Comments on :: clevergirl.org ::: 172. Wednesday Workshop: Bikini Undies to Boy Shor...

My gosh, you ARE clever. Thanks for this. Especial...

2010-09-30T23:37:42.909-05:00

My gosh, you ARE clever. Thanks for this. Especially the tips about avoiding the dreaded Visible Panty Line.

This is a great pattern! Thanks so much for posti...

2010-09-12T22:18:30.923-05:00

This is a great pattern! Thanks so much for posting. I made a newsboy cap out of my brother's old slacks, and it fit my big head perfectly :D

You make me want to get out my sewing machine agai...

2009-09-16T08:24:47.598-05:00

You make me want to get out my sewing machine again....or at least buy a serger!!
xoxo
crow

These are so cute! I just bought some foldover el...

2009-09-14T21:06:48.425-05:00

These are so cute! I just bought some foldover elastic to make some boyshorts and comfy bras... I'll let you know how it goes. :)

great idea! I just went through my wife's unde...

2009-09-14T06:01:45.406-05:00

great idea! I just went through my wife's underwear draw and at the back were the ones that have seen better days (my wife throws away nothing!). We'll be playing around with these and the sewing machine this evening.

Thanks for a great blog

Tony.

Cute undies and an awesome tutorial! I posted a li...

2009-09-13T21:40:02.092-05:00

Cute undies and an awesome tutorial! I posted a link at Craft Gossip Sewing:

http://sewing.craftgossip.com/tutorial-convert-a-bikini-panty-sewing-pattern-to-boy-short-undies/2009/09/13/

--Anne

Those are such cute boy shorts! I'm really enj...

2009-09-13T11:03:11.534-05:00

Those are such cute boy shorts! I'm really enjoying your blog and I've added you to my blog roll so I look forward to all your future posts!

I remember wearing home-made undies as a child, th...

2009-09-11T01:55:47.381-05:00

I remember wearing home-made undies as a child, though they would probably be better described as bloomers. They were made of this white woven - lawn or something. I used to joke about this to my friends, but now the thought of wearing home made undies sounds so much cooler...

I like that the center of the shorts isn't whe...

2009-09-10T21:58:10.078-05:00

I like that the center of the shorts isn't where the seams come together in a point. Even if there's gusseting on the inside, it's just uncomfortable. My very tired eyes got quite an eye-opener when I first read this as I thought it said that you got 20 years out of one pair. HAHA, I think I need to go to bed now.

@Curry - I am not sure I'm totally qualified t...

2009-09-10T21:25:34.752-05:00

@Curry - I am not sure I'm totally qualified to teach patternmaking, but I guess I am qualified to share how I do certain things. Any specific issues? BTW, your blog is AWESOME. I assume you take all the photos yourself. They are amazing.

@Sisi - A friend charged me with the task of reinventing hip boys' wear since I am such an expert at complaining about the lack of good boys' sewing patterns. So I may end up doing something like a simple jacket pattern. We shall see, thanks for the ideas. Keep 'em coming!

@Johanna Lu - I see that SewSassy also carries several kinds of elastic lace so I will try both the narrow and wide.

@Pamela - It occurred to me that boy shorts could become leggings.... but not with that extended crotch piece. I will have to give that some thought (and if you figure it out, tell me please!). When you say "soft skivvy shirts" do you mean simple tank-style tops made out of some soft knit fabric?

@CarlaF - Thanks for the referral to Lace Heaven. I haven't heard of them before but will check them out and bookmark the site. Let me know how the undies work out for you!

@Kyle - You bet! I am just amazed at how inexpensive the FOE is. Seems like it is priced better from SewSassy than regular junky elastic from the craft store.

Keep on rockin' on with the tutorials!! and th...

2009-09-10T17:59:51.083-05:00

Keep on rockin' on with the tutorials!! and thanks for the link for the FOE. I wasn't sure where to find it.

I've used stretch lace and it's easy to se...

2009-09-10T17:58:32.447-05:00

I've used stretch lace and it's easy to sew and feels great against my skin. I had to order stretch lace online from Lace Haven. Here's the link to stretch lace http://www.laceheaven.com/stretchlace1.html

I haven't used lingerie elastic or foldover elastic yet but I'm going to make slips this weekend and I'll be using lingerie elastic on one slip and stretch elastic on another.

I'm looking forward to making boyshorts. Thanks for the tutorial.

CarlaF-in Atlanta

You are amazing! I'm hoping you might consider...

2009-09-10T17:27:59.173-05:00

You are amazing! I'm hoping you might consider doing a tute on long underwear! I have always wanted to make myself some bike shorts type panties. They make them for men, but not us. And some soft skivvy shirts that actually fit and feel right under a sweater.
I'm so grateful to you!
Pam
NeoMetroNeckties.etsy.com
NeoMetroNeckties@gmail.com

You really inspired me to start making some more p...

2009-09-10T03:20:28.412-05:00

You really inspired me to start making some more panties! And yes the math is very much in favor for making one's own undies.

I have used (a narrow) stretch lace for a pair of panties and really like how they turned out and feel. No tugging into the thighs whatsoever, which is an issue I sometimes struggle with when it comes to store bought panties.

your undies are so cute! you have inspired me to l...

2009-09-09T23:44:38.710-05:00

your undies are so cute! you have inspired me to love color in undergarments. i haven't tried any of your tutorials yet, but soon...i hope. anyway, suggestions for wednesday workshops. i don't know...my brain is packed full of back to school thinking right now, so it's all lunchbags and reusable snack bags right now. sorry! i will say i've always wanted to try making a hooded zip-up sweater/jacket thingy that all the kids wear in the fall.

love reading your blog!

Those are cute! I never thought I'd make my ow...

2009-09-09T22:49:40.154-05:00

Those are cute! I never thought I'd make my own knickers, but now I want to give it a shot!

I've recently started drafting my own patterns (made 2 so far!), and would love to learn more about the process. Wednesday workshop fodder, perhaps?

@KnitaBella - I hope you do! Let me know how it wo...

2009-09-09T22:20:20.052-05:00

@KnitaBella - I hope you do! Let me know how it works for you.

@bookwormbethie - I appreciate the suggestion. That's a broad topic -- any specific garment, style, example you're thinking of?

@Anonymous - Great question about z -- that's not so much a drafting-uninitiated thing as it is an undies thing! That had my brain twisted for a few days. ;) In boy short undies, the crotch piece extends so far as to add fabric to the leg opening. So the z measurement is the leg circumference minus what the crotch piece adds, divided by 2.

I don't sew clothes to save money. But I have spent so much on undies that don't fit well, aren't comfy, and/ or don't last long that it does end up being a good financial investment for me to sew them. I don't mind spending money on something I enjoy or will last, but buying undies these past 6-7 years has been like flushing money down the toilet. That really bothers me!

@rattie4fun - Srsly, like dropping to my knees with my fists thrown to the sky, shouting "Noooooo!!!!" in slow motion. Ooh, something's gotta give in that equation -- daughter gets in the habit of putting undies in the wash or dog gets trained not to chew on fabric! Good luck with that one.

@Cindy - What a great idea! Love it. I might have to do that now.

@Gail - "Triple stretch corseting" makes me laugh! If you're serious then I need to point you to a great post I read recently on modern equivalents of footbinding. ;)

@Mary Nanna - Thx. I like that crazy fabric, too!

@wendy - I can see that you'd like the picot edge one -- the lingerie elastic has got everything just right. But I can't help but think the elastic lace is flatter and would have a better chance of undies lines going undetected underneath slacks. Has that been your experience?

@Jessica - I love it! Fabric party in the undergarments! LOL Sarah@Sewer-Sewist pointed out how out-of-context one sentence in the post was, the "I'm burned out on exploring undies". Lots of room for out-of-context, I guess.

@angelapea - DO IT! I forgot to mention in the post that my boy shorts are tricky b/c you want the back to feel covered but you don't want your undies peeking out from under your pants. I think there's some experimentation to find exactly the right rise, etc. Picot edge lingerie elastic is at Hancock -- they had lots when I came, until I bought 5 packages. FOE is at Sew Sassy, and very reasonably priced IMO: http://www.sewsassy.com/LingerieProducts/lingerieelastic.html#anchorfoldoverelastic

Super!!! I am going to draft my own boy shorts pa...

2009-09-09T21:44:06.526-05:00

Super!!! I am going to draft my own boy shorts pattern...I love the way they fit, but I really want a pair that comes up a little bit higher in the waist.

Where have you been able to find FOE? Picot edge lingerie elastic? Our local joanns doesn't carry it, and cloth world has closed their doors.

angelapea

I can just imagine that there's a regular fabr...

2009-09-09T21:06:26.460-05:00

I can just imagine that there's a regular fabric party going on in your undergarments each day! Not to sound inappropriate, my way of saying I love, love, LOVE that underwear fabric!

Ha, I love those colorful ones :-) * between elas...

2009-09-09T19:26:42.352-05:00

Ha, I love those colorful ones :-)

* between elastic lace & picot edged elastic I generally prefer the picot edge stuff. I do like sewing the elastic lace ones because they look so pretty, but what I pull out of my dresser to wear are the picot edged ones

* the jalie hipster/boyshort pattern ( #2568, also has a nice tank top), if you ever want to buy one, is FANTASTIC. Definitely gotten a lot of use out of it.

they are gorgeous - you couldn't by cuter at a...

2009-09-09T18:29:41.498-05:00

they are gorgeous - you couldn't by cuter at any price!

I used to scoff at the idea of sewing underwear, b...

2009-09-09T18:11:55.744-05:00

I used to scoff at the idea of sewing underwear, but with two daughters I'm beginning to rethink this. I'm not sure where I'd buy the triple stretch corseting that holds me together, but the girls scanties I can manage.

I adore the knit fabric for the undies!! Love them...

2009-09-09T18:11:11.486-05:00

I adore the knit fabric for the undies!! Love them. They need a matching tank for bed!

Oh you are so funny! "Dropping to the ground...

2009-09-09T17:41:26.143-05:00

Oh you are so funny! "Dropping to the ground to curse the heavens" How about chasing the little dog around the house that has the underwear your daughter forgot to put in the hamper, only to find when you get the underwear back the crotch is chewed to pieces! UGH!! LOL!!!
Linda in Calif.

Again, very cool. For those of us who are draftin...

2009-09-09T15:54:04.427-05:00

Again, very cool. For those of us who are drafting-uninitiated, what is the z measurement?

Also, I don't think any of us really sew just to save money. There's a coolness factor in making your own undies, and of course being able to customize fit and durability is huge. Spending an extra $30 on underwear per year is not that big of a deal. If you wanted to save money, you could just buy cheaper underwear. I think the point is knowing how to sew knickers.