Brewed Together: DIY: Resizing Your Shorts by Marilyn

I recently found these shorts at Old Navy that I fell in love with because of the fun geometric pattern on them. They were also having a sale on all shorts, so that was the selling point for me. The only thing that deterred me from buying them was when I tried them on in the fitting room. These shorts have a great pattern. But when I tried them on, they were for a more curvy figure than mine. My body is pretty straight and not very curvy. So I needed to remove the curves from the legs. I decided to take the risk and make the purchase with the idea that I would take in the legs. And the shorts turned out fabulous! I couldn't be more excited about my well-fitting shorts that I can wear for the 4th of July.

Don't be afraid to buy something just because it doesn't fit. One great thing about clothing is that if there is too much material, you can always remove some of that to make it fit your body if you do everything correctly. So here's the process you will need to follow to resize your own shorts. (Photos read from left to right and top to bottom).

Step 1: Find a pair of shorts that you love but need resizing.

Step 2: Gather your materials. You will need your pair of shorts that need resizing, a pair of shorts that fit your body (you will use these as your pattern), measuring tape, fabric pins, and fabric scissors.

Steps 3-4: Pull both pairs of shorts inside out. Lay your well-fitting shorts on top of your non-well-fitting shorts so that the front pockets are on top. Measure the distance from the center seam of the shorts (the zipper seam) to the highest part of the hip on both pairs of shorts.

Steps 5-6: Pin your shorts along the measurement distance that was used on your well-fitting shorts. Pin along the curve down the hip. Repeat on the other leg. Sew down this seam, but do not sew into the belt section of the shorts at the top. Otherwise you will be left with an awkward fold in your shorts.

Step 7: Enjoy wearing your new shorts all summer long!