Laura’s Flint Shorts

I’m currently in full sew-jo mode.

I think most people can attest that their sewing motivation comes in peaks and troughs. Mine is currently in a high peak and I am brimming with squillions of plans that I want to make right now!

And despite the weather being grey, rainy and miserable in Manchester, shorts have been on my mind a lot. Wishful thinking maybe?

I’m seeing lots of inspiration for cute matching shorts and camp shirt sets. They look like a wonderfully easy outfit to dress up and down, and perfect for a capsule summer wardrobe to mix and match. 

I am quite particular when it comes to shorts though, I’ve been stung a lot in the past with ill-fitting RTW and changing room disasters. Along with jeans and swimsuits, I think good-fitting shorts are difficult to find.

Lucky for us, we can sew our own!

For me, I want shorts that are high-waisted, positive ease on the tummy and legs and decent bum coverage. I had a few patterns in contention, but I settled for the Megan Nielsen Flint shorts. 

I have made a couple pairs of the long pants version of this pattern and really enjoy the style on me. There are interesting design details that just elevate it from a standard pair of shorts. It is a perfect pairing with the viscose twill.

It is a great 1-metre project if you don’t mind cutting the pocket lining from another fabric. This piece is completely invisible from the outside, so I was fine using a scrap piece of plain cotton from my stash. In hindsight, I would recommend picking a fabric that is similar or lighter to your main fabric as I found that the stiffer fabric makes it stick out a smidge.

I think the construction design is really clever with this pattern. No need for zips, the shorts open at one side at the slash pocket and cross over to close with a button on the inner side of the waistband.

There are two waistband options – I went with View D with the side ties which I think add to the relaxed vibe I was going for.

There are darts in the back and release tucks in the front to achieve a good fit. There is zero ease at the waist with this pattern, so make sure that you choose your size carefully.

I absolutely love how these shorts look in this beautiful fabric. The bright pink and purple mixed with the subtle black and brown tones in this almost tribal pattern is stunning. I even managed – completely unintentionally to get a little pattern matching across the fronts and backs!

Hopefully Hayley’s got some remnant pieces of this fabric that I can pick up on her outlet store so I can make a matching shirt for the ultimate nomad vibes.