Wardrobe garments 9 & 10: Bermuda shorts and tote

Phew! I was sewing like a madwoman to get all this done by Sunday, and I'm actually a little surprised that I met my deadline! I will post a summary of my thoughts about the wardrobe process soon. But first here are the two final pieces, and my next post will be a collage of my finished garments.

Bermuda shorts
I knew I wanted a pair of Bermuda shorts as part of my collection, and luckily I remembered this Vogue pattern I bought last year, it's been sitting in my stash untouched but it sure saved the day as I (surprisingly) did not find a Burda magazine shorts pattern I was interested in.

Vogue 8365

I cut the pattern for View A (sans pleats) and lengthened the legs about 5" for the Bermuda effect.

Fabric:
Linen with lycra(?) or some other kind of stretch from Pacific Fabrics. I found this fabric a couple of months ago, it was a one time thing for them, and I'm seriously wishing I had purchased more because I *love* this fabric.



Notes on construction/alterations
Why didn't anyone tell me the fly front is easier to do than an invisible zipper? Seriously! I practiced the zipper on my muslin, and I couldn't believe how simple it was. Of course, I had some help. I watched Sandra Betzina's fly front tutorial video a few times and I had another window open showing me Debbie Cook's jeans front tutorial. Let me tell you, this has opened up a whole new world of (apparel) possibilities for me!



I finished the inner leg seams with a flat fell seam, and I used contrast cotton fabric for the fly facing.

Conclusion
Fun, easy shorts. And two days later, I'm still glowing from making the fly front.

Tote
I came across this buttery leather tote on Shopbop and decided it would be the perfect inspiration piece for my wardrobe accessory.

Martine Sitbon, $427, Shopbop

Fabric
Foiled linen from Joann, same that I used in this tunic.
I interfaced the outside of the bag and the facings with Pro Woven fusible from
Sew Exciting.

Notes on construction
The inspiration bag has 4 pleats and 8 pintucks on each side, I included those same details in my pattern.


I started by folding the pleats into my pattern piece and then I drew in the pintucks.


With the pleats on the pattern piece pinned in place, I placed tracing paper over it to draft the facing and lining.



These are my pattern pieces, except for the straps - I just used a rotary cutter and quilting ruler to cut those out.


I sandwiched a single layer of cotton quilt batting in the straps to provide some comfort.

There is a zippered pocket inside, and the bag closes with a magnetic snap. Yes, one is silver and one is gold! The store I was at didn't have a gold zipper in the correct size, and I didn't have time to go around searching for a better match. It's our little secret...

I squared off the bottom corners of the bag.

Conclusion
Overall I'm very happy with how this turned out, especially given that it was a rush job. The pleats in my bag don't hold very well, especially the outermost ones. Also, after I sewed the lining & outside together and turned the bag right side out through a very small opening, the linen fabric was quite wrinkled; all my careful ironing was for nothing. But I still like it and it'll be a nice change when I'm not in the mood to carry a leather monstrosity.