Sunday, June 21, 2009

Panty Tutorial: How to make your own drawers

Well folks I think I have been talkin' about this tutorial for about a year, so I finally pulled it out. There are millions( ok maybe not millions, but a whole heck of a lot) of variations and add ons but I was trying to do the simplest one first.

Materials
thread
sewing machine
1 yd stretch elastic or fold over elastic
paper for pattern(paper bag or newspaper)
scissors
old t shirt or any knit material
pair of underwear to cut and make pattern from

Make your knickers !!

1. Cut or fold your undies so you can make your pattern. First Cut or fold on seam between front and back of the undies. Then fold each piece in half at the center.( I made a hybrid pattern from two different undies I liked different things about the cut of each)

2. Trace and cut your pattern pieces. There will be three pieces (front, back and the lining) that will be cut on the fold. You should cut the front panel first then cut the crotch off the front panel to get the pattern piece for the lining. Lie the pieces as flat and symmetrical as possible on your pattern paper(I Try to use the manufactured straight edge of my paper as the center fold line, This way I know that line is straight) Trace around your fabric piece leaving about 1/8-1/4 " edge. At the hips add 5/8 to each piece(front and back ) for your seam allowance. This pattern may take a bit of tweaking to get the way you like so use up and the oldest ugliest t-shirts on your first pair then you can make adjustments to your pattern from there

3. Cut and iron the T-shirt into usable fabric pieces. For my undies I just cut around the seams to free the front panel of this large mans shirt . I was using only the front image for this pair. I cut the front panel from a large enough scrap of fabric I had in my cotton knit pile.

4. Decide and arrange any key design elements from your fabric.( I wanted stewie's face on the bum)
5. Pin, cut and Iron your pattern pieces from your fabric.
6. Zigzag your edges on the lining to stop the fray.
7 Attach your lining and your panties together. Make a sandwich aligning all the edges from their center; on bottom, front piece wrong side up, next back piece wrong side down, next lining right side down (longest width as the edge ) Zigzag stitch all pieces in place.
8. Flatten and pin the lining to the center of the panties to hold in place.Run your iron over everything to be tidy.
9. Sew both legs about a 1/4" from the edge with a zigzag crossing over the lining( treat the lining as the edge to sew from)
11. trim/ even up any excess edges
12 Attach trim to the legs.( I do not cut my trim in advance I work from a large piece and trim it at the end of the stitching) Using a zigzag, topstitch the trim directly to the legs. Attaching stretchy trim to stretchy fabric can be tricky, so if you have not tried this before practice on some comparable scraps to get the hang of it. I do not pin, I simply line up my trim overlapping the panty by about 1/4 " and slow and steady send it through the machine. Most folks will say to try not to stretch either material very much however I do give a little tug to my trim, (not as much as I would with a woven fabric mind you). Maybe my machine pulls the fabric a little. This is something I worked out with my little Brother. That is why I recommend a little practice will take you far.

13. Attach one side of undies. With right side together with a zigzag (5/8 seam allowance). Sew from bottom up matching up the leg trim. Finish the seams with a zigzag and trim
14. Trim waist line if needed to flow smoothly front and back
15. Attach trim to waist just as with the leg trim.

16. Finish by attaching other side of undies with right side together with a zigzag (5/8 seam allowance). Sew from bottom up matching up the leg trim and waist line. Finish the seams with a zigzag and trim.

~Some great places to shop online for supplies for this project:
Bra Componets
Sewzanne's
Sew Sassy Fabrics
CryBabys Boutique
Fashion Fabric Club

* just wanted to show you how cute and comfy they are, the model is a willing and knowing legal adult and this is not a dirty picture!

51 comments:

lili scratchy said...

Hello!
Thank you so much for your so friendly visit!
I'm very happy to discover your blog,
have a great day!

Deb said...

Great tutorial! I will have to give this a go.

Rebecca said...

Sweet tutorial! I'm going to give it a go. Thanks!

Blue Mama said...

Love it! Nice job, Mama!

alittlebitofscrap said...

Love the tutorial. I'm gonna have to remember to try this out! It looks like fun :) Thanks!

Alex said...

Thank you for this! Just what I needed to give panty-making another try.

The Yellow Ribbon said...

How interesting.

Ephemeral Mailbox Museum said...

hurray! I've always wanted to try making panties but was too intimidated :) Love the Stewie on them!

Unknown said...

Thank you for sharing this tutorial!
I never thought make own drawers.

puggerhugger said...

flipping adorabibble!

Wheat said...

How generous of you to post this,

Just one suggestion, if you use some of the thicker clear plastic sold for upholstery or table covers, then you can more easily see the graphics on the the t or other material making "fussy" cutting much easier

MichelleB said...

GREAT tutorial. I've been wanting to try to make underwear for awhile. You make it look so easy! However, sewing on jersy still scares the bejeebers out of me. lol

Anonymous said...

found you via Craft and have added this tut to my 2009 list! Thanks!!!

Toadstool Knittery said...

How great is that?? Thanks for the tutorial! Can't wait to give it a go.

Ginger said...

Thank you so much for the tutorial on pantyies.
Loved your blog & well be back ofton.
Have a great weekend.
hugs ginger

Anastacia said...

This is the best use I've ever seen for recycling tees! Unfortunately my sewing skills are way too poor for something like this, I didn't understand most of the directions at all :( But I may try anyway! I SO want to stick Simpsons on my bum!

Cynthia said...

I'm going to have to try this! Thank you for sharing it.

♥ Guida said...

Told about your tutorial on my blog ;)


Kisses from Portugal

Hilda Vanessa Ramos said...

Your post got me inspired again to give underwear another try and tonight I made a pair and it turned our really well, even wearable! So, thank you!

Anne said...

These are so cool!! I posted a link to your tutorial on Craft Gossip Sewing: http://sewing.craftgossip.com/tutorial-panties-from-an-old-t-shirt/2009/07/01/
--Anne

Anonymous said...

I used to make dancers costumes and you just showed me a couple of trix! If anyone is having trouble with fabric getting dragged into the feed dogs try some silicone (Sewers-Aid) on the needle, and use a lingerie needle! Grab some "No More Pins" adhesive too, for delicate stuff like this, it is very handy!
From here you girls will be making swim suits next! Just don't try bras...they have like 52 pcs!
(((HUG))) Pam
www.MyMimsies.etsy.com

a frog named purl said...

awesome! can't wait to try this. thanks for the toot!

Jodie said...

Awesome tutorial!!! thanks for sharing.... Can't wait to whip some up myself...

Jodie :)

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the great tutorial. i have been wanting to make some undies from recycled t-shirts for ages. Will definately give a go now thanks.

ATELIER said...

brialliant - found you via CRAFT - I sooo have to make these. what fun.

Susan J Barker said...

Great! now why haven't i thought of making my own, I am down to two of my fav knickers and no one sells them anymore -- at least in my neck of the woods -- I guess I will sacrifice one to be the pattern! Thanks

Unknown said...

thanks for sharing :o)

Jobs said...
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Philippine Real Estate said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
woolywoman said...

Wait, where's the elastic? I'm confused. Does the stretch of the jersey hold up the pants? Or is the trim a stretchy thing...inquiring minds want to make underpants!

belle said...

The lace is the elastic. It is stretch lace in this particular pair but you could use other stretch solutions as well. You can find the stretch lace elastic at sew sassy fabrics...http://www.sewsassy.com/

Paula -- CutieFruity said...

I've got lots of stretch lace and knit laying around! I think some panties are in my kid's near future. I just have to make my pattern itty bitty

Heidi said...

Thanks for this tutorial! I've been wanting to make undies from old t-shirts but couldn't bring myself to do all the measuring and pattern making other tutorials call for. This is just what I had in mind. Thanks for the guidance!

Sew Flippin Cool said...

Hi!

Just wanted to let you know I featured this tutorial in a post all about upcycle crafting. Thanks!

Emily
The Handmade Experiment
http://emilyflippinmaruna.wordpress.com/2009/07/13/must-make-monday-upcycled/

Shelley said...

Those are awesome! I love this tutorial, thanks for sharing! I can not wait to try this out...I'm a new sewer so intimidated by the jersey knit and also the stretch elastic. But I have a ton of tshirts to try this on ;)
I also liked how you used two different panties to get your preffered cut...great idea. I posted a link to your tutorial on my blog and plan on printing your tutorial out! I so gotta get me a Stewie t..love me some Stewie!! lol
Thanks again!!

shell87 said...

cute and smart. i have been itching to turn some old non fitting clothes into material to use for something elce, but couldnt think of what to make with them. ... now i know. since i would love my blah shirts to = cumpfy panties!

ironik said...

great idea.. and i really like the stewie fabric :))

killarobot said...

Adorable! Now I know what to do with all my awesome T-shirts from high school days I've grown out of! Thanks lady!

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Jo Archer said...

Hi, just found your fab blog and lo you had a post on knicker making! I'm about to embark on dottie angel's challenge of only using handcrafted or used goods for my home and myself. The knicker thing was a problem! I'm a knitter, not a sewer and had found some great knitted undies, but your brilliant tutorial has me inspired! Thank you.

Anonymous said...

It`s nice! :)

Unknown said...

how creative. love it.


T Shirts

Unknown said...

Awesome tutorial!

Anonymous said...

it took me forever to figure out exactly what I was looking at there, and then I cracked up.
I've never had the nerve to tackle underwear, and my Punisher (comic book bought at a Con) panties are in need of retiring. I'm thinking Incredible Hulk or something now! Time to raid the husbands old tshirt stash!

Anonymous said...

what type of knit fabric is best for panties if you don't want to use a your t-shirts?

belle said...

you can use any knit you like ...i like to use jersey knit it is so lovely! I like to use mostly cotton knits

Unknown said...

Thanks for this great tutorial, I've just made a pair of knickers but without using strechy material, was deffinatly a case of trial and error. I will try to make some streachy ones with your easy to follow instructions tomorrow! Thanks!

tuesday said...

this is a great tutorial! I tried to make my own undies a few years back but gave up frustrated and disheartened. I made a pair the other night and I've made two more since. thanks for sharing!

Lazyfish said...

So nice!!!!

Anonymous said...

I have had this tutorial bookmarked for at least 3 years now. For about the same time my sewing machine and material, patterns and all have been packed away. I had the urge to get it all back out and thought I had better ease myself back in with something fast and easy. My new undies turned out great! Thanks for an easy tutorial!

Unknown said...

While working on my first pair of these drawers I realized that the hems can be cut off the t-shirt to make prefolded binding for those who find lace irritating. Also looking forward to making undies out of all those "technical" tees we get at runs and tris.