Over the last couple of days I made 7 pairs of underwear and I have two more pairs cut out. I wore a pair today and I think they are the first pair in my life that are adjustment proof. No tugging whatsoever. I love them. I am completely certain I will never buy panties again. It will be especially interesting to see how long they last.
I used Kwik Sew 2908, I made 6 pairs of briefs and 1 bikini, I haven't tried the bikini on yet, but I can't see any reason why they wouldn't fit as well as the briefs. Like everyone else who reviewed these on Sewing Pattern Review , I found the crotch section to be quite wide, I compensated by making the seam allowance wider and then tapering it to the normal 1/4 inch seam allowance. The fabric I used varied quite a bit in stretchability, they were all stretchier than specified by Kwik Sew and yet they all fit fine. When you sew them the elastic gets quite stretched out, and I was a little concerned, cause they really didn't look right, but after a wash and dry they look perfect. I used a short zig zag stitch for attaching the elastic and then I turned the raw edge to the inside and used the coverstitch to finish. I didn't do a perfect job, but I am not going to show you and no one else will ever know either 8-). One good thing about using the cover stitch machine is that I got to used some of my new (to me) thrift store serger thread.
All in all, I highly recommend sewing your own underwear.
Edited January 17, 2012
I used two types of elastic in my panties, and I have found that the lingerie elastic with a picot edge doesn't work so well with a slightly heavier fabric. The lingerie elastic was fine in a light weight poly type blend but not so much with a heavier cotton knit. I would suggest using the heavier swimwear elastic for more of an everyday pantie and the picot edge for a finer fabric. I hope that's clear.
Aren't these cute? I half-ass tried to make some a few months back, but it turned into a hash I didn't even finish. I'll try again sometime when I have better fabric and elastic on hand.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I have total coverstitch envy. :)
OMG! MY FIRST COMMENT! sorry I'll stop yelling. The coverstitch is nice, but they aren't all that. Really, they haven't earned your envy. I got an incredible deal on mine or else I wouldn't have bothered.
ReplyDeleteThanks for commenting.
Thanks for your comment on my blog! :-) I prefer the FOE (fold over elastic) for the leg openings, because (this might be TMI) if you get *ahem* razor irritation, that picot edging just makes you that much more miserable. And the FOE can be put on in one step--especially easy if you have an elastic foot (or binder foot maybe?) for your coverstitch I'd bet. (I don't have a coverstitch, so that's pure speculation, but I do put it on in one step with a triple zig-zag on my standard sewing machine.)
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, I totally understand your obsession with sewing your own underwear.... ;-)