KB Stitch Designs Siren Trousers

I made my second pair of shorts as a tester for the new Siren Trousers/Shorts pattern by Koerbs Bros Stitch Designs (set to release 9/4). I was excited to read that the Trousers/Shorts pattern was designed to be fitted through the hips, but then straight to the hem, have a high waist, a two piece flat front, pockets, and a side zipper. All of those design elements are perfect for a petite pear shaped person like me. The two pieced front opens up lots of possibilities for embellishment along the seam. You could add piping or lace to add more horizontal interest. While your at it add some to the pockets too. I've already bought fabric and piping for two pairs of pants.
Being pear shaped I really struggle to find store bought shorts that fit. When they fit my hips and bum the shorts are way too big for my waist. The best part of sewing for myself is that I can actually own shorts again.

I really love the final pair of shorts that I sewed. The color is fun and the fit turned out to be wonderful. When I have worn them out I have received compliments on them, which I always take as the best judgment on my sewing.

Side

I love that the PDF actually walks you through making a muslin of the shorts size (it's recommended that you pick a fabric similar to what you will make your final pair with). The muslin section guides you on how your shorts should fit and offers solutions to common pants fitting problems. Why make a muslin pair? While you should always pick your size by measurements (not just your store size), when you sew for an adult you have to expect that your curves and the patterns curves are not quite going to fit perfectly (we all carry our weight in different spots). I have started to recognize the features of my body that require changes on patterns (my ample back side) and it's becoming easy to make a muslin and adjust a pattern to fit. The designer is planning a more in depth blog post on fitting the pants (I'll update the post with the link when it is live).
The pattern has cutting lines for 3 inch inseam shorts (pictured), 11 inch inseam Bermuda shorts, and 33" inseam pants (this is easily shortened or lengthened at the hem since it's a straight pant cut). I made the size 10 with a full bum adjustment (you add length to the rise so that the fabric can cover your backside), a flat tummy adjustment for the front (because the front rise was too high), and a smaller more curved waistband (so that I didn't have gapping on my back waistband like all of my store bought shorts). My next post will show how I adjusted my pattern pieces to fit my particular body. I used stretch denim for my muslin pairs and for my final pair of shorts. I did choose to line the pockets with apparel lining fabric instead of the stretch denim, so that the pockets would not be too bulky.
So here is a few more pictures of how they turned out. A big thank you to my son and husband, who were very sweet to take so many pictures for their camera shy/picky mom and wife.