DIY Tailored Baby Shorts

I love handmade children’s clothing!

I have a Pinterest board displaying some of my favorites. 

(Including lots of girls’ items, despite not having a little girl to sew for!)

I especially love details on kids’ clothes. Stitching, tags, pockets, even though the kid wearing the clothes doesn’t care. My sweet littlest guy needed some shorts. I had all kinds of ideas to make them extra-special, but I decided to focus on stitching with these shorts. I am sort of a “hurrier” when it comes to sewing, so I often don’t take time to make my stitches look perfect. {And these are far from perfect.} But they are totally wearable.

It's tough to get a picture of the little guy! He’s so quick!

And he's so cute! I just can't stop taking pictures of him! But onto the shorts...

First, you'll need a pattern. For a pattern, I used a pair of shorts my little guy already had. I traced them. I made the front and back pieces the same. (If you were making  a pair of pants or shorts for a bigger person, you’d have to make the front and back crotch shapes different. But for babies, it doesn’t make a big difference.) 

I cut each piece on the fold so that I didn't have to sew a side seam.

Pin the top curve together at both sides. Stitch it together but be sure to stop before you get to the crotch area. The seams you are making are the front and back middle seams. 

By the way, I used 1/2” seam allowance throughout this project.

Press the seams open.

Next, sew the leg seams together. Make sure to match up the front and back seams. Also, be sure to flatten the front and back seams as you sew. Pivot in the middle of this seam.

Since I don’t have a serger, I zig-zagged all raw edges. You’ll want to do this step now. If you have a serger, use that instead.

Just showing off more zig-zagging.

Next, I folded down the waistband about 1/2” all the way around. I pressed it into place. Then I folded it down 1” all the way around and pressed again.

Again, make sure those front and back seams are flat when you sew over them. Sew a double row of top stitching to secure the casing. I left a 1” opening so I could run the elastic later.

I did a little extra decorative stitching around the front and back seams. This held the zig-zagged seams down but also looks cute.

 

This is what the inside looks like. (This pair didn’t get the raw edges zig-zagged!)

I neglected to take pictures of the hemming process, but just fold under once, press, and then fold under again, pressing again, and then stitch the hem into place. Repeat for the other leg.

I wanted to add a tag. It will help distinguish the front and back of the shorts. I used some of this woven ribbon stuff that came wrapped around something I ordered.

I just chopped a little piece off and looped it like a tag. I stitched it into place after I ran the elastic through the casing.

Here’s a view of how the ‘tag’ looks.

 

I guess those cloth diapers make everything fit a little more snugly…he needed a little extra space in the rise.

 

I made the blue pair a little larger (added some extra rise to the waist area and casing).

I like them! Baby things are just so much fun to make. I used twill fabric for these shorts. I actually go a bunch of twill scraps for free. I was excited to find a use for some of them! 

Now my sweet little guy has some new shorts. For free!