Berry Bubble Shorts Sew Along – Day 3

Welcome to day three of the Berry Bubble Shorts sew along. In the last post we worked on getting our fronts ready for the front and side yokes. Today we are going to put those pieces together and also start on the backs of our shorts.

 

Mark the center of your front yoke and with it upside down and right side down, match it up with the center seam of your shorts.

 

Now match the edges of the yoke with the folded edges of the pocket binding and pin. You will need to stretch the yoke slightly to fit. Continue pinning as needed to connect the yoke to the shorts.

 

With your side yokes upside down, line up the raw end with the sides of the shorts. The folded edges will sit on top of the front yoke. Pin along the top and then baste across the top using a 1/4″ seam allowance.

 

With your short fronts still facing right side up, place your front lining right side down on top of the shorts and pin across the top. Sew the lining to the shorts across the top with a 1/2″ seam allowance. With your shorts inside out, press the seam allowance down away from the yoke.

 

Remove any visible basting stitches and then press the front of your shorts well. Topstitch along the base of the yoke using a 1/8″ seam allowance. If desired you can sew a second row 1/8″ above your first topstitch line. A zipper foot is really helpful in this step to keep your topstitching nice and straight along the bulky seam.

 

Now we are going to work on the backs of our shorts. Place your right back yoke along the top of the right back shorts piece with right sides together. The taller end of the yoke should be on the side of the curve. You also have to make sure you have the right side up to match with the raw edge of the short’s top. The long curved edge is the side you will be sewing to your shorts. You will need to stretch the yoke slightly to fit, but you shouldn’t have to stretch a lot. If you find you are stretching quite a bit, you may have it upside down. Pin your yoke in place and sew along the top with a 1/2″ seam allowance.

 

Press your seam up toward the yoke and topstitch 1/8″ away from the seam. If you did two rows of topstitching on the front, sew another row 1/4″ from the seam. Repeat the steps to attach the left yoke to the left back piece. Also repeat for your lining pieces, but do not topstitch.

 

With right sides together, pin your two back pieces together and sew along the curved edge. Make sure that your yoke seams are lined up nicely.

 

Clip your seam the same way you did on the front piece.

 

From the inside, press your seam to the right. Then flip your shorts so the right side is facing you and topstitch 1/8″ along the left of the seam. Repeat for the lining, but press your seam to the right and do not topstitch.

We are getting so close to having our shorts finished! In our next post for Day 4 we will put it all together!