Who Copied Who? Shorts Like J. Crew

Pattern: Sewaholic Thurlow Shorts
Fabric: Joel Dewberry - Modern Meadow Herringbone in Pond

Hi readers! Back when I first started sewing, one of the very first fabrics I ordered online was this fun herringbone print in "pond" (which is still available from fabric.com).  I loved the pattern and the color, but once I got it, I had no idea what to do with it!  Fast forward a few years and I decided it would be a really fun pair of shorts, and I had the perfect pattern to make them.

My hubs wasn't convinced, but I could see it! A perfect pair of shorts, with a plain tee and keds - it could be the perfect summer staple :) So I started on them, and everything was going great! I loved how easily the instructions were to follow, and I also used Lauren of Lladybird's Thurlow Sewalong quite a bit. It wasn't until I got to the welt pockets that I had a problem - I was debating how to use the weird print - do I try to match them, or cut them perpendicular - so I googled "herringbone striped shorts" and you would not believe my surprise when the following image came up:

J. Crew 3" Chino Short in Herringbone Stripe

THOSE ARE MY SHORTS! I mean not really, since they were just two flapping pieces of fabric at the moment, but seriously! They are almost the identical color and print, and the exact shorts design I was going for - chic and simple with welt pockets. I mean, how crazy! You can bet that I immediately felt more confident in my project, being as J. Crew is very fashionable and preppy chic, and justified my idea to the doubtful hubs, who was equally surprised - who has good taste now? Haha.

Since J. Crew obviously read my mind and copied my idea for shorts, I decided to copy their idea and pair them with a sheer black and white top for some pics, and I rather like the look :) I can definitely see this with several variations throughout the summer!

*Please excuse the sitting-on-train wrinkles :)

As for the welt pockets, I didn't get much help from the model's picture, so I went ahead and did my own thing, cutting the welt pockets to make a diagonal arrow, of sorts:

I was surprised with how well it was going making these welt pockets, as it was my first time, when I realized that I had done this several times before, just on a much smaller scale.... as bound buttonholes! (1940's dress, I thank you!)  That's right - welt pockets are giant bound buttonholes - for some reason I find this incredibly cool!

As for the rest of the construction, everything was pretty painless, except figuring out what to do with the front fly extension - do I sew it to something? Do I not? It was an ongoing guessing game - lol.  However, it's amazing how much motivation you have when you know your finished product is going to be something you like (or at least close enough!)

Front View

Side View

So here are the specs:

Pattern: Sewaholic Thurlow Shorts

Fabric: Cotton (probably for quilting... lol)

Size: Straight 10 - next time I might go with a size 8 at waist, graded to 10 at hips

Alterations: Only the center back seam, which is designed to be taken in or out as much as needed

Design Changes:
- No cuff
- No belt loops
- Added grosgrain ribbon trim to front pockets

And in case you're curious, here are a few detail shots:

Inside out, front fly/zipper/button/hook/etc

Grosgrain ribbon trim on front pockets

Happy Shorts!

So there you have it - I can say that they have endured a day of city walking, train riding, and ice cream eating - love these shorts! And can I also say that these have fulfilled my SEWING DARE from Gillian at Crafting a Rainbow:

"Sally from The Quirky Peach is going to use stash fabric to make one of the new indie patterns she bought recently!" I don't know what would be more stash than the first fabric I ever bought! Lol. And by "recently", she is referring to this post from January, and I'm slightly embarrassed it's taken this long.  I couldn't be happier with the results though! Already have my second pair planned...

So what about you? Have you ever seen a copy of something you've handmade in RTW? Are you doing a sewing dare? Do you like to eat ice cream in the summer? :)