This is the 2nd episode of DIY super comfy panties - the panties with a crotch, with no elastic band around legs, the top side doesn’t bother that of one’s bottom wear.
I made one as a sample and have been wearing it every 3rd day. It’s really comfortable especially around the legs. Sorry I am not showing you how it looks on me. …Ah OK, y’all are going “No, thank you!”.
No, it’s not me. A still from the very hurtful & beautiful film “Made In Hong Kong” with our DIY panties added.
In the 1st episode, we’ve made the pattern for one’s own size.
In this episode, we’ll cut the fabric and stitch it!
If you don’t have a sewing machine, you can stitch by hand. Rather, hand-stitching might be more comfortable for those who’re unfamiliar with machine sewing, since there are some curves which are to be sewn in pretty thin threefold.
An iron would help you sew neatly and fast.
I wonder if many of the households of our Indian audience don’t own an iron…? Because there are tiny shops of “press wallah” everywhere in India (I was shocked to hear their unreasonably low price-setting!).
Material
Again I write down here.
Fabric:
- Cotton or silk. The thinner, the easier to stitch.
- Vertical 23 inches x Horizontal minimum 27 inches (increase depending on your size)
Elastic tape:
- Width: 0.3 - 0.5 inches
- Length: The size of your waist line x 0.9
Why “vertical” and “horizontal” for the fabric?
If the fabric has a print with upside and downside, vertical and horizontal are those when you place the fabric in the right way for the print.
Actually, since the front and back of this panties are made from one piece, the print would look upside down in the back when it looks right in the front. If you hate it, choose a fabric with no upside and downside.
Let’s Stitch!
1 I’m going to use this left-over fabric. First, press the part of the fabric/clothes you’ll use.
2 Fold the fabric in two, and place the longest side of the paper pattern on the folded line.
Then cut 2 layers at the same time around the pattern (except for the folded line, obviously).
3 Before removing the pattern, mark the red points by making tiny cuts (0.2 inches) or drawing tiny lines.
4 Cut out one piece of crotch part. Mark the green points in the same way as you did in No.3.
Secretly mark on the cut-out fabric which is front side and which is back ("F" and "B" on my paper pattern in the photo), e.g. put a safety pin on the front side.
5 Fold the seam lines in the front & back side of the crotch to the “wrong side” of the fabric, and press.
6 Place the crotch part in the “wrong side” of the main (panties) part by placing the folded edges to the marks on the main part.
Hide the folded seam allowance of the crotch part between the crotch part and the main part, and pin 2 parts together.
7 Stitch the front line and the back line of the crotch to the main part.
I’m using a contrasting colour of the thread this time to show you.
8 Fold the curved line on the right and left sides to the wrong side of the fabric with 0.4 inches seam allowance, and press.
9 (This can be omitted if you’re confident) Again fold in the middle of the seam allowance of the curved lines and pin.
At around the crotch where the curve gets too hard to fold, make some small cuts (0.2-0.25 inches) in the seam allowance.
10 Stitch the 2 curved lines. Try to stitch very close to the inner folded lines (not outer folded lines).
11 In the outer side of the panties, put the side mark of the back onto that of the front, and pin. This would make around 4.3 inches of back and front parts overlapped (back side is on the front side).
Pin some more a little below, too.
12 Fold the upper side of the panties for 1 inch to the inner side of the panties, and press.
13 If you want to make it easier to stitch, fold again at 0.2 inches from the edge of the fabric, and press.
14 Stich the inner folded line.
Start from the centre back, and at the end of one around, leave half-inch gap for inserting the elastic band.
15 This is how it looks after stitching. Looks huuuuuge, doesn’t it?
16 Cut the elastic band for:
Your waist size x 0.8 (if you like it very loose, 0.9)
And insert from the gap in the waist line.
If you put a safety pin at the end of the band, it’s super easy to run through the tunnel.
When you get the band from the other side of the gap, overlap the two ends of the band for around 0.8 inches and stitch together.
Then hide it inside the gap completely and close the gap by stitching.
17 Yey, completed!
Depends on your material, it's a bit tough to see back/front and inner/outer of the panties. To avoid the confusion while putting it on, add something tiny and cute at the centre front (e.g. tiny button, ribbon, applique, embroidery).
Some of you might feel it looks way bigger than your usual panties. Well, when we make a pair with non-stretch fabric and no elastic band around legs, it becomes this size.
It’s pretty much possible that, to use a thick sanitary pad on these panties, you might need to use a bit wider elastic band on the waist (& expand the seam allowance accordingly) and make the band slightly tighter, so that the panties hold on to the position.
If any of you try it, please kindly leave your feedback/opinion in the Comment section below.
Adjust For Your Bum!
After making one pair, I bet you would feel like “I’d like this part a bit bigger” “My bum would fit better if this length is shorter” depends on each bum and preference. Please do try to modify your paper pattern accordingly, and make another one. And another, and another… until you get The Perfect Panties for your bum!
Of course there are limitless options to decorate your panties, too. Like adding laces, frills, embroideries, using different fabrics for front & back, and so on and on.
I’ll be very very very happy if you make your own super cool pair of panties which would bring a secret grin to you the whole day.
Happy sewing!
If you find any unclear descriptions or notice anything through two episodes, or have feedback, please kindly tell me in the Comment section below.
Bonus Video
Thanks to this “Bonus Video” section in MIRCHI KOMACHI Blog, I’ve come across various kinds of YouTubers whom I couldn’t have found otherwise.
This time I found some who’re making content on their love and passion - (Western) historical clothes.
Some seem to be researchers, some period costume designers, and they seem to be wearing things like “Vistorian dress” or “Edwardian cape” in daily life to a certain extent. I found their content very interesting.
In my fashion technical school time, we learned fashion history. It was mainly European clothes’ history, partly because Western clothes (we learn to make) developed in Europe. But we didn’t learn even about Japanese fashion history, needless to say that of South Asia.
When I found the video below, I tried to find similar type of YouTubers or videos from India or Japan. But I couldn’t find any.
I’d love to watch such historical clothes YouTubers from Japan (though there are some cool Kimono wearers, they’re not trying to dress as people in Edo Period or Heian Period), India, and other parts of the world of whose fashion history our schools don't mention about.
In this video, Ms. Bernadette mentioned the confusion about the words to describe the underwear for the bottom part of the body. No wonder I get so confused which word to use for MIRCHI KOMACHI blog (as mentioned in the previous episode)!
I’m exploring other videos of her these days and it’s inspiring/thought provoking from multiple aspects.