Two extra notes: From a design perspective, the leg openings on hipsters are much lower than on bikinis. And these undies are made of 94% cotton, 6% spandex, which have so much more stretch than 100% cotton jersey that they are tiny and have negative ease. I worked with the remains of the kelly green t-shirt from last week's Wednesday Workshop, so here's how to modify the bikini pattern without adjusting for negative ease:
I decided to lengthen the side seam for a total length (incl. seam allowances) of 5". I suspect this will be longer for taller folks. Then I used my french curve ruler to connect the bottom of the new side seam with the point where the panty front will meet the crotch piece.
Then I lengthened the side seam on the panty back to the same 5" as I did on the front. I drew a line connecting the bottom of the side seam to the bottom of the pattern piece using my hip curve.
Then I lengthened the side seam on the panty back to the same 5" as I did on the front. I drew a line connecting the bottom of the side seam to the bottom of the pattern piece using my hip curve.
Original vs. new DIY pair. I know the new ones look huge, but they do fit. Not sure about the non-elasticized leg openings though. I'll test them out and let you know. I also don't have any shirts to cut up that are knit w/ spandex but I'd like to modify the pattern with negative ease and a stretchy fabric to see if they are more comfortable, etc. Stay tuned for the next Wednesday Workshop....
I've also posted the whole thing as a Flickr set again.
those look super cute (and comfy!)
ReplyDeleteOoo... I LoVE hipsters! Thanks for posting this! :)
ReplyDeleteAwesome! No pics of you modeling them? :) jk
ReplyDeleteOne major advantage of bikini over full-brief is that they require much less fabric and therefore look much smaller whilst hanging on the clothesline...
ReplyDeleteI agree about the badness of having a centrefront seam on undies, especially if they haven't thoughtfully added a gusset!
Ah, brilliant stuff! I really want to try these ones. :)
ReplyDeleteYay, thanks for trying this all out for us. I'll probably put this on my to-do list since I have some pairs I actually do like but can't afford buying any new ones anytime soon. They would be perfect right after my next project: two slips using Gertie's tutorial. ;)
ReplyDeleteI am so impressed with your ultimate recycling sewing!
ReplyDeleteNice fresh colour for a pair of panties .. another beautifully presented tutorial for the die hard 'never say goodbye to your favourite t-shirt' seamstresses out there.
ReplyDeleteAwesome information!! I posted a link to your tutorial on Craft Gossip Sewing:
ReplyDeletehttp://sewing.craftgossip.com/tutorial-hipster-panties-from-a-bikini-panty-pattern/2009/08/28/
--Anne
Oh! Thank you, I was hoping to come across an how-to for boy-shorts. Yay!
ReplyDelete@Trish, @Laura Gerencser, @NGLaLaLa - Thanks. They are pretty comfy but there's too much room at the leg. I will probably sew in a very thin elastic and post new pics next week. :)
ReplyDelete@dana - HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! *draws deep breath in* HAHAHAHAHAHA! Hahaha. Aha. Aaaaaahhhh. No.
@Violet - You know, these look very big next to the other undies because they are at least a little too big. What is up with the center front seam on undies??? Designed by a man, probably. Frankly, I'm not a big fan of the center back seam, either. (Can you guess there are no thong-style anywhere in my universe?) LOL
@Gattolina - Thanks for the question. I am going to try boy short-style, probably next week, along with an update on how these hipsters wore.
@lsaspacey - I have so many projects on the brain that I think at least a few people out there will relate to and get some use from! Undies are def. one of them. Let us know how yours pan out.
@Pam - Thank you! I bet I have some other knit in my stash that will work well for undies, not just the recycled fabric. I was thinking about going down to the dungeon (garage) to scope it out.
@Mary Nanna - No kidding, the color is bright, yes?
@casserole - Thanks so much. I plan to post something every Wednesday, so come on back for more!
@Pranita - These hipsters are sort of between bikini and boy short... I am going to try for a full-on boy short next week. Stay tuned.
I agree--center seams on underwear is a very very bad idea. Ugh. And the Target underwear never fits me. You're awesome for posting the tutorial and all the pix!! and it is a great way to recycle old favorite t-shirts.
ReplyDeleteDitto on the center seam! I tried sewing one of those and it went straight to the garbage bin. Regarding elastic around the legs, I find that I need those, even when using lycra fabrics, since the legs have a tendency to grow gradually with wear and wash. I really like foldover elastic, but on a Jalie pantie pattern I own they suggest encasing regular narrow elastic in the legs. Have not tried it though.
ReplyDelete@Kyle - Target underwear is the only kind that remotely fits well, though it's worth noting that a couple of the pairs are already falling apart after not too many wears. Waste of money! Drives me nuts.
ReplyDelete@Johanna Lu - I did wash and dry the hipsters to shrink back to size, and after wearing them once I think I will end up unpicking those leg hems and sewing elastic right onto the fabric. I don't think I will ever, ever buy undies again. Ever.
NICE job on these. i really want to do this now.
ReplyDeleteThanks for taking the time to post this! I have a big piece of cotton lycra in my stash that will be perfect for this. If all goes well tomorrow, I might make underwear :-). I have become the Ultimate Clothing Recycler, so this is a perfect project. Thanks again!
ReplyDelete