What patterns should you sew to get started in lingerie?
Even for the most seasoned seamstresses and dressmakers, sewing your own lingerie is a difficult step to take! You’d think you’d need a lot of haberdashery, specific fabrics, mastery of difficult techniques and complex finishing touches…
To help you get started, we’ve selected a few easy-to-assemble models that will give you confidence for all your future lingerie desires!
An easy-to-assemble bloomer
The bloomer is a vintage-inspired panty that’s gathered and elasticated at the waist and groin. This eliminates the need for the perilous step of fitting elastics.
This super-easy project is a great way to familiarize yourself with the different steps involved in making panties.
The Fitiyoo pattern suggests sewing this piece with a warp-and-weft fabric(a simple cotton, for example, or a viscose) without elasticity, thus avoiding the need to invest in lace or specific fibers.
It’s a great way to get started without breaking the bank, by testing this coupon that’s been sleeping in your closet!
A cotton bra
Based on the same principle, you can sew Fitiyoo’s Curaçao bra, which also focuses on simplicity. The idea is to dispense with underwiring, thus avoiding the technical stage that requires the purchase of specific equipment.
What’s more, the brand offers to make this piece using warp and weft fabric. Here again, you can use poplin or chambray… So you don’t have to buy fabrics designed for lingerie.
This sewing technique can be used as a first experiment before moving on to more technical designs.
A quick sew boxer
Boxer shorts are very easy to sew, since all you need to assemble them is 50 cm of jersey and one meter of elastic waistband, which can be thicker or thinner, depending on your preferences.
Simply fit your machine witha special jerseyneedle andelastic stitch.
If you like the pattern, you can easily adapt it by changing the color of the jersey. Or by using contrasting elastic. Or by varying the colors…
The Maï Taï boxer shorts are also a great project for using up fabric scraps. No more jersey scraps lying around!
A jersey shorty
Like boxer shorts, you can use jersey to sew a shorty like the one from Fitiyoo. The elasticity of the fiber means you don’t need to put a lot of elastic around the waist and upper thighs.
If you don’t want to use simple cotton jersey, you can opt for elastic lace, which contains elastane. A great way to create sophisticated lingerie without spending hours in front of your sewing machine!
A lace bra
To tame lace and learn how to sew it without tearing it, you can make a bra with a simple shape like the Cherlylada model. This will enable you to concentrate on the fabric and take your time when cutting.
You can double or not double the cups, as you prefer.
Sewing your own bras also allows you to have a 100% made-to-measure piece, which is rare with off-the-shelf lingerie. Don’t hesitate to take your time when transferring and cutting your fabric, to take your measurements carefully and choose the most suitable size.
An underwired bra
If you feel comfortable with brassiere models, you can add a little difficulty to the exercise! For example, by sewing an underwired bra and familiarizing yourself with the particularities of lingerie: fitting underwires, sewing lace, assembling straps and clip, scalloped elastic…
You can follow Étoffe Malicieuse’s Diamant pattern, which, in addition to the model, includes several method sheets to help you master the more complex steps. This will help you buy the right material, but also learn how to adapt the bra to your measurements. This will ensure a perfect fit.
If you’re looking for further explanations, the Artesane website offers a video training course led by lingerie specialist Charlotte Jaubert. This course will help you perfect all the little technical points.
Do you sew your own lingerie? If not, what are the obstacles or fears that prevent you from embarking on this project?
