My Afternoon Fern Shorts

The PDF version of the pattern is only 18 pages long when printing in A4, so there's really not much cutting and sticking to do - though if PDFs really aren't your bag, you can order a printed version. The instruction booklet is beautifully designed which is great if, like me, you're the sort of person who likes to display your favourite printed patterns! The fab level of design extends beyond the cover too - the instructions are well laid out and the illustrations are some of the clearest I've seen.

Afternoon Fern Shorts

I cut a size D from the A-F size chart (UK 6 - 16/US 2 - 12 equivilent) which was an exact match for my waist measurement. I could have sized down by 2 sizes on the hips, but chose not to as I wanted them to be loose and retain a bit of volume in the legs to balance out from my waist measurement. I used a mid-weight cotton - the closest thing I can liken it to is a sort of brushed cotton - as I had plenty left over from making these B6178 culottes. The culottes would probably work better in something lighter with more movement, but it holds the shape of the Fern Shorts really well.

Directing take a picture from 'here to here', not doing a 'taa-daah'

It was a really straightforward sew that would suit anyone from an advanced/adventurous beginner to someone who has been sewing for years. I personally found the pockets the hardest to set in, but this might just be because it was my first sew for a month and I was feeling a little rusty. It would have been nice to have a few more pattern markings to help with this step and this is something that I fed back (*note: as a tester, the pattern I worked from wasn't the final version, so it will be the new and improved version that's released for sale). I topstitched my pocket opening for a neater finish - a bit like the pocket openings on the Joanne Culottes - just because I really love topstitching.

Pocket and side zip details

The shorts fasten with a concealed zip at the right side. I'm the sort of person who would usually avoid garments with a side zip for fear of it being more difficult, when the method is actually exactly the same as normal - does anyone else make up unnecessary sewing fears? It makes for a much neater finish to have the zip tucked away and concealed by a side seam and it was actually really easy to do!

As a note, I needed to use a loop turner for the belt loops and the tie. The tie is really long and I'm not sure I would've had the patience for the safety pin method. It's actually a bit skinnier than I thought it would be, so in future, I'll probably take a smaller seam allowance to make it a bit wider.

Back view

One big thing I learnt from making the Fern Shorts is how to do proper turn ups - finally! I can't tell you how long I laboured away on unsuccessful turn ups for these vintage pattern trousers before giving up. The only thing I need to do with my Fern turn ups is to pop a couple of stitches in the centre back to hold them in place, as you might be able to see from the back image.

Finished Ferns!

One of the outtakes - thanks Chris for taking pictures and making me laugh

The Fern Shorts are available to buy now here. Also keep your eye on the Afternoon blog for the Fern sew-along - previous sew-alongs have been super thorough, so it's definitely something to look out for if you need a bit of help along the way or are learning new sewing skills!

Now what fabric should I choose for my Fern-culotte hack?