Iron Craft Challenge #13--Board Shorts

I couldn't stop myself.

For Iron Craft Challenge #13, we were tasked to make something with a needle. I was going to do another string art composition but as I was cleaning my apartment, I came across my hoarding stash.  I have been collecting slacks from the 50s, 60s and 70s in order to save them from the landfill. I have an ongoing relationship with several consignment stores and thrift shops throughout the Northeast and many of these shops save clothes for me.

These are slacks that are destined to be thrown away after they are no longer considered sellable. Rather than toss them into the landfill, the owners will call me and ask me if I would take them off their hands or could use them in some other artistic way.

Also, it was kismet when I read a recent post by Kat here.

I then decided to dust off my sewing machine and attempt to make some long shorts (manpris, if you will) or what I prefer to call--long board shorts.

Following the tutorial from Kat, not only did I tailor the bulk from the legs to make them more fitted, I decided to crop them and hem them at the calf (or thereabouts). And once I started and had a pattern, I could stop myself and made myself three new-old pairs of shorts. 

Shorts from behind

Shorts from the font

I often have trouble with pants, jeans and trousers because I have fairly muscular legs and always have to get a larger waist size so that the legs will fit. The interesting aspect of these pants is that the legs are very full--it seems that the tradition was to provide a lot of extra room in the legs during these years. So, I was happy to finally get some pants that fit in the waist and all I had to do was tailor the legs.

I decided to make shorts out of the pants because there is a lot of pattern in these old styles and I was afraid that it eventually would be too much pattern. Also, I knew that these would be one-of-a-kind shorts and they would be customed. I was very happy with the way they turned out and I have several more pairs to make in the near future as the weather heats up in NYC.