The cobbler’s son has no shoes.
The dress pattern tester’s kids have no pants.
The complexities of life!
I’m excited to report that my girls finally have not one, but multiple pairs of shorts! I always hesitate to test pant/shorts patterns because let’s just say I’ve been jaded by bad fits. I knew a Peony pair of shorts would be perfect though, and Bel, the designer, went through multiple iterations until they were spot on!
The Peony Patterns Lilac Shorts are a stylish paper-bag style short with ruffled waistband, deep functional pockets, and tie belt. They’re perfect for light-medium weight fabrics such as linen, poplin, quilting cotton, twill, denim, chambray. They’re in sizes 1-14. Your girls will want to wear these all summer long! My eldest is wearing a size 9 lengthened to size 11, and my youngest is in a size 4 lengthened to 6.
Tigerlily Tank comes as a bonus when you buy Lilac. It’s designed for knit fabrics such as cotton lycra, double brushed poly, ITY, and t-shirt knit. The armholes and neckline are finished with knit binding, and while you can complete most of this top on a serger/overlocker, you can also use a zigzag stitch on a sewing machine if you don’t have one. I made my eldest a size 6 lengthened to size 11.
Since my girls need shorts, I did end up making a few – and as such, needed to make a few different tops as well! For my youngest, I used the Peony Patterns Banksia top – I accidentally cut the 3 year length instead of 6 year length, so to rectify that, I serged on and top stitched a length of lace to the bottom, finishing the side seam with a French Seam.
Minerva sent me both the purple polkadot poplin and the white eyelet fabric. I decided to hack the Peony Patterns Juniper into a top, lengthening the bodice by 3 1/2″ and doing a 1/2″ hem. Unfortunately this one ended up too narrow for my daughter – I don’t know what the deal is… a friend suggested she might have broad shoulders, and with all the swimming she’s been doing this summer, that’s certainly a possibility. I’m considering either making a wider elastic back for it, or popping an invisible zipper into the side seam. Juniper is a size 7 lengthened to size 11.
I do love how these turned out! Be sure to grab these patterns for 30% off during the Peony Patterns’ 2nd Birthday Sale! (Ends July 9, 2022). Also be sure to join the Peony Patterns Facebook Group if you’re currently not in there! Lots more inspo and ideas!
Happy sewing!
Sewing Links
- Lemon poplin – Hobby Lobby
- Blue polkadot chambray – Hobby Lobby
- Purple polkadot poplin – Minerva
- Aqua quilting cotton – Kona
- White eyelet – Minerva
- Floral cotton lycra knit – Hobby Lobby
- White t-shirt knit – G Street Fabrics
- Lace – 7 Pine Design
- Peony Patterns Juniper
- Peony Patterns Lilac Shorts & Tigerlily Tank
- Peony Patterns Bluebell Bow (FREE)
- Peony Patterns Banksia Top/Dress
auschick sews 