i believe i may have let out an audible sewing nerd squeal when i saw dana’s tutorial for retro racer shorts show up in my blog feed last week.  this is actually the SECOND pair that i’ve sewn since her post.  the first, i accidentally printed out in portrait rather than landscape mode.  i am so trusting of dana’s patternmaking skillz, i sewed up what appeared to be a 12-18 month size (not her fault, mine)!  those have been gifted to my niece, who should fit them perfectly next summer.  and then i printed the pattern out properly and promptly made another pair in the exact same fabric for em.

the reason i was SO excited about this particular pattern is because of a blog called katie did, probably the blog that has been the most inspirational in how i sew for and dress em.  katie no longer blogs due to a creepazoid that pretended her children were theirs.  really freaky, and the main reason i decided not to say my kids’ names or show their faces on my blog.  anyway, katie made these really cute split side shorts in a tiny floral print, and when i saw them i had an immediate flashback to my childhood summers in the ’80s.  i HAD to make them.  but at the time i saw her post, i could barely sew, let alone figure out a pattern on my own.  now, i probably could, but dana did it for me!  yaaaaaay, dana!

the fabric is a liberty of london for target scarf, and the binding is vintage from my grandma’s stash (she left a bunch of her trims and notions, plus her vintage singer to me when she died, since i am the only grandchild that sews).  how great is this packaging, and on sale!  way to go, grandma!

i shortened the shorts more than a few inches (i didn’t even attach the bottom page of the kid pants pattern, then shortened them further by 5.5″ or so) to make them girlier and more retro.  em is so skinny they ended up a little baggy on her.  that’s okay, i’m calling it “growing room.”  i used dana’s flat front pants pattern, as recommended.

oh, i love them so much.  funny thing, too, is that em doesn’t wear shorts very often; she is either in a skirt or pants 99% of the time.  showing off her knobby little knees just cracks me up, and these were fabulous for climbing on the playground and racing with her cousins at the park this morning.  of course, it wouldn’t be a complete “portland” outfit without a fleece jacket.  it’s so often used, the zipper toggle came off this morning!

anyway, thanks again to dana!  have you seen her brand new beach robe pattern?  i’m buying it!