Button Down Six;The Linen One

Hello Readers. I have been sewing away at my pile of button-down shirts, and this is the last one for now. This shirt is a very heavy gray linen. It is so heavy it feels almost like denim. It is too heavy for a summer shirt.  For this project I decided to turn this shirt into shorts. The material will make a great pair of summer shorts.

I was going to use a simple pattern to make shorts with an elastic waist. Then my daughter showed me a great video about how to make shorts. 

Before we go any further, you should watch the video yourself. Here is the video with instructions.

I had to change the plan a bit because I wanted to save the bottom of the shirt as the hem of my shorts. I had to add an elastic waistband anyway. I began by cutting off the collar and the arms. I cut open the arms and attach them to the body of the shirt to give me more fabric to work with. 

I removed the buttons and placket because it was thicker than the rest of the shirt. The rest of the shirt and the sleeves are one layer. I put them all together and made one big piece of fabric. 

I folded my fabric the way Holly did in the video and used a pair of shorts as a guide. I cut out my fabric the way Holly did but I didn't leave extra at the bottom for a seam allowance because I didn't need to hem the bottom of these. I did leave extra at the top.

I sewed them together and as you can see I had to remove the buttons that used to be on the arms. They went together easily. The inside seams needed help to keep from fraying. I used a zigzag stitch to try to finish the seams. A serger would be better, but I don't have one. It's on my wish list.

I folded the top edge under and stitched it down. I left a small opening to insert some elastic I had left from a past project. It is bright blue but it will be hidden. I connected the ends of the elastic and closed the opening. 

Here are my finished shorts. This is the back view where those buttons used to be. I really like them. The elastic waist is comfortable and the linen doesn't feel heavy now that is is used as shorts. They feel light and will be cool in the summer.

I wore them to Home Depot. It's not very exciting, but it's the truth.

Thanks for reading, now go make something fun for yourself.