Culottes and Shorts Refashion...

A few years ago, my daughter and I both bought the same pants on sale. From memory, they were only $10. They are 100% cotton and loose fitting, so they are the perfect Summer cover up for my fair skin. They are not particularly flattering because they are so baggy, but this makes them cool and SO comfortable. (Cool as in not hot, as opposed to cool being trendy.)

When the kids were little, we won an all expenses paid holiday to beautiful Port Douglas. It was a fabulous holiday, visiting both the Great Barrier Reef and the Daintree Rainforest We always vowed we would visit again, and three years ago we did. A week in the sun meant protecting my skin and my pants bought on sale were worn a lot.

I still have my pants, but my daughter decided she no longer wanted hers. As you can see, there's a lot of fabric in those pants.

I knew I'd easily be able to make a pair of boy's shorts from the bottom of the legs.

I simply used the bottom of the legs as fabric. Once again, I've used the Mud Puddle Splashers pattern, from Fishsticks Designs. I love this pattern, which is so quick and easy to make.

That left me with the shirred waist and legs to about the knees. Considering the old pants were for an adult,  the shirred waist seemed quite small. Shirring stretches a long way, which is why it is often used on pants that are one size fits all. When I compared the shirred waist, to the waist on the new shorts, it looked like the old adult's pants would fit a child. 

Sure enough, they did fit. This was the easiest refashion. Cut the legs to the right length, use bias binding as a hem for the legs, add a bow and a pair of culottes was finished.

The brown fabric by itself is just right for boy's shorts, but I felt it needed something else for a girl. I found the pink polka dot, store bought bias in my stash. I'm quite surprised at how much this little addition has lifted the brown.

So far I'm keeping my pants, but maybe at some time in the future they'll become a pair of shorts and culottes the same as my daughter's pants have...

I'm adding these culottes and shorts to our ONGOING Pants, Shorts, Trousers for Children Link Party.

... Pam