Thursday, May 22, 2014

Me-Made Panties: a Trial Run

Yep, that's right, I spent a rare day in my sewing room.  I've been itching to get in there for a while now, so you can probably imagine the contented smile on my face right now.

Sadly, only half of the last 5 hours was spent sewing.  This morning was spent digging out my sewing room from the epic storm that seemed to blow through.  Cripes, how does it wind up such a disaster without any sewing going on?! 

Anywho, I MADE PANTIES!!

I've been wanting to make more of these suckers for a while.  I'm still wearing two of the pairs I made back in 2010 since they're the most comfortable panties I own and I don't ever want to give them up!  Yikes, that's a long time ago.  Definitely time to make some new ones!

I'm not going to go into much detail about the construction or tracing the pattern, as they're very similar to how I did the last set and I added some useful links in that post.  I did spend some time yesterday reading through Zoe's (of So Zo...) series of blog posts on making panties, and she has a free pattern available if you don't want to try tracing your own.  Really helpful stuff!

These were really just a trial run of the pattern I traced this afternoon from a pair of beloved-but-sadly-unwearable La Senza panties.  This time I was smart and traced them onto some stiff muslin fabric to create a more durable pattern.

For the trial run, I cut up an old comfy-but-indescribably-unflattering top I originally found at a thrift shop and has been hanging out in my To-Be-Reconstructed Bin for years.


This was the first time I've sewn elastic like this, first stitching the elastic and fabric right sides together, then flipping the elastic under and using a three-stitch zig-zag overtop.  Boy do I need practice keeping a straight zig-zagged seam on wiggly elastic! 

All in all, I'm pretty pleased with them, other than the horrible job I did on the elastic.  And you can't really see once it's all said and done - at least, not from the front.  I've learned to use a light coloured thread when using a light coloured elastic - boy does the underside look horrible.

The traced pattern turned out to be really comfortable!  I love how odd the leg holes look flat, but they have good bum coverage because of it, yet doesn't dig into my legs in the front.  Though one thing I'll need to remember in the future is to tighten up the elastic as it goes over the bum area of the leg holes.  The elastic wound up a bit too loose in that area, and tightening it up should snug it up to my bum a bit more.

Things you all obviously need to know.  You're welcome.

So yeah, I'd call these a success.  Time to start cranking these suckers out, assembly-line style!

Have any of you converted to me-made panties yet?  I sort of want to replace all of my current stock with them!

9 comments:

  1. When I made a swimsuit way back, my teacher applied the leg elastic this way (& yes, this will work on panties too): don't stretch the elastic on the front of the panties, just sew it on without stretching. Then put ALL the excess in the back part. This way they will cup your you-know-what and not ride up or move.

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    1. Ooo good advice, thanks for passing it on.

      Getting nice compliments on ones panties is always nice! :D

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  2. Oh..forgot to say - your panties look great (never said *that* before LOL). The elastic looks fine not horrible!

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  3. Hand made panties are without a doubt, the best. They last forever and they stay where you put them, AND if you make them from swimwear fabric they have a spanx kind of effect as well.

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    1. Huh, never thought of using swimwear fabric. I've always worn cotton (much to my boyfriend's disappointment), so I wonder how different that would wear. Hmm...

      Love the idea of the spanx effect. :D

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  4. Too funny! I just made Gertie's boy shorts, but I don't like that cut. Maybe I'll try the free pattern. Thanks for the link!

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    1. Not a problem! Can't say anything about the fit, but the pattern pieces looked pretty similar to my pattern, and they're cozy. Good luck with them! I haven't looked into Gerties pattern, but I'm not generally a fan of boy shorts. :\

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  5. Nice work! You amaze me with your sewing skills! This is just another thing I could make for myself if I'd bite the bullet and start sewing. I've been seeing a lot of hand sewn swimsuits lately, too, and imagine the possibilities of getting the perfect fit for me.

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    1. Haha thanks! I remember when I first came across me-made panties, and my brain was sort of blown at the idea of making my own too! Funny, but it's just not something you think about.

      The Boyfriend and I are discussing a Mexican vacation this winter, and I'm considering sewing my own bathing suit...

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