High Maintenance.

When I was growing up, my mom bought all of my dad's clothes. I can't remember an occasion when he came to the store to pick-out his own attire. The man has never, in my lifetime expressed any opinions regarding his wardrobe or personal style. In fact, an inquiry last Christmas would suggest he's not familiar with his current clothing sizes. He very happily wears whatever we outfit we choose for him. It's great. Easy. Low maintenance.

When I married Mike, I knew that he had a little more to say with regard to his clothing. We mostly agree that he knows how to dress himself and choose clothes that suit him. He's receptive to suggestions, usually, unless he's able to customize his garment, as was the case with these shorts.

Suddenly, he's an expert. He knows exactly how the shorts ought to be constructed. He's got preferences with regard to the width of leg openings. He wants the shorts to respond specifically and accordingly with certain body movements. He's working to convince me he knows more about ease than I do. He's bargaining hem lengths and arguing about... everything.  

Neither he nor I expected these shorts to meet his standards. But, somehow, I managed to surprise us both. I do believe his smile in these photos is genuine. He has been wearing his new shorts all evening, and I'm chuffed. 

One of the biggest battles we had was over the length. He's tall, I get it, really, I do. Still, there is almost an extra inch of length folded into the hem, because Mike was certain I didn't understand how long his shorts needed to be in order to keep him from exposing too much thigh when he sits. Fortunately, he agrees that they are acceptable as are.

As we discussed his measurements vs. clothing size, I learned that Mike purposely buys his pants with a waist a size larger than he needs in order to make sure that he has enough room elsewhere. I accommodated his specification, but I think we could do better the next time. Ironically, Mike and I have the same fit issue when it comes to waist/hip discrepancy.  We've both got a lot more booty than average. I think Mike could have a better fit with the addition of either a deeper dart or a second set of darts at the rear. Now that he understands I'm not trying to make him wear shorts that are too small, I think he might be alright with the tweak. In the meantime, those belt loops are a big help. 

I struggled with my welt pocket. It's there. It's functional, but it's a little tortured. Thanks to some tutorials, I think I'm ready to tackle another. I'm pretty sure I was cutting too near the edge of the welt and not leaving enough triangle to fold over the edge. If you have insight, I'm happy to have help. 

My front pockets compensate for the precision I lack on my welt. I'm incredibly pleased with how nicely they align from the front, over the pocket facing, and through the side seam. And, I'm thrilled with how beautifully all my horizontal lines match across seams and through the center line of the fly. 

Does this fabric seem familiar? You might recall that I used this same fabric last year in my plaid dress and my Fall for Cotton Blouse. I cut these shorts around the same time I finished those garments and they made their way to the new house in the box of UFO projects I've been slowly. chipping. away at completing. Yes. There are sewing projects in there too. Mike helped motivate me to get this pair sewn by bribing me with more fabric. More shorts fabric, that is. Yes, there will be more shorts. Mike's a tough customer, but he's also a pretty cute and a very grateful one. How could I say no to a man who buys fabric (and yarn)?