I’ve always had that problem with shorts too. About 10 years ago solved it - by deciding not to wear shorts. I give up! What I wear now is the Gorgeous Gore skirt from Style Arc sewn up in a nice cotton jersey. Over the years I’ve fine tuned it with a lining/slip made of swimsuit lining - sew the gores together, baste the slip to top of the skirt & treat as 1 piece, then attach the deep waistband. I hem different lengths depending on the use & then serge off the lining about cm shorter. I’ve added different pockets & details over the years. Different fabrics take it from dressy to good for camping & fishing. With cotton undies it’s much cooler than shorts with the same coverage. It’s like a skort without the crappy polyester shorts underneath that ride or roll up - since after all, they are still shorts under that skirt! I peg the hem a bit for golf & sports use. Title Nine has lots of details & ideas to try. From cutting table to my body is about 2 hours for a plain version at this point. And now I need a vest! Your set is so nice. Your projects always turn out beautifully, I am really enjoying your channel.
Yes that riding up problem. I struggle with this too. Intriguing 🤔 listening to some of the suggestions you come across to solve this. Love your makes Alex.
Loving the shorts Alex, I am still on the lookout for a good pattern. I also found lose fitting dresses were preferable in the evening when it is still very hot.enjoy your break in September x
Alex, I’m ironing and watching your video and had to stop both to comment. Thank you for making me giggle while I iron - your description of the boning and problem with the shorts riding up made me laugh out loud ( probably my weird sense of humour?!) I’m sorry I can’t recommend anything to help with the issue but thanks as always for a wonderful video and glad you managed have your holiday. Hope Mil is doing well. Morna
Hello. I love your sewing and handmade wardrobe. I am currently living in Thailand. I am 50 year young and your style appeals to me. I love you holiday wardrobe makes and I am looking forward to making some of these. love the shorts! you should also try the Skye Shorts by Peppermint Patterns. Happy sewing. Big THANKYOU
I t sounds like you had an almost identical holiday to me Alex - wedding abroad (Spain) & I'm exactly the same, can't stand anything tight & fitted in the heat, loose & flowy all the way! 1970s waistcoat is fab I think anything over 40 years old I think (which means me & you 🤣)
Not too long at all! Very enjoyable romp through your holiday wardrobe! And the waistcoat and shorts set, that looked to me like a faux play suit is just brilliant, and very flattering, thank you.
I’ve just been on my first holiday since re starting making my own clothes so was interested to see what everyone was wearing in a hot country. Like you I over packed! Like you I found that loose clothes were what I wanted. Your shorts look fabulous and together with the waistcoat make a perfect outfit. Your backless dress would look fab in a bright colour. Cant wait to see your wedding outfit.
Thank you for an interesting video. I have always felt similarly re shorts. I can’t find any that I like and haven’t given myself enough time to make any. To be truthful I’ve tried making them in he past without much success I’m very interested in the pattern you used but maybe next year now. I really am trying to plan my clothes for my holiday as hate ending up with too many. I have planned to take loose dresses as know I’ll be more comfortable in them. We are going on a cruise in August so I need to plan boat days, when it can be nippy. Many thanks for showing your outfits 😊
The Skirt pattern that you want is the Pattern Emporium Free Spirit Skirt. It is fabulous and floaty made in a viscose/rayon and if you make it with the front split it swishes around when you walk and catches the breeze.
Forgot to mention, I know this is great for hot sunny weather as I live in Queensland, Australia where temperatures are regularly 40 degrees Celsius in summer 🌞😁
I can't believe I didn't think to go to PE and have a look! We had 40 degrees here for the first time ever this week and the entire country slumped into a hot sweaty fug - I don't know how you do it!
Your Vali in the striped fabric looks fabulous. I didn’t like it previously, but have now bought the pattern knowing how good it can look. Thank you for that, I can’t wait to make it. ❤️
Inch swimsuit elastic is hard to find in the US, too, and much more expensive. I ended up using 3/4, which i was able to get at a bra supply place. I checked on B Wear which is in Sweden but ships quickly and inexpensively to the US but they only have the narrow right now. Maybe a European bra supply company would have it. You only need about a yard.
Lovely to see. Like you, I've never been one for wearing shorts...much prefer skirts like the one that came with your shorts pattern. Our Summers are so hot, I'm tending towards dresses nowadays. I really like that last dress you made. I like the lowered neckline and the depth of the back. I think the feature of the dress is the back and so the front doesn't need to be too detailed. I think it is flattering on and good on you for making it. I'm looking forward to seeing your wedding dress you made and ideas.
I adore your waistcoat and shorts combo. I used to have a three piece suit in the 90s and wore the waistcoat buttoned up with a vest and viscose skirts in the summer. Love it. All I need to do now is make the Shelby dress and I’ll be full on 90s. Lovely cohesive wardrobe.
Great Vlog Alex. Thank you. Loved all of your ideas and makes/buys. Little tip to combat mozzie bites for you. a tiny smear of Vicks on your ankles and wrists. Worked a treat for me when I went to Malta. I forgot to smear on my last night of the holiday and got loads of bites Worth a try for anyone who has blood that attracts the mozzies. 🤓🏴
Fabulous video as always Alex, I love how you have a colour palette that works so well for you! I tend to go for all sorts, but yours is really classy. Loved your makes,I'm off to look at those shorts and the tank top, fabulous patterns
Hello Alex, love all your makes. I think that your shorts riding up problem may be due to a sway back. Do you get pooling of fabric at the small of your back when you wear a shirt? Pants sometimes need a sway back adjustment too. I noticed that when you turned with your side to the camera, it looked to me like the hemline of your shots was just a bit higher in the back. I check hemlines by taping a piece of string across a doorway even with the front, then I ask my husband to check the back for me against the string, it is handy to have another set of eyes. I really don't know the exact fix to this problem, I suspect a longer rise in the back, I think the back is trying to steal fabric from the front and this is why the legs are not hanging straight when you walk. I hope this observation helps you. As for your dress, it is really cute. I have been watching MM Personal styling videos on RU-vid recently and have learned some things, I think she would suggest that you wear a long necklace that falls between your breasts to divide the chest. You might like the front better then.
Yes I most definitely have a sway back, depending on the style often make a sway back adjustment so your observation is most welcome 🙏🏻🙏🏻. I need to have a fiddle with this, as much as I don’t not enjoy faffing with fitting, I enjoy the discomfort of the shorts riding up even less 😁🥰
Hello Alex, the solution for your short is to add 1/2" at the hem and grade to the regular lenght at back ( and yes you will have a slight difference in lenght at front) if they rise at back you would do the same add 1/2 nd grade to front. The reason it's happening it's due to our curve as well as the bottom of your short are straight so fabric will raise up where you have more curve ( front and back). I have the same problem and a designer gave me that trick and now...problem fix. Try this and you stop this riding up! Good luck...
I made the Tessuti Mahlia- a new A line skirt. I made it in a soft ponti (we are in winter here in Sydney) and love it . I didn’t think I suited A line skirts but was talked into it by the lovely staff- so glad they did!
I wonder if a thin strip of fusible fleece or batting/wadding sewn within the seam would thicken it enough to keep shorts from riding up. That shouldn’t poke you as boning might. Now you got me thinking 🤔
Alex, thank you for the super awesome video!! So fun to hear about your experiences and esp the specific insights like the shorts and dresses!! You're great!
Your Billie shorts are great. My answer to the riding up is I have converted to only wearing summer skirts (above knee). That has worked for me and made me much happier! Sorry, not a solution. For the Hallon dress I might make it more A-line to give it some other shape? Love your Nova/Montana. I was just wearing my Tessuti Lily dress in viscose and so nice for a really hot day. Great video Alex!
You're right skirts are the answer, but somehow I feel more vulnerable in shorter skirts - no idea why! I love the Tessuti Lily, it's on my never ending list 😄
Never fail to be inspired by you Alex 🙏...such great outfits 💝. I think you look fab in your shorts and waistcoat combo and like you say... perfect for a wedding evening event when it's warm 👌. I also love your dress and I think it looks lovely on you, but I get that you need to feel comfortable in it. I love that style.. especially the low back, but I am quite well endowed in the chest and feel even with the extra support, it might not be enough sadly 😞. I'm so glad your mum in-law was ok and you got to have your full time away ✊😁💞😘
Terrific video Alex,I always agonise about packing and this year I managed a luggage weight of 19 kilos an absolute triumph for me! I still managed to bring home unworn items after a 10 day trip to Portugal. Your shorts are really smart and the waistcoat makes a very attractive outfit.I love your backless dress and I think it is a pattern that will look good made up in different fabrics. I wonder have you looked at Maisonette Fauve patterns,they are really beautiful. Recently when looking at some of their designs with lovely sleeve details and pin tucks for some reason I thought of youI have just bought the Mia dress/ blouse pattern which has an open back detail.This company have many YT videos which although in French are easy to follow. Thank you Alex.🌹🌹🌹
Maisonette Fauve are on my radar, it’s been now a matter of time 😁. We had 40 kilos between the two of us, I definitely had more than 50% of it and still had to very reluctantly take things out. Poor husband was saying ‘do you really need six pairs of sandals’ 😂
Great tips and lovely to see you back! I like the hallon dress and one of the things I love is the contrast between the simple front with the high neckline and the very low back. Love your makes and glad you managed to have a great holiday x
Hi Alex, love the Hallon dress, it’s the sort of dress I live in in summer as I live in Queensland Australia. Perhaps the front would be better with a vee neck? Looking forward to seeing your wedding outfit episode as my daughter is having a beach wedding in November ( so it will be hot) and I need some inspiration! Love your videos 👍🏻
Lovely to see you back, well rested from your holiday. I've just finished making a Megan Nielsen Wattle skirt. The long, bias cut version. I've yet to hem it (it's all ready to go, just waiting for me to make 3 miles of bias tape!) but it's a gorgeously swooshy skirt. The shorter versions look fun too!
I love a travel wardrobe post mortem! It's so true that if it's been a while between trips it's hard to remember what you like wearing while abroad, so it's smart to make this video aide-mémoire and share your lessons learnt. I'm also not convinced about the front of the Hallon dress, so I recently made the Paradise Patterns Smultron dress instead, which I think has a nicer shape (esp. the view A neckline front) and is perfectly heatwave appropriate. It's a circle dress so it has more fullness, meaning you can belt it for some waist definition, or for a slightly dressier look, but wear it loose when it's so hot you don't want any fabric close to your body. (It is a fabric guzzler though, as you might imagine, and I'd recommend a rolled hem foot for the metres of hemming required!)
Wow you are looking fabulous!! Love the shorts and waistcoat combo, and that orange shirt 🙌 I agree about the front of the dress it needs shaping somehow! I made the SOI Niamh skirt recently and loved the flow of the bottom without all the billowing over my tummy, so would highly recommend that. Can’t wait to see the dress you made the wedding! 🥰
Love your travel outfit, looks so comfy but still stylish. And love the shorts, I recently made the Peppermint magazine skye shorts (free pattern) which are lovely, very full and look like a skirt!
Great video! Love you style! All those options look fantastic together 😍 For a skirt pattern, Pattern Emporium has the Free Spirit and a Tiered Maxi that might fit what you are after
@@AlexJudgeSews I came to the comments to see if anyone had mentioned the PE Free Spirit and wasn’t disappointed. I’d also suggest the SOI Alba wrap skirt (I think it’s in the summer ebook I’m afraid, but I’m sure I’ve seen others similar) which has a version with a gorgeous soft flutter hem as well as straight hem if you’d prefer less bulk at the waist but still swish in the length.
Love the shirts and vest. I too am working on a summer holiday wardrobe. I am making some "sailor shorts" Kwik Sew 3854. Made a wearable mock up first. Turned out great. I want to do a vest, have a vintage pattern too. Also some loose trousers similar to yours and dresses.
Sounds great! I've got the recent Gertie Patreon Sailor Shorts, but have been waiting to see how they look made up on other people - if you're on Instagram would you tag me if you post a pic of yours? ❤
I really like the Billie shorts. I'll have to make them for myself too. The tip for shorts length using your arm length is great too. I'm going to use that length for my shorts too I think. But I have a couple of friends who are long bodied and short arms. If they tried that, their shorts wouldn't cover the bottom of their butt cheeks. And they are larger ladies around 70 years old, so I don't think that would be a look they are going for. I have very long arms and a proportionately short body, so mine would hit about 2" above my knee, and I have really long legs too. I think on most people, their finger tips hit at the narrowest part of their thigh, so thats the reason for that measurement being the most flattering.
Greetings from sweltering Switzerland! You should check out Apolline patterns as well if you don’t already know them, they have the pantalon Gabin which you can make as shorts as well which as very similar as well to the Sézane ones.
Yay - great to see you back. Glad you managed to get away on your hols. Love your makes as always. I was just looking at the True Bias Mave skirt today thinking it could be a nice swishy summer make. Not sure if that appeals? I've also made the longer version of Forget-me-not Ella skirt which I like but don't think I've got the length right on me. Need to have another go. Looking forward to seeing your dress and the options you considered xx
Hello Alex! so interested in this - I've just come back from a week in the Tropics so can completely relate to both the plane outfit issue and also the conceptual leap about what you'll really want to be wearing in the heat! To start with, we found that the place we went to was unusually cold (for them!) so while we were in short sleeves, the locals were in puffer jackets haha! I had a sew-up before I left too - I made S8134 in a lovely linen, and cropped the longest version (at Trinny's suggestion) - I could have worn this just about every day - loved the swishy side panels. I made a bunch of t-shirts using the Seamwork Astoria pattern with a 3/4 sleeve - which were fine for the weather we had - up to mid to high 20s by the end of the week - but like you said probably would have been a bit snug if it were warmer. I'm in Australia and I'm pretty pale too - I made an astoria in swim lycra as a rashie and some Jalie shorts also in lycra which is my beach/swimmer outfit, but I love the look of the Greenstyle bikini - I'll be interested to hear your thoughts about that if you can source the 1" elastic. You look really great in that tangerine colour Alex!! The Melilot shirt is on my long-term wish list but I have the Recital Shirt by Liesl+Co as my go-to (I love the princess seams, the tower placket and the frills!), I also have a McCalls shirt pattern I'd like to try (M7838 I think) and I have a long-term project of finding a big 70's collar pattern for a Charlie's Angels look. I know you're a shirt fan - perhaps you could do a vid reviewing your faves? I'd never seen those shorts - I'm not a shorts fan either but your version has got me thinking :) - btw, loved your insights into flattering shorts. Another thing I made was the Sorrento Bucket Hat - handy for us pale and interesting types! Great vid!! Cara in Melbourne
ooh I'll check out the S8134 - I love a bit of Trinny too (although not the make-up so much!). We noticed hotel staff in Portugal wearing fleeces while we were all by the pool! I guess you adapt. I haven't made the Sorrento, but I have made the wider brimmed one Elbe do, but sadly couldn't find it before I left - I suspect a daughter has stolen it 😂😘
Love the shorts! Have a look at Fabricland for swimwear elastic as they do some that is 2cm wide. I managed to make it work on the Megan Nielsen Cottesloe swimsuit which required 1” wide.
Lovely to see your makes and thoughts on a holiday wardrobe. Glad I’m not the only one who misjudges what to take ! Your shorts look great and with the waistcoat look like a playsuit, very cool. Have you seen the Merchant and Mills Shepherds skirt. We are melting with the heat in The South East - so now I’m thinking caftans (hippie youth) - Lynn caftan by atelier Jupe - I have a couple of Sussex seamstress Amberley dresses, and they are perfect in the heat, very like your Style Arc, and might well do a third with a similar hack to create tiers. Alex it’s great to see you.
Love the shorts on you. How about using a small gauge chain sewn into the hem each side of the inside leg. About 6 inches each leg should do it. This would weigh the leg down and be more comfortable than boning. I’ve use this method to weigh down the back of loose tops which can ride up and catch in the waist band of trousers. As long as you hand stitch it in securely, it survives going through the wash. I also find Pattern Emporium excellent and very well priced.
Thanks Marilyn I never thought I'd be glad of the colder weather in the NW, but I am right now 😄. I haven't seen the M&M skirt, so I'll check it out - got to love a hippie caftan I've got a linen one I bought just after I had my eldest who's almost 23 and it's still my fave thing to wear in hot weather 😘❤
The dress looks great... agreed the back has a bit more interest than the front... I saw a dress recently that I was quite found of that was quite a straight cut but had waist ties from the side that could be done up in just the front, which added waist definition.. a possible solution to add some interest to the front of the dress?
Alex, what I like about watching your vids is you are so honest and real. I agree with you about shorts, and loose flowing dresses. I’m am becoming more and more disgruntled with the big 4 pattern companies, and sew more and more indie patterns. I have made the Nova in a blue linen, and I love it. I plan to make one of SA’s tshirt dresses, will be so great for everyday wear. Thank you for all your ideas.
Lovely to see you back, really eenjoyed this video. Regarding the Hallon dress, I may be wrong, but I think if you lengthen the shoulder straps a bit it will have two positive outcomes: the back will be lower and also, obviously, the front. The darts will then be better placed. It does look to me as if it is a tad too high under the armpits as well so lengthening the straps would lower this too. Can you make new straps longer and replace the ones on there? Just a thought. I think this would also improve the look of the front too although I see what you mean about it being a bit meh. Do an Esme and put a big bow on it (only joking)! I am making the Miller waistcoat (Merchant and Mills). You have inspired me to wonder if their Shepherd skirt would be a good match with this. I have the pattern but not made it yet.
Love the shorts! Have you tried the Deer & Doe Goji shorts? I have similar body shape and issues and found these really fab! Going to try the shorts you have mentioned here as well. Absolutely adore your Hallon Dress 👗 thank you for a very informative video 🙏🏼 appreciate you sharing your thoughts so much
Pretty high really, looking back at the video when I was editing I don't think I cinched the belt enough. I'm wearing them right now and they're def above natural waist 😄
Great tips, thank you. Skirt wise - why don’t you make the 70s one that you showed on the waistcoat pattern? Looking forward to seeing the wedding guest dress ideas.
It’s the actual shape of the rise not how high they are. I have same body shape as you and this is what happens when rise shape is cut fro flat front and back
