Frumpy shorts makeover

When my husband and I were engaged, he found these shorts for me on clearance at Target.  We both thought the pinstripes were really fun.  Unfortunately, they make me look like a man.  They're a little too short to be bermudas, have super wide legs, and they're PLEATED.  Come on, who seriously makes pleated shorts for women?

Sorry for the vertical picture-- Blogger thinks it's smarter than me!

 Obviously they needed some adjustments.  I started out by unhemming them to make them the right length.  Then I sewed a straight stitch from the bottom of the side pockets to the hem to taper them a bit.  I did the same thing on the inside seam, starting from as close as I could get to the crotch and down to the hem.  I tried them on after every adjustment and had to unstitch once, but that's really the only way to know what they're going to look like.  It also helped to follow the existing stitches for awhile to help blend the new ones.

 I cut my extras to about 1/2" from the new seams, then hemmed the bottom to a longer length. 

 Here is the finished product.  Much cuter.

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