Okay, here’s my attempt at a blog post about making kickboxer shorts, written in a casual, first-person style:
Alright, so I decided I wanted to try making my own kickboxer shorts. I’ve been getting into kickboxing more, and, well, the shorts out there are either super expensive or just… not my style. So, DIY time it was!
Getting Started
First things first, I needed a pattern. I’m not gonna lie, I’m no expert at sewing. I can মোটামুটি (mòjī mòjī – it means “so-so” in Chinese, I think?) get by, but drafting a pattern from scratch? Nope. So I went online, did some searching and after comparing a few options, found one that looks pretty simple and use it.
Next up, fabric. I wanted something lightweight and breathable, obviously. You don’t want to be sweating buckets in thick, heavy material while you’re kicking and punching. I ended up going to a local fabric store . I spent like an hour just feeling different fabrics. I ended up with this cool, almost silky-feeling polyester blend. It felt super smooth and had a good drape to it.
- Fabric: Lightweight, breathable polyester blend.
- Pattern: I found one on the internet(don’t remeber now, maybe next time I’ll do it myself)
- Other stuff: Elastic for the waistband, thread, sewing machine (duh!), scissors, pins, and a whole lot of patience.
The Sewing Process (aka The Struggle)
Okay, so, cutting out the pattern pieces was pretty straightforward. Pinning them together? Also not too bad. But then came the actual sewing… Let’s just say my sewing machine and I had a few disagreements. There was some thread tangling, some skipped stitches, and a few moments where I seriously considered just throwing the whole thing in the trash.
The trickiest part, for me, was the waistband. Getting the elastic in there evenly and then sewing it shut without catching the elastic in the seam… that took some serious concentration (and a few curse words, I’m not gonna lie). I think I ripped out the seams and re-did it at least three times.
The side slits were another challenge. I wanted to make sure they were deep enough for good range of motion, but not so deep that, you know… things would be, uh, exposed. I ended up using a lot of pins and doing some careful measuring (and re-measuring) to get them just right.
The Final Result!
After a few evenings of work (and a lot of frustration breaks), I finally finished! And you know what? They actually turned out pretty good! They’re comfortable, they move well, and they look… well, they look like kickboxer shorts! Maybe not the prettiest kickboxer shorts ever made, but hey, I made them myself, and that’s pretty cool.
I’ve worn them to a few classes now, and they’ve held up great. No rips, no tears, no wardrobe malfunctions (thank goodness!). I’m actually kind of proud of myself. It’s a good feeling to create something with your own two hands, even if it’s just a pair of shorts.
Would I do it again? Maybe. It was definitely a learning experience. I’m not sure I’d recommend it to someone who’s completely new to sewing, but if you have some basic skills and a lot of patience, it’s totally doable. And hey, if you mess up, you can always just rip out the seams and start over. That’s the beauty of sewing – it’s pretty forgiving (most of the time!).
