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6.29.2015

The City Gym Shorts in Love Bug by Tamera Kate

I've wanted to make a pair of City Gym Shorts, a free pattern by Purl Soho, ever since I saw Carolyn's navy with gold trim version here. (So cool, right?)

city gym shorts 

Kristin also made an awesome pair of shorts for her daughter that inspired me as well.  They weren't the City Gym shorts, but they had a similar look.  They're both racer shorts with an 80s feel that show off the girls' adorable knobby knees.  Yes, please.

iris and pete 

But I was having a hard time coming up with a fabric choice that would make these shorts my own.  So I forgot about this pattern for awhile.

pete and iris 

Then Tamara emailed me about her new fabric line for Michael Miller called the Birds and the Bees.  She had asked if I wanted to try out any of her fabrics in exchange for a blog post.   When I saw the charcoal heart print, I immediately knew I wanted to turn it into a pair of city gym shorts.

city shorts

The heart print is called Love Bug because every so often a heart opens into a ladybug.  I knew Iris would love it and it had that 80's vibe I was going for.

city gym shorts 

Tamara sent me some coordinating Michael Miller cotton couture to use for the bias binding.  Man, I love that stuff!

Iris's sidekick in the photos today is her beloved pal, Pete.  Everywhere she goes, Pete goes.  Usually she treats him exceptionally well, but today, she was feeling a little frisky.

iris and pete 

I told her, "Pete doesn't like when you pull on his ears like that."

But the thing is, Pete only talks to Iris.  "Let me ask him," she said, like she always does.  Then she looked at him, face to face, and asked, "Pete, do you like when I pull on your ears?"

iris and pete

"Pete says he likes it!"  she reported back.

I think she enjoyed my reaction because next she decided to hang Pete over the deck railing.

city gym shorts 

 Then I heard her say, "Do you see the crocodiles down there, Pete?"  :0 :0 :0

iris and pete 

Her final stunt was to hang him up on our planter.

Iris and Pete iris and pete 
She walked away and said, "See ya later, Pete!" with her eyes closed like this.

city gym shorts


Oh goodness, I don't know what got into her today!  But don't you worry about Pete.  Soon enough he was reinstated to his former status of treasured family member.

iris and pete
"I love you, Pete!!!"

Thanks for the awesome fabric, Tamara!  Iris and I love it! 

{You can see Tamara's entire collection here.}

18 comments:

  1. Ohhhhh what an adorable pair of shorts!!! That fabric is the cutest and that Iris is such a little comedian, what a silly gal. I never worried for a second about Pete, though, for the record.

    Thanks for the link to my class picnic shorts - E has totally grown out of those this year and definitely needs a new pair of racer-types. I haven't even tried this pattern yet but you've definitely inspired me. :)

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  2. I love the storytelling with the pics, your wee girl is such a character! These shorts look so good, that fabric is lovely! In fact I'd love a pair of city gym shorts out it, for myself! I'm currently making my first pair of city gym shorts, for me, but was thinking it would be very cute to make my wee boy a pair too.

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    1. She really is! She is such a joyful child! And yes, two pair of city gym shorts sound perfect! <3

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  3. That fabric is awesome! Perfect for gym shorts. Iris' tough love is adorable. :)

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  4. Both Iris & the shorts are adorable, Rachel! I really love them, so much so that I think I'll go make a pair for my daughter now. Thanks again for your contribution to the Birds & the Bees rollout! A simple, yet very effective project choice.

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  5. So cute! Love how the gym shorts turned out!

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    1. Thanks so much! The pattern is free and they have an adult version if you want to check it out. :)

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  6. Those shorts are adorable! You are so adventurous to try all of these new things! I also love learning a bit about Iris! In the photo of her laughing, hanging Pete over the rail, I can see you as a child laughing-beautiful! Thanks for sharing!

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    1. Aw, you are so sweet, Aleshia. I have to admit, I could see that too. Iris is pretty much my doppelgänger. It will be interesting to see how and if that changes as she grows older.
      I hope all is going well there. xo

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  7. Cutest shorts! That fabric is perfect of the pattern and I love Pete's adventures! I hope E gets back into shorts wearing one of these days so I can try this pattern. It's O that is in terrible need of new shorts and I just can't imagine this pattern on a boy.

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  8. Was Pete scared of the crocodiles? Haha loved that story! The shorts are adorable in this fabric. I wanted to make a pair last summer but Little Monkey decided she was not going to wear shorts. Oh well, maybe next summer.

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  9. How adorable. The shorts and Iris ; )

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  10. Ha ha, Iris is hilarious! I love how she talks to him, and only she can hear him. Lucy also has a little dog, Toby, that's always with her. It's such a sweet thing!
    I just love these shorts! I am itching to get a sewing machine so I can make something again. The fabric is really nice, too. I love the colours in it!

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  11. Cute cute cuuuuuuute!!! I don't have much else to say about the shorts - the fabric, the cut, the little ladybugs, and the knobbly knees, are insanely adorable!

    Also, "See ya later, Pete!" with THAT FACE!!! It's killing me! I'm kind of glad that I'm not Iris' special friend, because crocodiles scare *my* pants off, but I'm glad they kissed and made up in the end. Neither of my children have developed this kind of close bond with a lovey or animal (I had a rag doll that went with me EVERYWHERE when I was Iris's age) so it's especially special to read about little Pete.

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  12. perfect fabric print for this retro style shorts! You certainly succeeded in making this pattern "your own". And that cotton couture . . . I want to get my hands on that stuff - I've heard such great things:)
    Love, love sweet Iris! Great job in documenting her running commentary on the adventures of Pete; she will love to read this someday!

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  13. These pictures are adorable!
    By the way, I've started adding a little English part to my blog texts (after I saw you and some other American bloggers passed by), to make sure everyone can understand :)

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  14. Love your fabric choice. I need to make these shorts up before summer is over.

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