I bought the Pattern Emporium Just Peachy Stretch Shorts pattern last winter and finally got around to making myself a pair of shorts out of leftover grey cotton-lycra fabric from my stash (that I previously used to make Urban tapered pants). They come with elastic or yoga waistbands with are fairly similar to the PE Walk Boldly and Urban pants respectively with the same back darts and hip shape. The main differences are that they are (obviously) shorter than pants and the shorts have a taller yoga waistband and a straight inseam while the pants have a curved inseam.

I made my usual size AU10 with a size AU8 waistband. I made the mid rise with a yoga waistband, stitched front pockets, and length 3, which has about a 6-inch inseam. I have learned from my past experience with PE pants that because I’m short, the mid rise ends up being a high-rise fit on me, especially with a yoga waistband added. I followed the pattern pretty much as-is except for lengthening the pocket bags and adding half-inch elastic to the fold in the yoga waistband. I used a zigzag on my sewing machine for the pocket stitching and to sew down the 5/8-inch hem (fused in place with seam tape first).

I struggled a bit stretch the size 8 waistband to fit the size 10 shorts smoothly and in the end it puckers a little bit more than I would like. I probably should have made wider darts in the back or graded the waistband or switched to a contour waistband like I’ve used on some of the pants.

I love the way the pockets are finished with a binding. It’s a really nice finishing touch and the instructions were easy to follow (the instruction said to make the binding longer than needed and cut off the ends after it was sewn, and that worked really well).

The shorts are super comfy and I will probably wear them for casual wear and sleeping. Even with added elastic, the waistband is not as firm as I would like due to the fabric I used not having great recovery. I probably should have added a power mesh or athletic knit layer for a firmer feel. It is not actually too lose, it is just a feeling thing, especially when I load the pockets.

I don’t actually wear shorts very much outside my house (except for bike shorts and soccer shorts) so I don’t really need a large collection of shorts, but when I need more, I will use this pattern again. It would work well for both casual as well as dressy shorts (perhaps made out of ponte, scuba, scuba suede, stretch velour, etc.).