So my little one is in yet again another spica cast! I thought I would make her some cute little shorts to go over them and in the process create this unique tutorial for all my OI mama and POLP friends! Here we go!
Materials needed : pair of shorts, sharp scissors, 1/2" wide Velcro, sewing machine, thread.
Start off with a pair of store bought shorts a good few sizes larger to accommodate the cast. That's right, store bought... you didn't think I was that crafty did you? Besides this is supposed to be easy peasy! I don't have time to follow patterns! If you are wondering, I found these at Target in the little girls section. They are a girls size 4/5 and my daughter is typically a 12 months size. To make sure I had the right size and shape (some shorts taper in in the leg which is not what you want for thick casted legs) I held them up to her casted waist making sure that the seamed sides lined up to her sides all the way down and were baggy enough to accommodate the casts.
Take a pair of very sharp scissors and cut straight from bottom to top along the side next to the seam. Do not cut on the seam, just next to it. My seam is to the left, scissors to the right leaving about a half inch distance from the seam.
Cut through the elastic carefully.
Open your pair of shorts up.
This is the side with the seam. Since the seam is here on this side we don't need to stitch what we cut, it's already done for us.
Take your velcro and size it up. You want it to be long enough to run the length of the side of the pair of shorts but not too long that it sticks out at either end.
I lined mine up just about a half inch from the top and cut it at about a half inch from the bottom.
My velcro overlaps the elastic and runs down to the bottom seam on the shorts. Since this is the butt side of the shorts (the seam closest to the behind, see the tag) I will use the rough side of the velcro here.
Do not sew your velcro on the side shown above (inside of shorts) rather sew it on the outside of the shorts (the side that shows) close to the edge of where you cut. Sew the velcro on by stitching all around the four edges of the velcro (like a box).
Trim your threads. Take a look at the other edge of your shorts where you cut. There is no seam on that side. We need to make one so that the fabric doesn't unravel. Fold the side of the shorts in, just enough so that you can stitch a seam down the side.
Trim your threads. Now take your softer counterpart of velcro and match up the size needed with the velcro that you have already sewn on. Make sure when you go to sew on the soft sided velcro that the placement is correct and that it lines up with the rough sided velcro.
Sew on the soft sided velcro on the inside of the pair of shorts next to the seam that you sewn.
Trim your threads. Now you have two sewn on velcro strips along the edges that you cut open. Now you can close up your shorts!
Here's a pic to show you what I'm working with here in cast land. Yep, that cast goes up her whole leg wraps around her waist and goes down the back of the other leg. Believe me stretching an elastic waistband only goes so far... in this case it's not enough! Some modifications were absolutely needed! Diaper changing is a whole other story as is her diagnosis.
Here are the first pair I made.
Ok, so here's how you get them on easy peasy! Put the one casted leg through and pull up making sure that the back of the shorts don't get scrunched up behind the cast.
Velcro her up!
Feed her some snacks and juice for being such a champ!
Happy crafting!!! 
