Motion Shorts Pattern Review

​I’m a selfish sewer.
 
There—I said it. I prefer to sew for myself as a hobby and for self-care. The process of taking something from raw material to final product is cathartic for me and helps me manage stress.
 
The effect of this craft therapy is that my husband has to live through an apartment covered in fabric scraps and an ever-growing hoard of fabric with little to no tangible benefit. Sure, he gets the residual effects of me being in a better mood, but he doesn’t get cool new clothes like I do.
 
Until now.
 
Greenstyle Creations just released a new men’s short pattern called the Motion Shorts. The overall design is similar to that of lululemon’s Pace Breaker Shorts, with a 5, 7, and 9-inch inseam, optional liner, and pieces that allow for color-blocking, if you are so inclined.
 
So how did it sew?

Pattern assembly and cutting

 Like most Greenstyle patterns, the Motion Shorts pattern is structurally sound, easy to follow, and requires little to no work when it comes to printing and laying out the pattern and fabric. If you print at home, there are no-trim pages. If printing at home isn’t your thing, you can also access print-shop and projector files with your purchase.

​Fabric

​The Motion Shorts pattern uses stretch wovens, which can be a bit tricky to find—I’ve had success with the Fabric Fairy and Spandex by Yard, but other vendors like the Styled Magnolia offer them, too.
 
I pulled a stretch chiffon that I purchased years ago at Jo-Ann out of my closet. (I originally purchased the fabric for a dress for a Jimmy Buffet concert, but like all of my projects, I didn’t get it done in time.) I was able to get an XL out of around a yard of fabric, but the pattern recommends more.
 
You’ll also need elastic, a drawstring, and spandex fabric—if you choose to sew a liner.

Sewing

​I’m not going to lie, I messed up at a few steps during the construction of these shorts and had to become best friends with my seam ripper. While the directions aren’t too hard, you’ll definitely want to read through the pocket steps a few times before sewing so you don’t miss crucial steps.
 
My Motion Shorts turned out okay, but it took a lot of seam ripping and curse words to get to that point.
 
Other than the pockets, these shorts are an easy, quick sew. I used a serger and a home machine—I don’t have a cover stitch and was fine.

Overall ratinG

​If you have a partner who likes lululemon’s Pace Breaker shorts or you love basketball-style shorts, go for it! It’s a quick pattern once you get the hang of it. I wouldn’t recommend it to be your first adventure in sewing activewear or wovens, but if you’re an advanced beginner or above—try the Motion Shorts
 
Plus—if you want to a matchy-matchy couple, you can double your stretch woven purchase and make a matching pair of Moxi Shorts.

I tested this pattern for the developer and received a copy for free. Links to the pattern are also affiliate links, and purchasing using them will give me a small kickback to help finance my sewing addiction.