I received a free copy of the Greenstyle Hampton Shorts in exchange for this review. As always, all opinions remain my own.

Confession time. I sew a LOT for my kids and myself. The last usable project I made for my husband was the 5 out of 4 Pajama Pants during Christmas. That blog post went live on December 14th. <holds head in shame>. Yes, it has been nearly 6 months since the last project I made for my husband.

Now let me tell you. He LOVES the things I've made for him. But so far he only has 2 5 out of 4 Sierra Pullovers and 2 pairs of pajama pants (1 cotton woven and the other poly fleece). Let's not add up all the items I've sewn for myself and compare. That would probably get me in some serious trouble.

So instead, I've decided to dedicate an entire month to sews for my husband. He gets his very own series, June is for Dads. Thanks to my VERY lax requirements, I'll be teaming up with some really awesome bloggers who are also setting aside some much needed time to create for the dads in their lives.

On to my first review!

Greenstyle gave me the original version of the Hampton Shorts for review. When I printed, my pocket didn't quite line up. I can neither confirm nor deny that the problem could have been the result of my very temperamental printer. Either way, Angelyn decided to update the Hampton Shorts and so, my pocket problem was gone with the second set of printing. If you have the original version and would like an updated version, be sure to contact Angelyn at Greenstyle Creations.

So I actually started out by making a pair for myself. I mistakenly thought that my husband and my waist measurements were the same (this pattern uses waist only for sizing). I was wrong. I'm smaller. So my intent to use it as a muslin for his "good" pair didn't work out so well. I used some navy blue cotton lycra from Purple Seamstress. Not exactly the right fabric for this project, but good enough. But hey, I have a great fitting pair of comfy shorts. YES! So, if you're wondering whether these work great for women, the answer is yes. Please note, I am an inverted triangle (a pretty common shape for a man) so my measurements match up well to men's measurements. If I were to make them again for myself, I would need to make some length adjustments. That's because I'm 5'1". Most men's patterns are drafted for a man at least 5'8" tall. BUT, over all they fit great and my large quads aren't a problem at all for a change.

So, attempt number 2. I was actually lucky enough to have Purple Seamstress sponsor this post. And working with Mel was, as always, awesome. I told her what pattern I was trying to sew up, and that I was looking for some "manly" fabrics. She started sending me photos of fabrics to choose from. It was a bit like having my own personal fabric shopper. And let's not even get started on shipping. These packages always arrive so fast.

I finally settled on this blue and black plaid jersey and was actually annoyed with it. I'm such a lazy seamstress and I HATE lining up all those lines. So I didn't (gasp). I know, but seriously, these shorts are meant to lounge around in the house. If someone has the nerve to complain about the stripes not lining up, you better believe they won't be getting any more me mades from me!

I have to admit, my husband has always struggled to get a really good fit in pants. He has a big butt, large quads and longer than usual rise. Basically he's unique and no one makes pants specifically for him. EXCEPT, these fit exactly right the first time. No fiddling with the crotch curve or adding to the front or the back of the pattern. Just perfection on the first try. So of course, he has now asked whether I could use the pattern to make boxers because he loves the fit that much. I'll need to modify the pattern to have a fly and get rid of the waist band and pocket, but I will be working on hacking these into boxers. Because there's really no reason to mess with perfection.

Are you completely sold? Because if I didn't already have this pattern, I'd want it now. And I've got a giveaway of this pattern for 1 lucky reader! So be sure to go through the rafflecopter below to register for your chance to win your very own copy of the Hampton Shorts

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