The Fern sewalong is in full swing this month. Are you joining us? Grab your pattern and sew with us the fantastic Fern shorts!

Afternoon, an indie sewing pattern label based in Cape Town, South Africa, has recently released a new sewing pattern! Fern is a lovely vintage-inspired pair of shorts featuring turn-up cuffs, oh-so handy pockets, and a soft belt in the waist. I was lucky to be one of the girls pattern testing for Afternoon and was really happy to share with you how my Fern shorts turned out and how I love the fit (see here)!

This time, I wanted to give you a closer look at the construction of the shorts and some tips in case you want to make them in bouclé. Like I mentioned in my previous post, I decided for a blush bouclé fabric I fell in love with, which at the end meant my Fern shorts needed to be fully lined. Jenny is doing a terrific job with the sewalong (you can follow it here), so I won’t add a lot to the technical part. But I would like to give you a heads up on how to line your Fern shorts in case the fabric you picked feels better lined or if you want some extra snugness for the winter.

To line your Fern shorts, you will need a similar amount of fabric than the amount recommended in the pattern for the main fabric. Start by cutting all the fabric pieces for the main fabric, with exception of the pockets. Then cut also in the main fabric the hip yoke pocket (see picture above).

The inner pockets will be cut in the lining fabric only. You will also want to cut the back part of the shorts in the lining. For the front part there is a trick. Because the front part of the final shorts is composed both of the front part in the pattern and the hip yoke pocket, for the lining we will need to cut a combination of these. To do this, simply align the pattern piece of the front piece to the pattern piece of the hip yoke pocket along the ‘placement line’ and tape together. Then cut that ‘new’ piece in the lining fabric (2x as recommended for the front of the shorts). Now you should have all the necessary pieces to construct your Fern shorts!

I used my overlocker to finish the raw edges before starting to sew. This was a great idea since the bouclé fabric has a tendency to fray quite easily.

Follow the instructions in the pattern for the construction of the shorts. These will lead you through the sewing of the darts and placement of the pockets. If you’re lining your shorts, your inner pocket will be made of lining fabric and the hip yoke pocket out of the main fabric.

Construct the main body of the shorts as recommended in the instructions, joining both legs.

For the belt loops I used interfacing to prevent the bouclé fabric from getting destroyed when turning the loops to the right side. As you can see, my excellent choice of fabric was also approved by Aimee! ;)

After the waistband has been attached to the right side of the shorts, it is time to line them. For this, first construct your lining piece by sewing the darts, side seam and joining both legs as you have done for the shorts. Then attach the lining piece to the inner side of the waistband, right sides together. This will ensure a perfect finish of your shorts, as the inside will be the right side of your lining piece.

The final steps will be closing the side seam with the invisible zip. If you have an invisible zip foot for your machine this step will be quite simple. Attach the invisible zip to the main fabric. Turn the lining piece to the inside of your shorts and sew the waistband in place as described in the pattern instructions. Very carefully with your machine, or preferably by hand, sew lining to the zip by folding the seam allowance to the inside. Sew the belt loops in place and add your belt. Enjoy your Fern shorts! :)

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I made some few alterations to the pattern to reduce the height and accommodate for my petite frame. For my waist vs hips discrepancy in size, I used size A for the waist and size B for the hips.

This pattern is an intermediate level with clear instructions that will take no longer than a weekend to make! Let me know if you have any questions regarding the construction or the lining part, I’m always willing to help. And don’t forget to have a look at my outfit post featuring these lovely shorts. The fit is great and I really couldn’t be more pleased with them! Happy sewing!

Kisses,

Catia

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