my mom gave me a pair of her old jeans to upcycle last summer into shorts. i started by cutting off most of the pant leg, then didn’t like how tight the shorts were around my thighs. to make more room, i attempted to insert a triangular panel at the side seams of the shorts, but i overestimated the amount of ease i needed and the shorts flaired out unattractively at the sides. i tried to remedy this by cutting out fabric and making a smaller panel, but i overcompensated once again, making one side too tight. frustrated, and after spending many hours of unpicking stitches, i gave up for the time being and threw these shorts into the “i’ll get to it later” drawer in my room. they’ve kind of been haunting me ever since – a project that didn’t have clear instructions on how to fix and would take some energy, dedication, and creativity to fix.
the shorts sat in that pile for about 9 months before i picked them up again at the start of may and decided to finally finish my original upcycle. i was smarter this time; fitting the panel with safety pins on my body to guarantee a good fit. on the side that i had made tighter, i had to piece together some fabric because i had cut away too much. i had been trying to avoid doing this, but in the end, i think it’s barely noticeable and the overall fit is so much better.
i’m so happy i took the time to finish these shorts correctly because they are my new favourite denim short. i could never find a rtw pair that fit me well – either the shorts were too loose in the waist or too tight in the thigh, and it feels amazing to finally have a pair that was literally made for me. i’m super excited to give these shorts lots of wear during the warmer summer months!
MTL ✷ 