Summer is right around the corner and I am committing to actually making myself some shorts BEFORE the hot weather hits. thankfully I already have the perfect pattern for the task: our new Arden Pants.
I love how the Arden Pants fit around the waist and hips. Just loose enough to be comfortable, but not so much that I feel like I’m swimming. I knew they could easily be adjusted to be the ideal summer shorts, too!
I made this pair in 7oz linen from Blackbird Fabrics. This is one of my favorite fabrics and I use it allllll the time. It makes perfect Arden Pants and it makes great Arden Shorts too!
I opted to do some contrasting stitching on this pair of shorts so you can see some of the cool details that we have incorporated into the Arden Pants pattern. This design has some jeans finishing techniques that make it an excellent pattern for beginners who are interested in making more pants and eventually, jeans! I actually used copper jeans topstitching thread for this and I love the look!
How to hack the Arden Pants into shorts:
This hack is pretty straightforward, but the hem is the part to watch out for. If you simply cut off the pants at short height and try to turn under that hem, you will not have enough fabric to sew a flat hem.
First, decide how short you want your shorts to be. I decided on a finished inseam of 2.5″. I have since made another pair with a 3.5″ inseam and I think they are even better! You can measure the inseam on an existing pair of shorts in your closet to get an idea of what you might like.
Mark your cut line on the back of the pants pattern. Measure up from the hem of the pattern. Mark the cut line that same distance on the front of the pants. Draw your cut lines perpendicular to the grainline.
Put some paper in behind your pattern if you have it cut out already and tape it in place (shown above in yellow). We are going to make a 1.25″ hem on our Arden Shorts. Draw a line 1.25″ up from the bottom of the shorts, parallel to the hem. Draw another line 1″ up from the bottom of the shorts.
Draw four lines perpendicular to the first two lines, where they intersect with the inseam and side seam of the pants. A quilting ruler is very helpful for drawing perpendicular and parallel lines.
Draw two more lines, the first 1.25″ down from the bottom of the shorts pattern piece and the other 0.25″ below that, or 1.5″ down from the bottom of the shorts pattern piece. I know this seems like a lot of lines, but it results in the most accurate hem.
Starting at the bottom of the shorts pattern piece on the left side, draw a straight line out to where the left most vertical line intersects with the line that was drawn 1.25″ down. Draw in to where the next vertical line intersects with the bottom horizontal line. Draw straight across to the other side and repeat this zig-zag shape, meeting where the lines intersect.
You will have a finished piece that looks like this! Add notches where the hem will fold. When it comes time to hem, turn the hem up 0.25″ and then again 1.25″. The angled shape we made will ensure your hem sits perfectly straight!
Repeat this process for the front Arden Pants pattern piece.
If you prefer a little more room in the legs of your shorts, no problem! You can straighten out the side seam of the Arden shorts and do less of a harsh angle on the inseam. The shape is up to you!
I hope you consider the Arden Pants for your next summer shorts! If you already have the pattern you can easily adapt it and get some extra mileage from this design or other pants patterns. Let me know if you have any questions about the Arden Shorts hack. Happy summer sewing!
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38 Comments on “Arden Shorts Hack”
How much fabric did you use for the shorts?
It really depends on the size but I used about 1.5 meters for this pair and I am a size 20 🙂
I made a pair of these in size 20 too, I used 1 yard (of 54″ width fabric) for the shorts and another 1/2 yard for the pockets.
Very cute, definitely adding these to my list! How much fabric do you think I’d need for the shorts? Hoping to make a matching Ashton top and want to see if I have enough!
Thanks Sophy! An Ashton/Arden combo sounds so SO good! I used about 1.5 meters for these size 20 shorts.
I bought the Arden when it first came out and even have the pattern printed out but have kind of lost my sewjo during this stressful time. But, I’ve got some seersucker I think would make super cute shorts !!! I’m going to get sewing !!!
That sounds really cute! I hope you go for it!
As always excellent instructions and thank you. Marjolijn
We are ahead of you a bit weather wise. I made 4 pair with an 8 inch inseam and love them!
Haha yes, we are just getting hot here in Canada now!
Brilliant! I was just pondering some new shorts and just bought this pattern.
Thank you!
Thank you so much, Helen!! I’ve been adapting pants to shorts never knowing how to get this bit right.
My pleasure!!
These Arden shorts look so good (on you). Can’t wait to make myself a pair!
I love the top, and the fabric you chose for it. May I ask if it was handmade and where the fabric came from? Beautiful outfit.
Thank you! This is one of my favourite tops! It is a block printed silk and I purchased it at a thrift store. I have seen similar styles of block prints at Maiwa, but not on silk like this- usually on cotton. https://maiwa.com/collections/yardage/block-print
Love this hack. I was wondering whether it’d be a possibility. And a great stash buster too. I’m considering refashioning a pair of linen pants, that I don’t love, into these. Definitely on my to-do list for October or November – I’m in frosty Canberra, Australia so don’t need shorts just yet.
Hello Helen – thanks for this great shorts hack! I’m a bit of a newbie to pants making, and wondering if/what modifications I might need for the pockets, if I do a 3.5” inseam.
Hi Jen! The pockets are unaffected by this hack, so you can sew them as normal!
Hi Helen! I love how your shorts turned out! Did you straighten out the side seam and inseam on your pair or did you leave them angled (Same lines as the original pant pattern)?
Thanks! I left mine the same as the original!
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Thank you for this hack, just bought the Ardens specifically to make the shorts! Wondering if it’s best to turn up the hem and top stitch it before sewing the side seams and inseam? thinking that with the angle on the hem it would be tough to sew that otherwise, but want to make sure this wouldn’t create a problem I can’t envision haha.
Hi Stephanie!
Thanks for sewing Arden! The reason we don’t topstitch the hem before sewing the side seams is that then we would have a seam going right up to the edge of our pants hem. It would be on the inside, but it might poke out the ends and it would limit your ability to cuff the pants without this seam showing. If you sew the hem last, it creates a nice cuff that you can turn up if you like. I hope that makes sense!
Hi Helen, I am doing this hack with the proposed 3″ inseam on the shorts, I notice that the bottom of my front pockets are now likely going to be caught up in the hem, is this a problem? I have sewn everything to this point and was pressing the hem and thought oh shoot! Any suggestions? Thanks,
Hi Pamela!
Yes it is OK if the pocket get’s caught up in the hem a bit. You can also shorten the pocket if you like. On my finished version, the pocket bag sits just above the stitched hem but it will vary depending on the size.
Will a stretch cotton twill work for these shorts?
Hi Gina! Yes, a stretch cotton twill would work great for these shorts!
Hi Helen! I love this hack – I’m wondering if you also did the high-rise hack for your pair? Like where these sit!
Hi Miriam! Thanks! I did not adjust the rise more than usual for my height (I am 5’9″ and I added an inch to the rise).
your guide is super clear and I’m going to tackle a project later on thanks to this.
Hello! I was wondering how I would do this with a 1.5 in. cuff. Thank you 🙂
Hi Alex,
You want to add length to your inseam to account for the cuff, and then make your shorts hem 1.5″ when finished. Then you can turn the hem of the shorts up to make a cute cuff!
Thanks!
Helen
Thank you for this helpful post. In either of these mods how do you make sure the side seams match up, I did the boxed out version and it’s longer for the front than the back. Thank you
Hi Peppi,
Before you add your hem turn up/alllowance, check the side seam lengths as adjust the pattern pieces as needed.
I made these over the weekend and am wearing them now. I wanted to see if I needed to adjust anything before I made them as pants. These are so comfortable and look very nice. Great hack!
Thanks Lisa! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!