the summertime, I turned on the flame-light on my mantle.

Honestly, it was definitely worth that little bit of extra attention. I wanted to feel like a cozy hobbit and I definitely did. Just seeing the fake flames jumping from the light-bulb lit logs at the bottom of the faux fireplace soothed my heart in a way I can’t really describe.

I, of course, had to have my little helper with me.

Salem sat curled up in the sofa while I got everything ready, watching me with mild-to-low interest. He’s seen me try to sew before in the past, but those instances were few and far between. Mostly, I think he was just ready to settle in for his daily afternoon naps.

This hedgehog pin cushion was one of the supplies I got last year when I first intended to do a sewing project. I don’t think the butterflies came with him—those I’m pretty sure I bought separately because they were just so cute—but I’m kind of in love with them. They make him look like he’s a character in Alice in Wonderland or a Beatrix Potter story, just a little guy who waddles when he walks and is always besieged by butterflies.

It’s important to find ways to add a little whimsy in our lives. Even if it’s something as small and mundane as getting a cute pincushion and some cute sewing pins for a hobby you have no idea if you’ll be good at, it’s still something I 100% advocate for you to do. Anything that brings a smile to your face and makes your days even a little brighter.

I think I had decided to name the hedgehog pincushion Benjamin! What do you think? Does he look like a Benjamin to you?

Wednesday joined us in the library just as I was printing out the pattern. She watched the printer as if it was a monster from the deep, dark woods come to eat her. She didn’t move from her spot on my computer, but also never took her eyes off of it!

Of course we couldn’t have a cozy cottage afternoon without one of my favorite comfort movies: the 2006 Sophia Coppola Marie Antoinette, starring Kirsten Dunst!

I liked having this on in the background while I worked because it’s one I didn’t need to devote a lot of attention to. I can simply listen to it and know exactly what was going on and picture it in my head—I’ve watched this movie more than a dozen times since my sophomore year of high school (many moons ago) and I practically know it by heart.

It added a sense of whimsy to the evening that I really enjoyed. Watching that movie always feels like stepping into a decadent fantasy world, despite it being about real historical figures.

I’m not going to lie, getting the pattern put together and then cutting it out was a bit nerve wracking. I do, though, like that it kind of fit together like a puzzle, and that if I messed up cutting it I could always just take to the printer and print it out all over again. All I could think of while I was cutting the pattern out was:

Careful Spongebob,

Careful Spongebob,

CAREFUL SPONGEBOB.

Before long, I stopped for a little lunch!

I got some cheddar soup from Panera Bread and a hunk of bread to dip into it. This is my favorite thing (and pretty much the only thing) I get from Panera because the meal as a whole makes me feel like a hobbit or someone eating at a fantasy tavern. Because, come on—does a hunk of bread and a bowl of cheddar soup with diced up vegetables inside not sound like something someone would eat in a fantasy world?

Once lunch was over, it was time to get back to work.

I absolutely loved getting to use my butterfly pins for the first time. They were such a whimsical way to do this project—and I don’t think I fully appreciated just how whimsical until I got it all pinned to my cute pink gingham fabric and stood back to admire my work. I was simply pleased as punch by the whole thing!

Time to cut the fabric!

No pressure, right?

After I got everything all cut out and ready to go, I finally had to stop procrastinating and face my fears: the sewing machine.

I don’t know why I was so scared of the sewing machine—maybe it made one too many big noises at me on the wrong days, or maybe I was told at a young age to be afraid of it. Whatever the reason, I’m not going to lie, I definitely broke out in that special kind of stress sweat one gets when faced with the needle and the pedal and the hum of the thing that could—

Okay, I’m not going to go there.

My point is: I faced my fears, and I set to work sewing my shorts.

I had the directions open right next to me the whole time and I would love to say I followed them and trusted the process and that my shorts came out exactly as they were supposed to . . . except that wouldn’t be true, and what’s the point of this post at all if I lie? Truth is, I got my shorts cut out and kept thinking they looked way too big. Like, way too big. So I kept sewing down the legs until they looked to be the right size. Only to find out later that I should have just trusted the pattern from the get-go and not made any alterations, because in doing so I ended up messing up the entire thing.

They were that big for a reason, dear Folk, and boy did I find that out the hard way.

After 5 hours (I have no idea how it could have possibly taken 5 hours. It didn’t feel like 5 hours, but I suppose it must have been) this is what we ended up with! Vaguely shaped like shorts, I suppose, though perhaps if I had actually measured anything and if I hadn’t kept shaving down the sides with new seams it would have come out as intended. I’m particularly proud of those heart buttons. They don’t really have a purpose other than just looking pretty darn cute, but that’s more than enough for me!

The spot where I really messed up was the elastic waistband. I’m not sure if I didn’t understand the instructions (if this was the case, it’s absolutely not the fault of the pattern, but my own. I’m terrible at understanding and following directions even at the best of times, so this is by no means a review of the pattern itself, which is well written and incredibly easy for a beginner to understand) or if I simply need to adjust the way I do it to make it easier on myself next time, but it really went south fast. I also at one point let the elastic slip out of line and I ended up sewing directly over it, which wasn’t good.

All-in-all I’m proud of myself. I’m proud of myself for trying something new, and for sticking with it even when it started to get hard, and finishing it even when I knew it wasn’t going to be good. It was important to me that I finish it even if it was bad—I’m entering into an era where I’m trying to be kinder to myself when it comes to learning new skills. I’ve always been very hard on myself if I’m not immediately the best at something, meaning that there is a lot in my life that I have wanted to do but never did. I started to shed those ideas when I learned crochet, and then cross-stitch, and then embroidery. I may not be the best, but I don’t have to be the best to be happy.

I hope you guys liked following along on my first attempt at sewing these shorts! As unfortunate as it was that it wasn’t also a successful attempt, I’m glad I got to show you guys that something is still worth doing even if it comes out wrong. Now I have a proof of concept for this project, and I can go at it again with new knowledge. Namely:

💜 Actually measure things

💜 Trust the process, even if it seems wrong

💜 Get the right size elastic waistband

I can’t wait to try it again, and see how much I can improve!

What did you think of the shorts? Do you have any funny sewing stories to share? Are you thinking of trying out sewing for the first time? Let me know in the comments!

Until next time, bye-bye!~💜