Sailor-Front Shorts
Stylish, mid-rise shorts featuring a distinctive sailor-front flap with decorative buttons.
When To Wear
Perfect for warm weather, these shorts offer a chic yet comfortable option for a variety of casual to smart-casual occasions:
- Summer Outings & Vacations: Ideal for beach trips, strolls in resort towns, or casual holiday wear.
- Daytime Social Events: Suitable for garden parties, brunches, or relaxed gatherings where a polished casual look is desired.
- Everyday Chic: a comfortable and fashionable choice for daily wear during warmer months, paired with simple tops or blouses.
Key Design Features
Silhouette: a mid-rise, slightly A-line silhouette that offers a comfortable yet flattering fit.
Waist: No separate waistband: the top edge is finished with shaped front and back facings that form a band, fastened with a button at the front.
Front Closure: a sailor-front flap: a U-shaped faced opening on the front buttons onto an inner panel with nine buttons.
Back: Back darts and a center back (seat) seam.
Length: Short shorts for a youthful, warm-weather look.
Hem: a clean, straight topstitched hem.
Level Of Difficulty
Intermediate. Involves detailed construction techniques including a faced sailor-front opening, waist facings and buttonholes.
Fabric Recommendations
Select lightweight fabrics that hold their shape and breathe well:
- Lightweight linen or linen-blend fabrics
Additional Supplies
- Fusible interfacing
- 10 buttons
Cutter's Must
If the patterns have a double contour, seam allowances are included. If the contour is single, seam allowances are not included. Seam allowances: all seams 1 cm; hem allowance – 3 cm. Attention! First, print out the paper patterns and lay them out on the fabric width (fabric width can be from 90 cm to 150 cm) to determine how much material you will need. When stitching pieces, pay attention to the notches - they must match!
- From main fabric:
- Front Half – 2 pieces
- Back Half – 2 pieces
- Front Facing – 4 pieces
- Back Facing – 2 pieces
- Fly Piece Facing – 1 piece
- Inner Part – 4 pieces
- From fusible interfacing:
- Front Facing – 4 pieces
- Back Facing – 2 pieces
- Fly Piece Facing – 1 piece
- Inner Part – 4 pieces
- Stay strip – 4 cm wide, 2–3 cm longer than the opening (cut by measurement)
Sewing Instructions
- Fuse interfacing to the Back Facing, Front Facing, Fly Piece Facing and Inner Part pieces.
- Mark the position of the opening on the Front Half and reinforce it with the stay strip.
- Mark and stitch the darts on the Back Half. Press the darts towards the center back.
- Serge the inseam and side seam edges and the center front and center back edges.
- Press the side edge of the Fly Piece Facing along the marked line. Serge the curved edge of the Fly Piece Facing.
- Place the Inner Part pieces together in pairs. Stitch the center front and curved edges, turn right side out and press.
- Place the pressed Fly Piece Facing along the marked opening line on the Front Half and stitch. Place the Inner Part along the opening line on the other side and stitch. Check from the wrong side: the stitching lines must be parallel and end at the same level, and the distance between them must equal the finished width of the welt formed by the Fly Piece Facing. Cut the Front Half between the stitching lines, and 1–1.5 cm from the ends of the stitching make diagonal clips into the corners. Turn the Inner Part and Fly Piece Facing through the opening to the wrong side and straighten the edges. Secure the triangles at the ends of the opening from the wrong side with a double backstitch across the base. Serge the lower edge of the Fly Piece Facing and Inner Part.
- Stitch the inseams and side seams of the shorts and press open. Stitch the center front seam and the seat seam. Sew a second line of stitching next to the seat seam.
- Stitch the side seams of the Front Facings and Back Facings and press open.
- Face the upper edge of the Front Half with the Fly Piece Facing. Topstitch along the upper and curved edges of the Fly Piece Facing 0.2 cm from the edge.
- Serge the outer edge of the inner facings. Stitch the facings to the upper edge of the Inner Part and the upper edge of the Back Half, matching the side seams. Stitch across the facing corners. Trim the allowances at the corners, turn right side out and press. Stitch the serged edge of the facing in the ditch of the attaching seam.
- Mark and work the buttonholes on the Front Half. Mark and sew the buttons on the Inner Part.
- Serge the lower edge of the shorts. Turn up and press the hem, then topstitch it. Mark and work a buttonhole on the right end of the Front Facing. Mark and sew a button on the left end of the Front Facing.
