Stitch Upon a Time Bunzies Sewing Project
This is my first foray into making underwear - Ekk!!
I'm doing the 52 Week Sewing Challenge on Facebook and this week's challenge is to sew some underwear. I'm really chuffed I've managed to do every challenge so far . . . time will tell if I can maintain that.
A few friends commented on how comfy they found Scrundies so I was looking forward to trying a pair for myself.
I'm in dire need of new undies. I once read somewhere "being a parent means dressing your kid in brand new clothes whilst you put on underwear that's older than they are." That pretty much sums up the current state of my knicker drawer.
Tools and Materials:
Thankfully I have a good sized pile of disappointingly thin stretch knit fabric on some appealing patterns. It seemed ideal the only snag is that this fabric doesn't have as much stretch as a more expensive cotton Lycra knit. Sometimes I can get away with it, sometimes not. The fabric was cheap and it's just taking up space so I figured I'd give it a trial run.
The destruction's ask for lingerie elastic. I'm assuming that's fold over elastic or elastic with a little trim on one edge. I have neither in my stash so I'm going with the band option which is quite a brave choice given the lack of stretch in my fabric - I could see me regretting some of these choices!
This being my first attempt at a knicker liner (is that the right term?) I followed the instructions carefully - get me, doing things properly! They were prety straightforward and it looks right to me.
I opted not to sew down my liner - I'm not sure if I'll regret that but this is a first draft so I can do things different for the rest if I feel like it.
This pattern is nicely designed with little nicks / flicks in the pattern pieces that show where the 1/2 seam should be. I've a metric sewing machine so this was really helpful for me.
After I'd constructed the basic knicker I went completely rogue and just applied the bands how I always do without really looking at the instructions - yeah I'm a rebel.
As it happens this is pretty much according to the instructions the only difference being that I sew my bands with a straight seam and press them flat before folding them over.
Now this doesn't look right to me . . . the instructions do clearly say to press the seams away from the bands but that leaves this horrible edge inside the crotch area. Surely that's going to rub? I know it would be better with lingerie elastic but I've heard bands are more comfortable and that's what my knickers are all about these days!
It might be better with the seams top stitched in place but I was too lazy this time. I'll definitely take that extra step on my my next pair - famous last words!
All in all I was pretty impressed with myself. I only took my hip measurement when choosing the size and they fit like a glove - actually they're a little tight to get on but I'm guessing that's the lack of stretch in my cheapo fabric. Once they're on they fit perfectly!
The only issue was the pop pop pop of the waist seam the first time I tried them on. I assumed I'd messed up my overlocker stitch and it didn't have enough stretch but it was actually the stretch stitch done on my sewing machine that had broken. This isn't the first time I've noticed a lack of stretch in my sewing machine's standard stretch stitch. I re-did the seam with an increased stitch length and width and it was perfect.
The fabric could definitely do with more stretch but I just can't bring myself to use premium cotton Lycra on my own clothes - daft I know but I only justify the expense for my kids outfits. Given the price of the fabric I'm absolutely chuffed to bits with these. I'm already planning on making my friends some for Christmas or is that too below the belt? (See what I did there? - Yeah I'll shut up now)