Jenny Shorts vs. Lander Shorts

I’ve realized in the past little while that I’m really not a skirt person. I love dresses, but somehow skirts always make me feel chopped in half and honestly a bit frumpy. But I AM a shorts person. And yet only own one pair of non-athletic shorts that I wear on a consistent basis. So I wanted to make some new shorts that are versatile and will go with lots of things in my wardrobe. I already owned the Lander Pant/Short pattern from True Bias, although the pants I made are no longer wearable because I got overzealous with my fitting and after the first wash they were tooooo tight. 🙁 BUT I did love the style and wanted to have a go with the shorts. As well, I was intrigued by the shorts version of the Jenny Overalls by Closet Case Patterns. I saw Heather make a pair on her Instagram stories and I immediately took a second look at the pattern (which I had initially rejected because I’m not an overalls person). I ended up making those first even though I already had the Landers cut out! I got this cotton/linen canvas in the Arroyo collection by Cotton and Flax from Patch Halifax.

 I really like the shape and the pockets! I think on future pairs I will shorten the rise by 1″ because they’re a little long on me in that area (I get protruding zipper crotch when I sit down), but other than that I think the fit is good. This is a size 10 sewn up with no modifications, for reference. I love the wide hem as well! They have a side zipper instead of a fly front, and it’s a lapped zipper, which I’d never sewn before but went half-decently. I did the single zipper (there’s the option to do one on each side), and I like the tab closure with the button. I think my Marimekko cotton/linen will become a pair of these once I make one more pair to test out my rise modification. I like the volume in them, it feels more like a skirt-shape, and I think goes well with a more fitted top.

Today I finally finished my Lander shorts. I’d been chipping away at them gradually for the last week or so (in comparison, I banged out the Jenny shorts in maybe a day or two of huge chunks of sewing time). I LOVE them. In terms of similarity to the Jenny shorts, they both have patch pockets on the back and a similar length, as well as back darts. The Landers have a button fly instead of a zipper (which I love), and patch pockets on the front instead of a slash pocket. They’re also not as voluminous in the leg, and include belt loops and a straight waistband. This is a size 8 sewn up with no modifications. I tried them on before attaching the waistband and felt the fit was good, so went with it. I wouldn’t change anything about the fit for future pairs – I learned my lesson from the pants! I think these will get a lot of wear. Since they’re more fitted, I think they’ll be good with a bit more volume on top. They’re made from a solid black Robert Kaufman Ventana cotton twill that I think I got from Fabric.com when the Landers were first released.

I see a couple more pairs of Jennys in my future, and in a bit maybe another pair of Landers. These solid black Landers are so versatile that I don’t feel a pressing need to go straight into making another pair. I think Jenny could be good in this same black twill, which is probably what I’ll use to make my test version after making the rise modification. Jenny really seems like a pattern that calls for a print though, so there might be some bold ones on the horizon! Have you made either of these patterns? Did you have a favourite?