Selfish Sewing Week: Day Three: Dixie Movie in the Park Shorts

Hello fellow selfish seamstresses! I am Brianne from Ali Cat & Co. Thank you, Jill, for having me over at Made With Moxie. It's a pleasure to be here talking about selfishness. I think we can all agree that a little bit selfishness is necessary to help us detox.

I started sewing when I had my first daughter. I mostly sewed for her with an occasional bag for myself. Lately, thanks to some really fabulous friends of mine, I've become a 75% selfish sewist.


One day, it hit me like a bag of bricks. WHY sew for my children? They grow so fast; it seems like a waste. My oldest daughter has become extremely particular about her clothes recently. My youngest daughter wears the oldests' hand me downs. So I ask the question again. WHY?

We can all agree that store bought clothes rarely have a perfect fit and tailoring store bought clothes can be difficult. What's the answer? Make it myself. Not only are there AWESOME women's patterns out there, but you can make pretty clothing that fits for less than the store.

Believe me, once you go selfish, you'll never go back!


Do I need to continue to twist your arm? I hope not, so lets get on with the beautiful shorts pattern from Dixie DIY Patterns.

First, this pattern is $4. Fabulous price for a fabulous pattern.

Second, my opinion of this pattern is 100% based on my experience sewing the shorts. I do not know the creator of the pattern nor are my opinions influenced by any other factors.

As with ANY shorts or trouser pattern, you need to do a muslin first. If you don't, you'll only be angry with yourself and regret not doing it. If you are new to making muslins, here are the basic steps:

1. Cut the important pattern pieces out of muslin fabric. The important pieces for shorts are waistband and front and back pieces. Which in this case are all the pieces!

2. Sew those pieces together per the pattern instructions.

3. Try on your muslin. How does it fit? Does it need to be bigger/smaller in certain areas? Pin together areas that need to be taken in and mark with chalk areas that need to be let out. Here are some great resources for identifying problem areas and how to fix them. Here and here.

4. Make another muslin based on your first muslin pieces after making the necessary changes. Repeat again, if necessary.

5. When you final have a perfect fitting muslin, then cut out your real fabric based on your final muslin. (It's helpful if you draw your pieces on banner/tracing paper as you go)

YES, making muslins can be a lot of work and honestly, a Debbie Downer some times. But as I said before, if you make your shorts and they don't fit correctly, you will regret not making that muslin.

Here are my Movies in the Park Shorts. Oh yes, lovely. Just look at that bum! Don't be shy; I don't mind. Check it out!


I used homemade piping instead of bias tape on the edges. Although I love the look, I wouldn't recommend this change. Stick with the bias tape. The piping made the side seams bulky.

As for the side buttons, I only made the top three functional on each side. I could have gotten away with only make the top two functional OR only the top three on one side functional. I also made the first buttonhole on each side horizontal. The waist is where you will have most strain on your buttons; you definitely don't want those popping out! All other buttonholes are vertical as per the instructions.


This pattern sewed up fast and nicely. Total, it took me just under 3 hours after I got the fit. That time does not include making the piping, which took 1.5 hours. The instructions are very clear and easy to follow. I like that the instructions are only 3 pages so I felt ok printing them out and not reading from my tablet.

I wouldn't recommend this pattern to a brand new sewist because of the potential tailoring. If you are a seasoned beginner, then you can absolutely handle this. Tailoring is a fantastic way to improve your sewing skills.

My honest opinion: I LOVE these shorts! I will be making more. Linen or chambray would be exquisite!

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at brianne (dot) matlage (at) gmail (dot) com or via the Ali Cat Co Facebook page.

Now go get your selfish on!

Disclosure: I received this pattern free as part of Selfish Sewing Week. All opinions my own.
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Thank you, Brianne for sewing up the Dixie Movie in the Park Shorts for Selfish Sewing Week. They are stinking adorable on you. I have to agree with you about sewing for kids. While I do sew things for them, they are things I usually can't buy in the store, like, pants with skinny enough waists and long enough legs. It kills me to sew them something amazing only to have them grow out of it in a hot minute!

Have you seen what is going on over at imagine gnats?

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