Cactus Print Gina Shorts
Hello, hello! Are you still reading? I know it's been awhile. Well over two months in fact. I swear there's a reason, there's actually quite a few. Many I can't mention now because they are "works in progress" but some I can share. (Feel free to skip my reasons and scroll down to my shorts!)
Summer is always a crazy time for me, with work and just wanting to be outside, summer is my favorite season. But working on a farm, summer is so busy- growing and picking and selling...it all leads up to fall, the busiest time of year. But this year something happened, we changed the farm schedule to be "by appointment only", in short terms I lost my job. But I didn't really "lose" it, as I was working for my parents to help them and to have a flexible schedule. For me, the farm was never supposed to be a full time thing, but with my grandparent's death and my mom needing to be away from the farm to deal with the estate, over the years I've taken on a lot of responsibility. But we are now at a point where my help isn't needed, and I get to focus on my sewing. This is a very recent change, just the past few weeks - so this isn't quite the excuse for lack of posting but I'm getting there.
Another reason this summer has been insane is because Drew and I are house hunting! We've lived in Hoboken for 4.5 years, and I am so done with this city. We've been searching for months, and lost our dream house to a much higher bidder, so the hunt has been rough. We are continuing to look, and I spend hours online looking and our weekends have been filled with open houses; it's been a learning process, and I am very ready to find a home. But that still isn't the main reason you haven't heard from me in awhile...
The real reason for not posting is because I've been in a burnout phase. There has been so much going on that my body is tired, my mind is tired, and my creativity felt dried up. I've been avoiding sewing projects, saying "no" to people because I felt like I would just mess the project up, and my health has not been the best. I'm not sick, but I just haven't been taking care of myself. I'm tired all the time, eat poorly, drink way too much caffeine, and have stopped running. Guys, it SUCKS to be in burnout. I've tried to make a few things, but it's been so hard to get my sewing mojo back. These shorts should have been done weeks ago - in reality I could have made them months ago if I had the motivation.
I'm slowly getting back to feeling like myself, and I am definitely not all the way there yet, but my mind has been buzzing with ideas and if I don't start sewing, I'm going to explode.
These shorts have quite a story of their own. Months ago liz.crafty on Instagram posted a photo of her Selene Skirt in this amazing cactus print. I immediately had a vision of cactus print shorts and had to have the fabric. I was desperately searching for it for weeks and found it internationally! I was so close to checking out until the shipping costs rolled in. I was having a hard time justifying spending the money on the fabric alone, I just couldn't spend on shipping. Slightly devastated, I sat back and continued to dream about my perfect shorts.
Some time later, I saw an Instagram post from Stonemountain and Daughter Fabrics and they had the fabric in stock! I hopped online to see if the green was still available and bought a yard and a half right on the spot. The fabric is so dreamy, yes more expensive than I usually sew with, but this was a special project. (Stonemountain is currently sold out, and I'm not sure where they are now selling this fabric but if you are looking it is called: Kokka Cactus Dobby - Green)
Next step was to find the perfect shorts pattern. There are a lot of shorts patterns on the market, but so many of them are high-waisted! Those aren't my favorite style so I've been extremely careful in my pattern search. Then came the Gina Shorts from SBCC Patterns.
The Gina Shorts are specifically made for petite bodies, have a cute cuff detail and great pockets. They looked perfect! I made a wearable muslin in a size 2, and they were a little large. I dove right into my cactus fabric, cutting a size 0 and hoped they would fit. And they fit like a dream! I have my perfect summer shorts!
My thoughts on the pattern: While I loved making this pattern, I probably wouldn't recommend it to someone who has never sewn pants before. The instructions are very straight-forward, so there is no hand holding when getting to steps like flys or buttonholes. (I always turn to my Ginger Jeans e-book for these steps). For me, the instructions were great since I've made several pants before, and the shorts became a pretty easy sewing project, but for someone just starting out, I would have references handy.
The pattern fit is perfection. I am 4'9", very petite, and everything sits where it should on a petite body. I can't speak for taller seamstresses out there, but for us short girls, these shorts are AMAAAAZING! My waistband sits on my waist, I have no gap in the back and they are the perfect length- not too long to be "mom shorts" but no where near booty shorts that I usually have to buy in ready-to-wear. I did size down based on my measurements, but I would recommend making a muslin.
What I also love about finally sewing my own shorts is how much easier fabric shopping will be. Whenever I go to buy fabric for a new pair of pants, I can add on another yard and have plenty for a pair of shorts! I won't be needing more pairs this year, but with fall starting to come through very slowly (it's still 70s and 80s in Jersey) I've gotten a few wears out of these in just the past week!
I hope I haven't run people away with my long-winded post, sometimes it's very therapeutic to share what's going on behind the blog. I do have a few big projects coming up and I hope you'll look forward to my life changes along with me!