The instructions in the Handmade magazine were great, they talked me through each step and I followed along closely (which isn't my usual style!). The only hitch came when I was finishing the inside seams of the crotch under the fly front, I got a little confused about how, why and where I had to clip the seams and how to make it look neat, but I winged it and in the end it worked out.
I used a great tip from an old Topkids magazine on how to get those perfectly rounded back pockets. I put a gathering stitch around the edge of the pocket, slipped a piece of cardboard inside then pulled the gathers around the cardboard. Then I removed the cardboard and ironed my perfectly round edges flat. I love the results from this technique and will definitely use it again.
This pattern tested my top stitching abilities, until I got smart and pulled out the double needle! So some of my top stitching is slightly (!) neater than the other.
The end result, though, is the cutest pair of fitted shorts for my 7-in8days-year old. I just hope I can keep her out of dresses long enough to make good use of them!
