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My first attempt at shorts vs my second try!
Project: FO
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The yellow shorts are adorable and look great, but I am truly fascinated by the black pair and want to hear more about them.
Thank you! The black shorts were my first try at making a garment and I had trouble following the pattern - I'm more of a "learn by watching" person. I think that instead of sewing down just the curve of the front and back, I also sewed down the crotch, making the super-wide U-shaped crotch. I got a picture of me wearing them (or at least pulling them up as far as I could in a weird straddle stance) for laughs, but since they only pull to about my mid-thigh, I didn't want to post that lol.
I think they are perfect for old-timey cowboys.
Or Sponge Bob
Or Finn from adventure time.
Oh sponge bob whyyyyyyyyy
I was thinking these needed a giant sponge bob stuffed animal to go with them!
All because I…ripped my pants
I think you mean dirty Dan.
The Yosemite Sam cut.
The shorts will make you the hootinest, tootinest, shootinest, bob-tail wildcat in the west.
My thoughts exactly.
or fans of aqueducts ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
That is exactly the error I made with my first pair of shorts about 25 years ago. I was so puzzled by the outcome at first, lol. Mine looked exactly like that.
Y’all are soul sewers
I did this when making my first pajamas for my kids, but it was the larger pair so I just made it into the smaller one. I mixed up the legs and the top part so they ended up being reversed when I sewed them together
So smart to make it work that way! Thank goodness you started with the larger pair. :-)
Same
I did the exact same thing! Now my hilariously wide skinny shorts are hung as a badge of honor in my sewing room
It shows you've come a long way ... but at the same time if you desired you could simply unstitch them and stitch them the other way and make the shorts wearable ... Personally I think I would keep them... Because you could always show your kids or grandkids Someday and tell them the story of how you began...
I could never fix them, they are too sentimental at this point! My daughter even did an “unboxing” video to showcase the mistake, they bring so much laughter to my little space
shorts? no this is Patrick
Hahahahahahahahahaha
You could always throw on a pair of leggings and recreate the photo. Bonus points if you've a pet you can put the shorts on.
Finally a pair of shorts to go on the underside of the dog as opposed to its legs. I've always seen the meme but I've never seen anyone actually put a pair of pants on a dog that covers all four legs.
I would like to see the picture LOL. But awesome post and like everyone else has said you definitely learned and grew a lot from one to two. It's nice seeing people's mess ups sometimes to remind us that not everything turns out perfect and there is a learning process!
I think that photo would be funny to see, but I too would feel too embarassed to post it.
The black pants are my fear with sewing pants. I can do whatever to a shirt but I get so confused sometimes I'm afraid to try pants. It doesn't help that I have XL legs and a smedium waist. 🙃
Tracing the pieces from a pair of shorts that I already knew fit me helped me a lot! It helped me visualize how the pieces were supposed to fit together. I think a similar approach would also work for a simple pair of pants - like pajama bottoms? 😊
Do you just trace the back and then the front or do you lay them some weird way along the same line to trace?? I tried this once before with a shirt and it went so south that I rough sketched the shirt and then took proper measurements to properly cut out a shirt pattern.
Highly recommend the “Studio Pants” by All Well Workshop (you can find on Etsy or their website) for your first pair of pants.
They walk you through every single little step imaginable, including making a toile for practice and how to make all kinds of alterations you may need for your body type, before you move on to the actual pair so you can get the fit just right. They have written directions and illustrations for every little step. One of the most comprehensive patterns I’ve ever used and made it a breeze!
The way that magically makes sense in my brain is to sew the two leg seams so you get a pair of half pants, and then turn one inside out and stick the other one into it so they line up to sew the crotch seam. Then you just turn the leg rightside out and you have pants!
It looks like a neck pillow! Maybe you could stuff.
That super-crotch is powerful. This is an intimidating pair of shorts.
I got a similar result to the black pants. Did you sew the wrong seams together. Once I unpicked it and resewed it, I got a normal looking pair of pants.
I’m sorry but I had to laugh at that first pair.
I've done this exact thing and I can't stop laughing.
For some PDF pattern companies (don't sell paper patterns,, their patterns are online and you download them and print them yourself at home), they have videos and sew alongs, and Facebook groups where you can ask questions. The videos and sew alongs are found either on their website or Facebook groups. This is often the case for their easy garment, or for trickier parts where the text just gets confusing! They often also have easy beginner's patterns for free.
Some PDF companies: Patterns for Pirates, 5 out of 4 Patterns, Chalk and Notch Patterns, George and Ginger Patterns, Laela Jayne Patterns, Love Notions Patterns, Made by Runi Patterns, Made for Mermaids Patterns, Stitch Upon a Time, Max and Meena Patterns, Pattern Niche, Ellie and Mac Patterns, Rad Patterns, and Rebecca Page Patterns.
Some of the bigger groups (Patterns for Pirates, Made for Mermaids, Stitch Upon a Time, Rad Patterns, Ellie and Mac and Rebecca Page, off the top of my head are some of the bigger ones) have got SO much info and tips on their websites and Facebook groups, I've found it helpful to join them even if I haven't bought any patterns! If you get stuck on a particular section there's always someone to help out.
Thank you for this! I've been nervous to try PDF patterns (it seems more complicated to have to put them together??) but this sounds like a good place to start 😊
I did the exact same thing the first time I made shorts! It felt wrong as I sewed the wrong seams together but just assumed it was because I was a beginner. Pulled them off the machine and realised it felt wrong because it was wrong.
If you don’t mind, could you wear different shorts and then do straddle stance with the other one on top? I gotta see what they look like
I did this exact thing with the first shorts I ever made.
You have the black ones upside down. The part you have as the crotch at the top should be the inseam. The parts you sewed separately as the legs should have been sewn together. Those separate leg holes are actually the waist opening. Your yellow shorts are the same shapes, you just got them the right way around on the yellow ones.
I think you just sewed the wrong edges for the side seams. If you take the top-panel-left-edge and sew it to the top-panel-right-edge i think it will be correct (ditto for the bottom panel).
Hopefully that makes sense? I can see it in my head, but it's hard to describe.....
Someone said 'make me a pair of SpongeBob shorts' and OP obliged.
The yellow pair is amazing, but the prototype is REALLY amazing lol
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LMAO I'm definitely going to call them that from now on
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Oh my gosh, instead of back-pants they can have bottom pants. Like god intended. Off to go sew my dog some pants now... 😁
The first garment I tried to sew was pajamas for my dog. Big mistake.
OMG. I haven't laughed this hard in days! Thank you!!!
lmao I agree!!
I've seen photoshopped thigh gaps that could wear those.
I’m only laughing because I have done that exact same thing!!!
Me too!! Except I also somehow did it upside down so the pockets were at the ankles. I call them my Clown Pants.
Even better!!
Same! The moment I realised my mistake I was so dumbfounded I couldn't find it in me to start again ahaha
It looks like you definitely stitched the crotch as the legs and vice versa. Maybe tear them apart and redo.
Agreed, and it's a pretty common mistake when making shorts/pants. A great tip is to mark the top of the shorts when you cut them out, and it'll keep everything lined up right.
Marking the top is a good idea! When I followed the video tutorial, I just tried to make my pieces look like hers, but I think marking the top will help me on my next try with paper patterns, thank you 😊
That's exactly what I was thinking. I did the exact same thing a few months ago. 😂
I think we have all done it once.
I'm not sure where I went wrong with the first pair. I was trying to follow a pattern, and it felt wrong, but I kept going with it until it became obvious that they weren't going to turn out. I think I might have sewed the crotch pieces as part of the leg instead?
The second pair I made following this tutorial - I traced the pieces out of a pair of shorts I already owned. I made these in a few hours, while I had fussed with the first pair for over a week!
I'm not sure what the name of the fabric is. The back of the label says David's Textiles - I probably got it on clearance at Walmart or JoAnns.
I think you sewing the wrong sides together to make legs. The “top” should be the hem of two legs and the “bottom” is the extra material for the elastic casing.
Omg. It look me like 45 minutes to see what you meant but I think you're right! I'm pretty sure I did both this + legs/crotch thing. I'm not going to take these apart because they make me laugh, but I'm going to try the pattern again and see if I can make sense of it now that I have a basic understanding of how shorts work.
I’ve done it before while pinning stuff together. Real wtf is going on sort of a thing.
I’m glad you’re keeping the originals. Definitely a very special garment!
I also made this mistake on my first pair of PJ pants, but they were a gift, so I ripped the seam and fixed them
sparkle friendly stupendous ghost sheet innocent steep cow liquid enjoy -- mass edited with redact.dev
I’m still a little puzzled with the first pair, but your next project might turn out even better if you start out with pressed fabric, and iron the seams and hems as you go. Sewing is the primary reason that I own an iron.
I did that with the second pair! Or, I don't think I did the seems, but I ironed the fabric itself and the hems. They do still look very wrinkly now that I'm looking for it. I don't have an ironing board so I did it on my carpet - that could be why lol. It definitely did help with the hems though 😊
You need a hard pressing surface if you want to sew a lot, and save your carpet.
It's sewed like one of those foldy fortune tellers, I think.
To understand what went wrong with the first pair, it might help if you can visualize that they both make the same shape if folded in half down the middle seams - a long J scoop and then a shorter side off the curve of the J. The proper pair has the short seam from leg to leg and the long seam from waist under crotch back up to waist. The first pair swapped those two, so it has an extra long leg to leg seam and a tiny rise.
Trying to figure it out is breaking my brain 🤔
I find the huge crotch to be extremely entertaining
That’s what she said.
don’t feel bad, i’ve accidentally used the pattern for spongebob’s squarepants too.
Nah that's Ed from Cowboy Bebop
Damn girl. That thigh gap. Body goals 🤣
Media is just full of unrealistic body standards these days
I'm sorry but I'm laughing so hard at this 🤣. BUT this is what mistakes are for; to serve as an opportunity to learn. Well done!! You could have given up but you didnt
Now this is a "first attempt" I believe. Were you sewing without a pattern, or did you sew the wrong seams together? Either way we've all been there. 😂 The yellow shorts are cute!
I was using a pattern for the black ones! Or at least trying to, lol. I sewed several wrongs seams together. I'm realizing more and more that went wrong the longer I've been reflecting on it haha. And thank you!
First attempt: Cowboy shorts
High-pitched: These shorts ain't big enough for the two of us!
I fucking love the first pair lol
Do you watch Rachel Maksy on YouTube? She did that same thing on her secret pants the first time. The yellow shorts look nicely made. 😂
The best thing about that first pair is they gave you lots of room for improvement lol. You should be very happy with that second pair too because they came out great
All that room for improvement is stored in the extra-wide crotch lol
There’s lots of room all right
I used to teach sewing and pajama pants were one of our projects. Despite the marking lesson I’m about to share, at least one out of every ten students did exactly what you did :) it’s a super common mistake.
When you cut, you have two similar pattern pieces, a front and a back. We fold the fabric so there is two layers thus giving both left and right front, and left snd right back in just two cuts.
This point is where we label!
Separate the fronts snd label them (we used post it notes, sometimes pinning) RIGHT and LEFT. Do the same with the backs.
Now, once you’ve sewn the crotch, remember you are sewing a RIGHT LEG and a LEFT LEG. Left to left, right to right ;)
What you did above was sew the back right and left together at the outside leg seam, instead of right to right and left to left.
Fill the first pair with some stuffing and you've got a homemade travel pillow!
For real though, great improvement on the second try! That yellow color is just lovely.
Exactly what I was thinking!
That fabric clearly didn't want to be shorts. It was destine for a higher calling as a neck pillow.
That is exactly what I saw, just add a top and you have a nap set!
Lmao those black shorts…perfect for micky mouse or doug the cartoon
I love the first try. I wanna see the human that fits it. Also I did similar when I first started out. I can't use patterns. I get lost : /
I did abs the other day and I’m still insanely sore. The top pair made me giggle hard enough for my abs to hurt lmao I adore them. I love seeing the goofy first tries we all have
Omg!! My first shorts were also yellow with bees on them. Twin shorts!!
Aww!! It's a great fabric choice! Yours are super cute 😊
Hahaha your first pair look like they were tailor-made for Finn on Adventure Time.
Looks like you learned a lot! Haha the yellow ones are super cute.
The 1st pair look like how a 4 y/o would draw pants, lol I love them a lot.
amazing improvement! so happy to see how far you’ve come!
Omg this is both hilarious and inspiring. Those black shorts are so funny! I'm glad you stuck with it because your second set looks amazing
Well the progress is impossible to miss, great improvement! Those yellow shorts are fantastic!
Just fill the black shorts with polyester filling and bam you have a neck pillow
Sorry, but i almost wet myself over the black pair. 😂 It reminds me strooongly of my first (and only) attempt to knit a bikini. 😂😂😂 The magic of crafting...!
The yellow pair is super cute! 👍👍👍
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i love this
Oh wow huge difference
This is so funny. Way to just go for it, I personally find I learn best that way. Don't always get great results the first time, but always learn a lot.
HORSE SHORTS lol the second ones look great!!
Thigh gap.
Right on right on👍👍👍
Your quality has definitely gone down since the first pair
I vote to make the black pair into a weird creepy stuffed animal (: Great improvement!!
Thank you for posting this, I was just scrolling through r/all before bed and now I'm audibly laughing at those wides. Now that is a thigh gap.
Seriously though making anything, especially when it's something new, is a process of mistakes and learning. Mistakes are key to becoming good at something and proof of that is the great looking shorts you made after that.
I've made lots of PJ pants and I have done the exact same mistake!
My tip to avoid it:
first stitch the outside leg seam
then stitch the inside leg seam so you have two legs that aren't connected yet.
finally sew the two legs together along the crotch seam
Those would be perfect for Finn!
The first pair look like swim shorts for slender man.
I want to see someone wearing that first pair
I love this! True story, my girlfriend and I struggled through our 8th grade sewing class and only passed based upon effort. Everything we made was wonky AF, we were voted most likely to never sew again. 40 years later, we are the most accomplished seamstresses of the class and probably the only two still sewing. OP your pic reminded me of how far I have come, wish we had taken pics of our wonky 8th grade apron and blouses. 🤣
And wait to see attempt number three. Practice makes perfect. Keep it up and you’ll be making the best shorts known to man!
yellow ones are so cute!! 💛💛💛
wow that was such amazing improvement cant wait to see my work begin to look like this!
I feel like if you reversed the stitching on the black pair it could work
Someone’s been riding horses all day
This gives me hope. I remember the first thing I tried to sew and how wonky it came out. This makes me want to pick it back up and try again
This makes me so happy to hear!! I hope you do try again! 😊
I did the same exact thing as my first attempt at a pair of shorts. I haven’t tried again yet as I’m still learning but I’ll go back to it soon.
LMAO my first pair of shorts was exactly the same
How every kid draws shorts
Oh boy, the prototype made me do a very ugly laugh! Great effort though, especially considering the difference between the first and second!
Classic cowboy pants. The yellow ones look amazing!
The black shorts have a thigh gap that monkey d luffy would be proud to wear.
That first pair is good if you only ever stand in power stances. Sends a strong message.
That first try killed me.
Really great job on the second pair though! They are so cute and well done.
Going by the picture it looks like "tried to make shorts then decided to just buy some" 😂😂
Omg the black pair has me DYING 🤣🤣 but look at how far you've come!!
Are the first pair for SpongeBob?? LOL- jokes aside though record improvement for the second pair!!
When ya buttcheeks are two miles apart
Omgggg, hilarious. I hardly ever sew, but posts like this are exactly why I follow this sub!! Congrats on the successful project.
Do the black pair need a wasteband? I love ‘em
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I don't have a specific pattern I can share, I'm sorry!! I followed this tutorial and traced a pair of shorts I got from Sam's Club. I think the only changes I made from the video were that I folded my hems up twice before seeing, and I ironed the folds where I hemmed (I think that's pressing the hems?)
The black shorts were supposed to be McCall's R10877 - which I bought because the package says it's "level 1 - learn to sew" lol
I’ve made the same exact mistake!!! Lol
You've improved wonderfully.
Those black shorts are HILARIOUS.
This is somehow the funniest thing I think I've ever seen on the internet in my life. Amazing.
This made my day, what a hilarious mistake with the first shorts. I consider them a huge success. Your second shorts are superb and the fabric is very cute. Two wins!
Haha! That first pair of shorts reminded me of the spandex shorts my mom tried to make me in the 90’s.
Thank you for posting this. It's great to see your progress and your grit in not accepting defeat. It's an important reminder we aren't going to all be great the first time.
I’m glad I’m not the only person who’s first time making shorts was the black pair! I didn’t use a pattern and I just went for it. Lol
Your second try turned out really good.
Oh my gosh, the first attempt is precious! I am so happy you didn’t give up.
I did this same exact thing.
Lmao, I want to see you wearing the first attempt
The yellow shorts are ready for mass production :D
That first one is perfectly designed for Spongebob.
The second one looks very comfortable.
First shorts: "Why, yes I do ride horseback, how can you tell?"
Horseriding shorts vs sexy beach shorts.
Which one's a better fit?
Yeah, I remember my first pair of "gloves".
Pantaloons
Them black ones belong on adventure time :)
Thank you for sharing! I just showed my mom and she said she made this mistake too!
You have to post it to r/trytryagain
Oh my goodness, I needed this laugh! We've all been there! I especially love the first pair because they look like the sewed up version of the way that a five year old would draw pants. :)
Oh man thanks 🙏 this made me lol. Good on you for not giving up!
The first pair should be pressed and framed.
That first attempt is for riding mustangs, right?
The first attempt looks like it'd be pretty cool as horse pants. The second attempt is cute but that first pair is hella memorable.
The black shorts looked at me dead in the eye and said "howdy partner"
Looks like you got SpongeBob’s measurements right.
The olde worlde cowboy stance crotch… now there’s a sewing accident I haven’t heard of in years…
(Thank you for the laughs and the memories, I did exactly the same thing the first time I tried to make shorts. Yellow ones look great!)
Omg this is hilarious bc I did the exact same thing the first like 17 times I tried to make pants/shorts! You live and you learn I guess 🤷🏽♀️
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Lmao - I thought they looked weird, but I kept fussing with them and putting different parts together, until I eventually convinced myself that once they were on, the crotch would just be like a long drop crotch or something. It didn't become completely apparent to me until I had sewed on "leg" shut that it was absolutely not going to work.
I didn't realize what I had done wrong until after I finished the second pair - I thought I cut the pieces wrong. Now I know that I cut them right, just stitched them wrong!
Those black pants are #thighgapgoals lol
Patterns are not cheating, you know.
Why would they be? I think if anything, I would have been implying that I cheated by not using a pattern lol. I couldn't follow the pattern I bought, so I tried something new, learned the basics, and now I think I can make sense of the pattern when I go back to it! Being able to follow a pattern is my main goal right now!
This thigh gap is getting unreasonable
I am proud you made the yellow pair. With a ton of respect to the will to improve, the black pair look like they were made for Patrick Star
The first is a bone apart style, the second is a Bonaparte style.
Lol well if sewing doesnt work out, you could always design bridges.
Love the yellow pair! Actually, I love both!! You could always turn your first pair into a neck pillow :)