CLASSIC CARGO SHORTS x LIFE SEW SAVORY
This review is my honest opinion of a pattern I received free of charge as a pattern tester for Life Sew Savory.
Toddlers, man.
Babies are so easy--well, easy in that they don't have a favorite color that they insist on wearing, they don't throw tantrums about their clothes, and if you sit them in one spot to take their picture, they'll stay there. But not toddlers.
So when we went out to beautiful Asilomar Beach to photograph my tester of the Classic Cargo Shorts pattern by Life Sew Savory, I suppose I shouldn't have been surprised that Ren had no intention of cooperating. Oh yes, tantrums ensued because it was too cold, the shorts weren't jeans enough, and his shirt wasn't red with Lightning McQueen racing across the front. Yeah, we didn't get the pictures.
Driving home, irritated that my three year old couldn't throw me a bone and trying to suppress my inner dance mom, I realized that between Monterey traffic and dinner prep, it might be a while before we'll get to eat so we might as well stop and share a french fry at In-N-Out. Seeing that some french fries and ketchup was helping him perk up (when would it not?), I grabbed the camera and decided we'd do our Cargo Shorts photoshoot on the patio of In-N-Out.
So lets talk about these Classic Cargo Shorts. After sewing so much for Mars (who, to be fair, is much easier to please than my three year old with very specific, Cars themed tastes), I thought it'd be nice to test a pattern for Ren, and shorts with lots of pockets would be exactly what he needed for holding rocks for his budding collection and of course, any one of his McQueens.
These shorts feature an elastic waist and faux fly, uniquely assembled front pockets, and and additional two cargo pockets. The pattern ranges from 12months to 8Y and though its advertised for boys, I'm all about girls having pockets too and would totally make these for Mars when she's older and has treasures to store. I made this pink version in Cloud 9 organic cotton in Coral Cirrus and I love how they go with his Outsiders shirt.
I'll admit, the front pocket construction was...different. I love the option for a sneaky, fun lining that the construction method offers, however it unfortunately ends up being a lot of layers in the waistband and sewing through that thickness is not only challenging but it affects the way the elastic gathers the waistband fabric. Any thoughts on how that could be modified to reduce bulk? I do though like that the elastic is attached to the raw edge of the waistband and then folded over before top stitching which yields a more professional looking waistband and eliminates the possibility of the elastic flipping and twisting in a casing.
I don't think I've ever sewn a cargo style pocket and it actually went pretty smoothly! That automatic down needle button is my best friend. Isn't it crazy how something so simple can make such a huge different in having nice stitching? The one thing I would do differently though is maybe add some velcro to the flap closure so it doesn't fly up all the time.
These shorts did end up rather roomy on him (but that could also be my preference for more fitted baby + toddler clothing) so if I made them again I'd definitely size down. They were also on the longer end but I can't really shorten them much more because of the cargo pocket. I'm not sure this pattern would make it in to my regular sewing rotation but if I could figure out some options for the pocket/waistband bulk I think it could be a nice option for my treasure collecting kids.
