DIY Paper Bag Waist Shorts

Published on by juliavalley

Kids might be going back to school suggesting that summer might almost be over, but that doesn’t mean the heat is going anywhere fast. Shorts are one of those items you have to have in August in Houston, whether you like them or not. I always seem to have a hard time finding some that fit just right, so I created this customer pattern for the cutest paper bag waist shorts!

Though these look tailored and put together, they are essentially pajama shorts. Elastic waist, pockets, the lightest linen fabric: just call these your summer uniform and be done with it. I love how preppy they look with a striped tee, but they can also be paired with a cropped bandeau or even a swimsuit!

This pattern can be adjusted for any size and any cotton fabric will do, but I suggest a linen for the best drape and comfort value during a scorching 100 degree heat wave. Head over to Fabric Wholesale Direct to get the entire sewing tutorial!

Thank you to Fabric Wholesale Direct for sponsoring this blog post. All designs, photos, and opinions are my own.

12 thoughts on “DIY Paper Bag Waist Shorts”

  1. Pingback: Elastic High Waisted Shorts with Exposed Pockets Sewing Tutorial – Sew Bake Decorate

  2. Thanks for inquiring! This pattern is really oversized in the hips, so the waist measurement is used for pretty much all of the pattern making and multiplied to have a lot of gathering. This should work for most body types – is your waist measurement a lot smaller than hips?

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    1. Not particularly. My main obstacle when looking at this is that my waist divided by two is 16-17 inches and that seems to mess up the dimensions for the back panels. Any suggestions?

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      1. Oh I definitely see your concern! I will need to fix that. Instead of the 17.5” measurement I would use your hips minus 4” and then divided by 2!

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    1. Thanks for inquiring! This pattern is really oversized in the hips, so the waist measurement is used for pretty much all of the pattern making and multiplied to have a lot of gathering. This should work for most body types – is your waist measurement a lot smaller than hips?

      Like

      Reply

      1. You’re welcome Julia! Your sketches inspire me to try a different format in tutorials. They are so simple, it shows you don’t always need real photos in some tutorials….xoxo

        Liked by 1 person

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