Thursday, August 29, 2013

Stretch Lace! Modern Panty-Sewing, Here We Come

I just got my package in for some stretch lace I ordered from Lace Heaven. I am so excited to use these lovely colors. Pretty! Now to find some cute fabrics to go with them. That's where I will get confused and frustrated. I don't think I'll try stretch lace or mesh or anything weird like that, but cotton jersey is weird and modern enough.

I've decided to try to make my own modern underwear. I hate paying so much for new ones and the cheaper ones fall apart and are not comfortable. Not to mention they are ugly anyhow. So we'll give this go. I plan to use the free pattern from Cloth Habit and may also try the panty tutorial from Come and See the Seitz.

After corsets and drawers and chemises and hoop skirts, a 2-piece panty pattern shouldn't be too hard, right?

I'm terrified.

But we'll plow on. I need to overcome my fear of knit fabrics and ball point needles. I. Will. Do. This.

Love,
Sarah

7 comments:

  1. Oh, I understand your fear! I bought a pretty swim wear fabric earlier this summer and have not dared to make it into a swimsuit yet - the knit fabric is truly terrifying...

    Fun project though, good luck with it!

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  2. I've been working on this. 1) use a stretch stitch. 2) use a double needle to get a pro-looking finish, but loosen the tension so you don't get a pintuck effect.

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  3. I am SO with you here! I don't know what it is, but the simplest under-thing of all by far seems the most terrifying to attempt to sew. And they are so expensive for the quality when bought. Please, share what you learn!

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  4. I made 2 mock up pair of panties today. The first one I used a t shirt for, as described in the tutorial Come and See the Seitz. Those did NOT come out well - so I learned the weight of the jersey has a lot to do with the fit of things, plus it's stretch factor. These were just too big and baggy. :(

    Next pair I cut up a slinky jersey dress I don't wear anymore. Those fit almost perfectly - so that is the kind of fabric I'll look for when shopping for panty fabric, I guess.

    Laura, great tip about the double needles! I hadn't thought of that. Sewing with knits is so new to me. I will pick up a double needle while I'm out and give it a try. The zig zag stitch I used for my successful pair of panties worked okay but definitely gives a "homemade" look to the finished garment. I can't wait to try the double needle!

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  5. I was going to leave a comment about the double needle also- I cannot hold a candle to your seamstress abilities, but the double needle does take a lot of fear out of knits and makes it so when you stretch the garment you don't hear that dreaded snapping of threads. Buy two, they break easily :(

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  6. Sarah, experiment on scraps until you get the tension right. Too tight, it will produce a raised channel, too loose and they'll want to fall out...

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Thank you for your lovely thoughts!