Review: Simplicity 1430 | Yellow Shorts for Mikaela!

First of all, for those of you who have been reading my blog since forever -- can y'all believe that Mikaela will be 17 in a couple of weeks... that she drives now and will be a SENIOR in high school this year? She was a tiny little 8 year old when I started the blog. I see her everyday and I still have "WOW" moments!

It seems like just yesterday I was sewing girls' sized patterns for her. Now I'm cutting a Misses' size 8 in these shorts!

This is Simplicity 1430. This is a great pattern that sews pretty well straight out of the envelope (well, they did for her shape). I only had to take in the darts a little extra to at the waist to prevent gaping.

I can't find the exact fabric on the site, but I bought it at Joann's. It's one of their Sew Classic Bottomweight fabrics and it has stretch. It's not a denim... more like a stretch cotton-blend twill. But it sews great and presses nicely with a crisp finish. And this fabric is perfect for any casual yet tailored garment.

One of the cutest details is the double button closure. And they're finished with a 1 1/4" hem.

I can't tell you if the instructions are good because I didn't read them. I've made more pairs of pants than I can recall. And I've mastered the front fly zipper installation. But this is definitely a well-drafted pattern that I personally feel a beginner could handle.