Muslin or not??? I think I learned the answer to that question! (Greenstyle Taylor)

Hi!  So yesterday I said I was off to do a selfish sew...the Greenstyle Taylor Shorts. They are adorable, let me tell you, but yesterday was NOT my day.  I cut my $15 a yd linen that I had been saving for the perfect shorts...these are the perfect shorts, it just turned out to not be the perfect day for me.

Before I go any further, I'm just going to show you, they were not a failure, I salvaged them but they aren't perfect, if any of you sew very much you know that we all just have those days where nothing works. Most of the time I found the best solution for that is to leave it alone, BUT, I always just want it done so I never do stop...BAD ME!  My first mistake wasn't even made yesterday, I cut these shorts a week ago and it very clearly states that you cut 4 different pocket pieces 2 of one size, 2 of the other.  But I have 3 kids, they were bouncing all over and somehow the difference in the size of my pockets was maybe an inch...I mis-cut like CRAZY.  At first these shorts were sailing along...I even installed my very first zipper, the fly could've been a little wider, but that was from me not sewing close enough, I will pay more attention to that next time.  All in all though, I was proud of the zipper giving me no trouble! Then I got the pockets sewn on, I noticed that in the pattern photos there was a full front and I still had a missing triangle on each side...I thought that maybe they inserted pictures from later on.  And this leads me to a MAJOR mistake all in all.  

I test a lot of patterns, and those patterns I read through before I sew, I'm not testing this, I bought the finished product and it's a good one but I didn't read it first.  There were a lot of things I was unfamiliar with, reading through it would've kept me from having the pocket dilemma I think. If it's not something you practice, most especially if it's something totally new to you, I would suggest from this experience, that you should give it a try!

I ran for help online...a general sewing group on FB was my first stop because I wasn't in the Greenstyle group, I would also highly suggest getting yourself added to the specific pattern group before you get started sewing as well as I got no immediate help in the general group, had I already been in the Greestyle group though I'm pretty sure I would have found some help pretty quickly. I sat down at the computer though so I could look things over on a bigger screen and when I checked out THAT pattern piece I found my mistake.  At this point, I cut new pieces to fill the gap and kept on because I didn't have enough fabric to recut 2 new pockets.  

I had, before I started, taken my measurements and was at the high end of an 8, I considered making a 10, but decided to keep with the 8.  Before adding the waist band it was suggested that you try the shorts on...those guys were huge.  By this point I had been added into the Greenstyle group so I posted a pic with my fat tummy hanging out to show all that I needed help...immediate answers.  I ended up taking the shorts in over 2 inches to get a good fit...did my pocket fix mess me up...is my printer wrong..those answers I will find out in a bit and share with you sometime soon with my NEW pair.

They really aren't bad...photography is...but it's the wrong time of day and my 8 year old took the pictures, lol!  I'm still wearing them proudly, out of my house too.  But I'm not sure what happened to the waist band...at this point I was so flustered over the other boo-boos and the kids were bugging every 5 minutes to go swimming that the instructions were starting to blur a little bit to me, but stubborn me kept on with it.  Somehow I did something upside down and had to stitch the top of the band closed and that was not supposed to have happened. The sewing machine...button holes...not my friends yesterday either.  The request has been placed for a new one so I hope it happens soon.

And there's the booty shot!  Quiet a big one to cover up and these shorts do so very comfortably. I think they are actually pretty flattering.  They fit so much better then store bought, I'm not running around pulling them down because they jacked up between my thunder thighs and I just love them!  The lumpy thing there at the pleat was just my shirt or something bunched up...the back worked perfectly! 

But back to my title...should I have cut the best fabric on my first go...NO...maybe not trash fabric, I don't have any of that...I still have a hard time wrapping my head around wasting ANY fabric, if I have it, I love it, but I definitely should have  used some cheaper something that I wouldn't have felt so bad about messing up. But still if I don't go running around telling that I messed up no will know!   

I love love love love love love...should I say it again LOVE these shorts and I think I'm about to go and give it another try!!! Wish me luck this time...I may need it.

Momma Duck is gonna do some Momma sewing again!

By the way,Greenstyle Taylor Shorts have a pleated front option as well, I just chose to use the flat and there are 3 different inseams.  I think mine fall somewhere between the 2" and the 5"...8" is the other included length.  I have a hard time finding shorts to buy anyway.  2 inch inseams are too short because that part of my body is on the larger side and the 5 inch seemed a little bit long to me, making these on my own gave me an easy fix...hem them where ever I wanted, I haven't measured, but I would guesstimante that it's about 4".

Thanks for spending a little time with today, I wish you all well in your sewing adventures. and go check these shorts out, you won't regret it.

UPDATE

July 24th, 2014

Take 2, I just made these pretties for the second time and I thought they warranted their own post, go check it out!  And as far as my mistakes on this pair, I think with help from the ladies in the Greenstyle sewing group on FB I determined that it was my pocket mistake that caused the sizing dilemma!