Sewing knickers

There are knickers all over instagram at the moment, I have been inspired to have a go…

Did you know you can make a pair from a fat quarter?

Having never ever made knickers or anything closely resembling underwear, I thought I would begin by playing safe and sewing from a kit. …

I spent £15 and ordered one from Trixie Lixie.

Kit arrived super fast (thank you Trixie) and there is even a video to view online, that is very helpful if you get stuck!

Everything went according to plan and in one hour I had made my first ever pair of knickers…

I was hooked, the next day I made another pair, I had plans, I intended on using up all my scraps of fabric left over from making dresses and such like…

An optional bow can be added and oh how I do love a pretty bow…

Close up of the elastic sewing…. (just zig-zag no overlocker needed!)

Taa daah…This pair was from a fat quarter that came free with the first issue of Love Sewing magazine!

Total cost = 40p (2m of elastic lace at 20p per meter) and about an hour from start to finish…

By this time the poor pattern was slightly the worse for wear with all the use it was getting! I quickly realised it wasn’t going to last long.

I consulted the other half, who came up with the genius idea of cutting it from perspex!

He promptly disappeared, found some perspex and came back with the 3 pieces of the pattern made entirely from perspex, complete with pattern markings!

He is a genius…

The next day I made more….

and more: loved this pair so much I added my name to it…

If you plan on making some, you may like to know what I learnt from my first attempts… ?

Hints and tips when sewing your own knickers:

Wider lace elastic is easier to sew on than narrow elastic,
Test the elastic springs back firmly before buying, if it doesnt dont buy it.
A lightweight cotton lawn is perfect the fabric to use (in my opinion)
Use a slightly wider zig-zag stitch than normal, as this gives more stretch.
Practise sewing with scraps first, the technique of stretching the lace as you sew, takes a little getting used to.
When sewing, don’t stretch the elastic too much along the sides of the gusset, as this makes it makes it uncomfortable to wear.
Be prepared to experiment, you may not make a perfect ‘pair’ first time around and that is ok!

A review of the Trixie Lixie Knicker Kit.

The Pros: Nice fabric choices on the site and the pattern is cut well, with plenty of ‘behind’ coverage! They are comfortable to wear and the fit was good and true to size.

The Cons: The elastic that comes with the kit is not very suitable (in my opinion) it did not gather the fabric well and was too narrow, The elastic did not wash particularly well either.

It is the elastic that has the most important job to do in a pair of knickers and I have to say the one supplied in the kit was not up to the job!!

If I was less confident in my sewing abilities, this attempt at sewing lingerie would have put me off forever. However the next day realising the elastic was at fault and not me. I rushed to my local haberdashery and bought new elastic,with fab results.

I have just ordered the Sew over it Knicker Kit for comparison