How to Make a Pattern for Dance Shorts

In this tutorial, I am going to show you how to make a pattern based on your favorite dance shorts.

Supplies:

1. Your favorite dance shorts
2. Scraps of material or Kraft paper
3. Pens
4. Pins
5. Scissors
6. Ruler or Yardstick

Directions:

1. Choosing Materials

The first thing you will need to do is find a pair of shorts that you already have that you like the way they fit.

Next, choose the fabric that you want to use to make the pattern. Old sheets, left over pieces of material are perfect for this purpose. You can also use Kraft paper or butcher paper.

2. Laying Out and Tracing around Shorts

The first thing you are going to do is turn the shorts inside out. Fold these shorts in half matching the left seam to right seam making sure that all the seams match up. You will want to pin the center back seam together so that it does not get mixed up and twisted around. Do the same with the center front seam.

Next, open up your shorts and lay them flat on the table with the center seam, crotch and inseam on the left and the side seams on the right. Pin the shorts to the pattern material so that it does not move around. Trace around the bottom of the shorts and up the left side along the inseam to the crotch area. Then, trace the crotch, center seam and above the waistline to the right to the side seam. Make a slight mark, approximately an inch, next to the side seam at both the top and bottom of the seam.

However, you want to remember that if you are using booty shorts that stretch to make your pattern, you must also use material that stretches to make the new booty shorts. If the present booty shorts are made of two-way stretch, you will need to use two-way stretch for the new shorts. It the present booty shorts are made of four-way stretch, you will need to use four-way stretch for the new booty shorts. (However, the pattern itself should not be made from fabric that stretches.) Otherwise, shorts made from this pattern will not fit.) Carefully lift the top portion of the shorts (the right side that is folded over on top of the left side) and repin the bottom layer of the shorts to the material to keep it securely in place. While repining the bottom layer, make sure that it is laying flat with no wrinkles. With the pins keeping the bottom layer in place, roll the top layer over to the right so that you end up with the top layer lying flat next to, and to the right of, the bottom layer. You will probably have to carefully do a little bit of repositioning and repining. Using the little marks you made at the top and the bottom of the side seam as a guide, make sure that the measurements on the right side are equal to those on the left side. You can also use the measurements of the original shorts to check and make sure that the measurements of the pattern are correct. You want to match the waistline, hems, crotch and inseam. You also need to mark the top and bottom hems of the pattern. Mark the top all the way across from the left to the right side of the pattern. Remember, we will be adding the allowance at the top for the elastic later. Your final pattern will end up with the left half being a mirror image of the right half.  This will result with your new shorts having only center and crotch seams to sew. There will be no side seams at all.

Now that the left side of the booty shorts is carefully pinned in place, carefully roll the right side of the booty shorts over from the center seam. Lay the right side flat and pin it securely in place. Repeat marking around the right side of the shorts as you just did around the left. Make sure and stretch the elastic out at the top. You have the gathers there from the elastic, but you want to compensate for that. Once the right sides pinned securely in place, you can remove the pins from the left side. Then, roll the \left side over on top of the right side..

3. Adding Seam Allowance

If you are using an overlock to recreate these shorts, you will add a ¼ inch seam allowance and when using a straight stitch, add ½ inch seam allowance.

4. Adding Allowance for Elastic at Waistband

 We are using 1 inch elastic. Therefore, we will need to create a casing at the waistband that will allow for the elastic. We will need to add 1 ¼ inches to the top of the pattern.

5. Adding Allowance for Hem

Now, comes the crucial part. We have a little over two inches, 2 ¼ inches on the inseam. So, I am going to mark 3 inches. That will give us ¾ inches for the hem line. So, measure 3 ¼ inches down to lengthen the leg.

6. Cutting the Pattern

Once you have measured and marked the pattern all the way around, you can start cutting it.  When you cut, make sure that the scissors are following along the lines that have been marked. That way if there had been a small mistake, it will keep if you made a mistake and have a little bump, you will have it perfect when you actually cut out your pattern. If you believe you are off a little bit from the ¼ inch seam allowance or ½ inch seam allowance, you can adjust it when you are cutting it.

Once you have cut the pattern out along its outside perimeter, fold it in half and make sure that all the outside edges match.

7. Measuring the Elastic

So, there is our pattern without any changes made to it. Now, the next question is the length of the elastic.

So, if you like the way the original shorts fit, you can just measure that elastic and add ½ inch to the length. Do not stretch it. The easiest way to measure the elastic is to lay it against a yardstick or other measurement device. Since this elastic is folded in half, you will need to double the measured length. Then add ½ inch to allow for overlapping the ends.

8. Marking the Pattern With Notes

Any information you have gleaned while making this pattern, should be written in permanent marker on the pattern. This information should include, but not be limited to, whether the material was two way stretch or four way stretch, the size of the seam allowance, the depth of the hem, the length of the depth of elastic casing and the amount of fabric that is turned under in both those cases.