I’m sewing up a pair of Batman shorts for my Little Dude with McCalls 7377 sewing pattern. I’m sharing all my best tips and tricks to help you sew your own kids shorts with a fun money saving twist.
Sewing Fabric
My Little Dude insists on living in shorts for about 10 months of the year – crazy boy!! At least they’re nice and quick to sew so he can have a good variety to choose from.
He’s currently obsessed with Batman and Spiderman so I treated him to some new character fat quarters.
A fat quarter isn’t really enough fabric for a pair of kids shorts, not by half. A few years ago I came up with this idea of using a premium fabric for one half of the shorts and a cheaper plain fabric for the other side. The result is a really fun harlequin effect.
I cut one front piece and one back piece from the fat quarter and the same again from cheaper fabric. In this case I’m using an old pillowcase. Then it’s simply a matter of making sure that the character front and back are on one side whilst the plain fabric pieces are on the other side of the shorts.
So for one fat quarter and some scraps of plain black cotton, I’ve got a premium looking pair of shorts that will make my Little Dude’s day.
McCalls 7377 Sewing Pattern
I picked up this McCalls 7377 sewing pattern to stash bust some woven fabrics by making dresses for my Little Miss. She’s grown out of the pattern now which is a shame as it has made her some nice summer dresses. But I’ve hung on to the pattern so I can sew some shorts for my Little Dude.
It’s sold as a beginner sewing pattern and I’m inclined to agree with that. All of the patterns are really nice and simple, quick too!
Tracing Pattern Pieces
I can never be bothered to trace the pattern pieces. I think I did it once when using one of those free patterns with twenty different patterns were printed on one sheet – I’ll never try that again!! It’s put me off pattern tracing for life.
But kids grow so the bigger sizes need to be preserved for future use and frankly I tend to grow too, lol so the same goes for my adult patterns.
I preserve the bigger sizes using a combination of a tracing wheel and carbon paper to trace the curves onto the fabric and my rotary cutter and ruler for the straight lines. I fold the pattern piece back to the appropriate size. I have to be very careful not to trim the pattern too – I have quite a few held together with sticky tape!
Stitching Hems
I like to use a twin needle to stitch my hems and waistbands. I think it looks so professional. And if I’ve got my measuring just spot on, it holds the overlocked edge in place perfectly, almost like a cover stitch machine.
I hope you have enjoyed reading about my adventures in sewing.
Follow me on your favourite social media channel for more sewing inspiration and tips.
I do hope my sewing project has inspired you to have ago at sewing your own kids shorts.
Pop this post in your Pinterest board so you can find it later.
A Little Bit About Me . . .
Thank you so much for stopping by my little corner of the interweb. I’m Bridie, mum to two small humans, full time homemaker and full time craftaholic – which totally explains why I’m always short on time!
I’ve included links to my favourite retailers for the products I’ve used to make my crafts. Click on any of the product images and links for full details. If you decide to buy any of these products I may get a small percentage of what you spend. There’s no cost to you at all.
Heart, Hearth and Crafting 