Sew Pom Pom Shorts with Free Pattern!

Hey y’all – today I’m sharing a free pattern and tutorial for these pom pom shorts. When I went on my sewing instead of packing spree recently before a beach trip to Mexico, this kind of short was at the top of my list. And with not much of my Idle Wild yardage left after my Marbella Dress, I knew this would be the perfect way to showcase the print while also creating something I’d wear all the time.

And wear them all the time I have! These comfy and airy knit shorts are always either on me or in the laundry.

So, want to make your own pom pom shorts? You’ll need:

• about 1 yard of fabric. These could be either knit or woven; the fit is loose enough that either kind of fabric will work. I used Idle Wild Knit Main in Multi (my fabric design!).
• About 2 yards of pom pom trim. I used this one (affiliate link)
• About 1 yard of 1 inch wide elastic
• The pattern

I’ve got two options for you to get the pattern, which is in a women’s size small, for hips up to 36″ and waist 28″.  If you need to make the pattern bigger or smaller, check out this post. To get it, click your preferred option below to get the free pattern only as a newsletter subscriber, or to buy the digital pattern + printable instructions for $2.

Please note that all my free patterns are licensed for personal use only (no selling items made from this unless you purchase it) and by downloading you are agreeing to this license.

Cut out the pieces from your fabric, making sure to mirror image the fronts and the backs, and also to mark the notches – those are going to be very important to line up the front pieces to the back pieces.

The pattern includes 1/2″ seams unless otherwise noted. If you are using knit fabric, sew all seams with a stretch stitch, though you can use a straight stitch to attach the trim.

Start by placing the backs and fronts right sides together and sewing the curved crotch seams.

Then, place the back and the front right sides together and match the inseam. Stitch across.

Your front is attached to the back only by the inseam. If you’re using woven fabric, finish the curved edges of the legs with an overlock or faux overlock stitch. Fold one leg out of the way and pin the pom pom trim to the other leg, going all the way up the back piece and about halfway up the front piece at the side seam. The poms should be facing up, away from the raw edge. Stitch the trim to the shorts.

Fold the trim to the wrong side of the shorts, so the poms are now facing down. Stitch again to hold them like this. Repeat with the other leg.

Your shorts should now look like the picture below; the top is the back of the shorts, the bottom is the front. Lay your shorts out flat to match this.

Fold the front of the shorts up onto the back, wrong sides together, and then fold the back side edge around the front, matching the notches. Baste the part of the back that overlaps the front together around the waist. Repeat this with the other side. Then, depending on your personal preference, you can either move on to the waist casing (which leaves the possibility of your shorts flying open to the waist, perfect for a swim cover up or pajamas) or you can topstitch the backs onto the fronts around the pom pom trimmed curve.

Next, fold the raw edge at the waist down 1/4 inch, then again 1 1/8 inches. Stitch close to the inner edge to form the waist casing, leaving an opening to insert the elastic. These shorts site below the waist, around the hip bones, so measure your elastic there and cut it. Use a safety pin to insert elastic in the casing, overlapping the ends 1/2 inch and zig zag stitching them together. Then sew the casing closed and you’re done!

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