Shorts and Stripes

My most favorite pair of shorts were whipped up a few years ago with leftovers from a quilt I made for one of my nieces. I decided I should do the same type of thing now with my patriotic leftovers so I have some really cool shorts to wear next month. Well, and the rest of this month, too!

I've heard noises in the house late at night a couple of times in the last week. I wondered if another uninvited visitor had discovered the clandestine entrance I had tried to block off... Even though it's not October, I did NOT go down into the basement to investigate.

Using my patriotic stash meant I had to go down into the basement to go through my stash. Please don't be any critters down there!!! I was pretty nervous at first. I found three boxes of crafts busted open and upside down on the basement floor. I visually inspected the roof and upper edges of the unfinished basement but saw no evidence of creatures having fallen through. Or living in the basement. (No droppings, chewed boxes, scratch marks, nests...)

This does hasten my cringing impulse to make absolutely certain nothing can ever again gain basement entrance without my permission, but I'm going to need the guys from church who are often asking what they can do to help to help! Still just a bit anxious, I inspected the overturned boxes and the surface where they'd been perched prior to being dislodged. Apparently, the box they'd been on top of had expanded/bulged over the years, and the split-sides boxes eventually just toppled. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

AI images for humor only; I have no pets

One of the overturned boxes contained a bunch of yarn left over from back in the day when I was bear-addicted. I plucked the turquoise yarn before sealing the box and returning it to its now flat and level resting place. I don't know what I'm going to make with the turquoise yarn yet, but I love the color and can't wait to use it.

After the other two boxes were checked, sealed and settled back on top of the adjusted and resettled larger box, I had to move six more heavy boxes to access the giant stash bin that holds all my pink stash and all my patriotic stash. (Really missing my Chief Box Mover!) Ten minutes later, I was replacing all the boxes and so excited to dive back into my patriotic stash. I have more ideas than just shorts, too! Plus, this is the first time I've been excited about sewing and designing since I lost my beloved Lizard. Eight weeks, if anyone is counting.

Cutting strips from my patriotic fabric stash made me miss Joanne's for the first time. I wasn't a regular customer, but I certainly visited when I needed one more color or one more theme fabric in a rush. They always had a pretty decent variety of various holiday fabrics. Thankfully, I had enough strips without any repeats, so I got by with what I have in my stash because I used black on sides of the right front panel I didn't have enough patriotic yardage to fill. Using what I have instead of buying more is always rewarding.

Even though my favorite shorts have lasted for years of wear and through multiple washings, I learned my lesson about clothing seams after my most recent handmade dress. I cut my patriotic jelly roll strips at three inches instead of two and a half to make sure my fabrics don't unravel upon first trip through the laundry routine. I topstitched, too, for an added measure of peekaboolessness.

Once I finished assembling the shorts, I wasn't sure I had elastic. I really didn't want to have to buy more. Initially, all I could find was several packages of quarter-inch elastic. Finally, beneath my fleece selvedges, which still need to be sewn together for a future project with a giant crochet hook, I found an entire unused package of 3/4-inch elastic. I finished the shorts in a day. I can't tell you how long it's been since I was able to finish much of anything in one day!

Linking up with Alycia Quilts.

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