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Sew Successful Knickers - Pearl Knickers in Satin and Laceby Jill Bradshaw of Booby TrapsLast month, in the Summer issue of Sew Inspirational, Jill Bradshaw led us step-by-step through the construction of a beautiful bra. To complete the designer set Jill will now show you how to make the coordinating knickers, in satin and lace. Pattern, fabrics and notions Booby Traps Pattern - ‘4–in–one Knickers’, medium cut, with variations. See photo 1 starting second from the top. All fabrics and notions are in the ‘Pearl Bra ‘n Knickers’ kit. List of requirements (if not using a kit)
Selecting a size
1. Select size by hip measurement. Measure your body at the widest part of the hip.
2. Once you have decided on the required size, trace off your pattern, from the master pattern. An ‘expanded’ or full width pattern can be traced by folding your tracing fabric double. Trace off your pattern size and cut through the double layer. 3. Transfer all the markings onto your pattern, the direction of maximum stretch and note the size traced. TIP: Write your name, date and current weight on the pattern as well. When you pull the pattern out again, at a later date, you will have a better idea if you are still fitting the same body! Preparation
4. Once you have traced your pattern, make the following adjustments to the front of the knickers only. Measure and mark a horizontal line 12cm (4 3/4in) down from the top waist edge. Cut across this line. See photo 2.
The top section of the pattern will be placed on the lace so that the waist and new cut edge of the pattern aligns with the finished scalloped edges of the lace and the pattern is used to cut the upper side seam shaping. 5. Add a 1cm (3/8in) seam allowance to the new cut edge at the top of the lower front section. You now have two pattern sections; your new knickers front. See photo 3. Cutting fabrics 6. Refer to arrow and instruction on pattern for direction of greatest stretch. From the satin – cut one back, one lower front and one crotch section Sewing your knickers: Front – 7. Pin-mark the centre front of the lace at both the lower edge and the upper edge of the lower front. Overlay the edges of the lace and the satin by 1cm (3/8in) and match the pins at the centre front. Join using 3-step zigzag stitch. See photos 5 and 6. 8. Join the gusset to the back of the knickers. Pin-mark the halfway point on the back and front crotch seams, and on each end of the two gusset sections. Sandwich the back crotch seam of the knickers between the satin and lining gussets, with right sides of the satin facing and the pins matched. See photo 7. Stitch across the back crotch, ensuring you keep the three raw edges perfectly together. 9. Join the gusset to the front of the knickers. The ‘NO FAIL’ Booby Traps method
This method makes sewing and handling the garment easier as the bulk of the fabric is rolled out of the way, leaving the area to be stitched easily accessible.
Lay the back of the knickers, right side up, on a flat surface. With right sides facing, place the front of the knickers on top of the back. Pick up the top (satin) gusset and pin it to the front of the knickers, matching the pin marks at the crotch and with the right sides facing. Lay your hand on top of the work and completely flip the garment over. The wrong side of the back will now be facing. Roll the ‘body’ of the knickers from the waist forward, down towards the crotch (like a sausage roll!). The pinned front gusset section will appear above the roll of fabric. See photo 8. Wrap the lining gusset down and around the roll until it meets the front gusset seam. The right side of the gusset lining will be facing the wrong side of the front knickers crotch seam. Stitch through all three layers at the front, making sure you keep the three raw edges perfectly together. The seam is once again sandwiched between the gussets. Unroll the lined crotch! 10. Along both legs seams, machine-tack the satin and lining gussets together, approximately 1cm (3/8in) in from each side. Then, trim the lining gusset seam allowance away; this will eliminate bulk behind the elastic. See photo 9. Side seams 11. With right sides together and the back of the knickers extending 1cm (3/8in) above the front, sew the side seams. Seaming your knickers If you are lucky enough to own an overlocker, the 4-thread stitch is ideal for all your seaming, fast and neat! If you do not then modern sewing machines offer a range of stitches suitable for sewing stretch fabrics. My favourite is a narrow zigzag with a 1/2 – 1 stitch width. Also acceptable is a vari-overlock stitch or experiment with the stitches on your machine and find one you like to give the desired effect and stretch. You need a smooth look, but with enough stretch so that the stitches don’t break when the garment is worn. TIP: I don’t recommend the double (reverse feed) overlock stitches, on sewing machines, as they are generally too heavy and stretch the lingerie fabrics too much. Elastic lengths 12. On the inside of the pattern cover, you will find suggested elastic lengths for each size. Check the comfort factor on your own body and adjust if required. Waist elastic 13. Pin mark elastic and garment in quarters. Match pins at the sides and centre back of the knickers, using a side seam as the starting point. 14. With the right side of elastic facing the right side of the satin, sew the first row of stitching across the back of knickers only. See photo 10. Trim away the fabric from behind the elastic. 15. Turn the elastic to the wrong side and then topstitch, completing the waist on the back of the knickers only. 16. Pin the elastic in place at the centre front, matching the remaining quarter point. Elastic should sit below the scallop edge of the lace. You will find it easier to stitch the elastic across the lace from the wrong side. Overlap elastic at the side starting point. Leg elastic 17. Using the side seam as a half way point, fold the knickers with the leg-opening edges together (without stretching) to find the other halfway point; this will be in the under crotch area. See photo 11. 18. Now move the pin at the side seam about 2cm (3/4in) forward. Match these halfway pins to find the quarter points and pin mark. 19. Match the pins on the elastic to the pins on the garment, removing one pin and pinning the other through the elastic and the garment at the four points. Use the under crotch as the start/finish point. See photo 12. Attach elastic following the technique described for elastic application (below). Trim away the fabric from behind the elastic before topstitching. Remove the tacking thread from gusset. See photo 13. 20. Attach the bow to the centre front waistline of the knickers. Use a narrow zigzag with 0 stitch length for this. See photo 14. TIP: By moving the halfway point forward at the side, the elastic will be firmer at the back where we need the support, and flatter and smoother at the front. THE SECRET TO SUCCESSFUL ELASTIC APPLICATIONIt is wise to avoid sewing onto elastic when it is stretched. Lingerie elastics tend to be soft and will often stay stretched when sewn that way. This will result in loss of elasticity and a loose, floppy looking edge to your garment. The secret is not to stitch into the elastic while it is stretched. If you have made knickers and never had any trouble with elastic application, then don’t try to change your technique, however if you have never had success with this then I suggest your try our ‘stretch and relax’ technique. You will need your flat sewing table on your machine. The free arm will not allow enough area to make this successful. Use very few pins. Fold elastic in half lengthwise and pin mark the middle, do the same with the garment, match these pins together removing one and pin the other through the two layers. In longer sections your may wish to pin mark in quarters. Sew the elastic in two stagesStage 1 Stitch using a narrow zigzag: W – 1.5, L – 2.5. Needle position - half left. Stitching should be close to the fancy scallop edge of the elastic. See photo 21 at bottom of article. The elastic will need to be stretched to fit the garment. Stretch elastic only enough to have the raw edges together and sitting flat on your machine table. With your left hand press firmly down onto the elastic and fabric keeping a tension but letting the elastic relax as it reaches the needle. The machine should be allowed to ‘feed’ the fabric. The fabric will gather underneath the elastic rather then stretching the elastic to fit the fabric. Apply all the elastics with this first row of zigzag. Don’t proceed until you are happy with the results. It is easy to unpick this stitching and repeat if necessary. Trim the bra fabric away from behind the elastic. See photo 22. Stage 2 Suggested settings for topstitching - See photo 24. All stitches shown here have width 5.
These settings are on my machine. You will need to experiment and choose the way you like it. Patterns, kits, underwires, haberdashery, fabrics and lace are all available from: To visit the shop, phone first to make an appointment: |
