Peppermint Magazine Spring Shorts

I’m not even sure how I should start this post. What seemed like a small idea in my head quickly snowballed into a large project. I dove into this project, thinking I could easily alter the pattern using my pant block, but after one test pair, I realized I needed to step back and start from the beginning. I tested this pattern with muslin fabric until I was satisfied with the fit. I made my final shorts out of linen purchased at JoAnn’s. The pattern I am trying is a free shorts pattern from Peppermint Magazine: https://peppermintmag.com/sewing-school/issue-27-drawstring-linen-shorts/

ORIGINAL / UNALTERED PATTERN

I made zero changes to the pattern because I needed to get a better idea about where to begin with my alterations. First thing I noticed was the placement of the waistband. I’ve lost my waistline completely because the waistband is way too high. Some people may be able to play around with low- to a high-rise on their pants, but I have this “kill zone” that exists between my belly button (natural waist) and lower down where I usually wear pants. It’s about a 3-inch region where waistbands cannot reside because one of two things ALWAYS happens. One, the waistband falls below or two gets stuck above my natural waistline and makes me look like Steve Urkle. I call this region the “kill zone” because my waistband never stays in place. I don’t often go for the higher waistline, because I have such an incredibly short front torso. By the time my waistband is above, it is now dangerously close to my boobs. Too high!! It may be annoying, but I’m pretty set with exactly where I need all waistbands to sit. Sad that I don’t get to experiment, but this is about fitting clothes to the body I have!

TEST VERSION #1

For this first test version, I lowered the waistband where it needed to go. I dropped the center front by 2″ and graded it back to center back. I did not lower the center back. Before I make any other alterations, I need the shorts to sit on my waistline correctly.