DIY : Leather boxers

I got a few people asking for a tutorial on the shorts in my last post so I thought I'd oblige and document the process when I put together a pair for my sister. Now before I get stuck in lets be clear that my pattern work is all self-taught, so if you see anything weird just keep it to yourself because I don't care!

what you'll need: pattern paper, leather, pencil, measuring tape, elastic, pins, scissors

step 1. Grab a pair of shorts that have a fit similar to what you're trying to achieve. Fold the shorts in half and lay flat on the pattern paper and trace the outline

- add 2 inch seam allowance to the waistband (for the elastic)
- add 1.5 inch seam allowance to the hem and crotch ..and about 2 inch allowance to the side seam

step 2. pin the pattern to the fabric and cut out the pattern pieces (remember leather/ faux leather retains every little hole and scratch so be careful and use as few pins as possible.) 

step 3. it's pretty straight forward from here, you can now pin the pieces together and run them through the sewing machine, you should have the basic form together at this point.

step 4. put the shorts on and unpick the side seam up to where you want the slit on the side of your shorts to be, pin the hemline up and sew.
-measure the elastic for your waistline at this point, undercut it by 3 inches so you get a good stretch in your waistband (I forgot to take pictures of this part )

step 5. double stitch the elastic to the waistband (watch this video if the waistband thing is a bit confusing) 

finally, fold the waistband in, stitch over and vooooilaaaa you're done!!

I threw these together in an hour so I hope the process is all self-explanatory, if not hit me on my email and I'll try to clarify.

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