Handmade intimates? File under: Things we love. We’re so excited to have Spoonflower’s Aussie friend and maker Sophie, of Ada Spragg, stop by the blog to share some pro tips for making your own undergarments using Spoonflower’s undie-friendly Cotton Spandex Jersey. Are you ready to get intimate with your sewing projects? If yes, prepare to be inspired!
Sophie: Have you ever considered sewing your own intimates? If not, today’s project will open your eyes! I like to think of sewing underwear as the ultimate quickie project. It’s so easy. And fun. And we all love satisfying sews. Did I mention it uses hardly any fabric at all? Less than a fat quarter per separate piece. I don’t know about you, but I always feel a sense of smug satisfaction at making something with as little fabric as possible… kind of like using up every cut of meat. And when sewing with such a small quantity of fabric there’s a sense that, well, if things don’t work out then you haven’t wasted 3.5 yards of Silk Crepe de Chine. And if you’re already sewing most of your own clothes or a good portion of them, sewing underwear feels like next level self-sufficiency.
For these mix and match “sets” I was inspired by the brand Love Stories, which specialise in cute and kitschy separates. I will admit I did purchase a few pieces before it occurred to me that “hey, why buy when I could DIY?” This is where things got a little loose. I thought I’d have a some fun with it, decided on a vintage “Jungalow Glam” theme and created an official mood board. Note: this is not an essential part of making underwear, however, it does enhance the experience. If you plan on making some mix and match sets, putting all your ideas for fabrics, colour palettes and trims in one spot is a nice way of making sure everything works together as a whole.
Sewing underwear is trending in the online DIY/sewing community right now and there seems to be a growing number of patterns available. I’ve included a full list of patterns & fabrics used here, as well as links to other useful resources for sewing intimates, at the end of the post. For these separates I chose four different patterns: two bras that I have made previously, one pair of briefs that I used for swimwear and a wild-card. You might be wondering how long it takes to sew up a bralette or a brief? All of these pieces…between 1 and 1.5 hours each. Of course you could just skip the guess work of trying out patterns, pull apart a pair of RTW undies that know and love, copy the pattern and make a hundred more!
When I knew I was going to have a little fun with novelty elastics and mesh panels I figured the end result might be reserved for ‘house lounging.’ I wasn’t sure how practical or comfortable they would turn out to be, so I’m pleased to report that they are actually all very wearable. I’m sure this is largely to do with the wonderfully soft Cotton Spandex Jersey. Made from 95% cotton with 5% spandex, it has a 4-way stretch, making it perfect for sewing under garments. Having a fabric which stretches in both directions is essential for underwear, where you want it to move with your body. Cotton spandex is super soft and has that already-worn-in, favourite-pair-of-undies feel. The colours print out slightly muted, which I think only adds to its charm.
Tips for Working with Cotton Spandex and Stretch Fabric In General
1. Pre-wash your fabric to allow for shrinkage. I used a gentle hand wash for items in this post.
2. When you’re sewing these fabrics, use a ballpoint/stretch needle. Regular thread is fine and a walking foot is helpful. There’s nothing more complex than a zigzag stitch involved!
3. Sometimes pins are optional. When applying elastic around the leg openings, on some stretch fabrics you can get away with not pinning and just holding the elastic down as you sew. I tried this on my first pair here and found that even with the walking foot, the cotton spandex stretched out and became wavy. If this happens at any point, don’t freak out, just unpick and give the fabric a gentle press and it should rebound back to shape. Lesson learned: pin the elastic down before stitching.
Where I Get Bra-Making Supplies
If bra-making supplies are limited at your local sewing supply store, online is the next best place. The supplies section of Etsy is my go-to for every bra notion imaginable, super cute elastics and all the trimmings you could desire.
You will find most Etsy stores ship internationally and will sell to you in small quantities. If you still can’t find the notions that you want in the colours that you want, you can always dye some or do like I did and pinch the strapping from a couple of tired old bras.
I’d also recommend reading Where to Shop: Bra and Lingerie Making by Cloth Habit.
The Patterns and Designs I Used for the Sets in This Post:
Palms Print Bralette
Pattern: Watson Bra by Cloth Habit
Design: Palm Trees White On Purple #2 by ornaart
Flamingo Print Briefs
Pattern: Nora Panties by Ohhh Lulu
Design: Flamingos Love Mint by coggon_(roz_robinson)
Leopard Print Bralette
Pattern: Sierra Bra by Madalynne
Design: Gold – Leopard by kimsa
Jungle Print Briefs
Pattern: Leaves Bananique in Aqua Sea by yesterdaycollection
Design: Ava High Waist Briefs by Ohhh Lulu
Striped elastic from Strap Crafts
Bra strapping, underwear elastic and closures from Boobytraps
Stretch mesh from Glitter and Dance
Sophie Parslow is the maker, writer and creative mind behind Australian DIY fashion blog, Ada Spragg. As a late-comer to sewing, Sophie needed a creative outlet after becoming a mother and has been creating the ‘ultimate hand-made wardrobe’ ever since. With an eye for print and colour and a passion for sharing her makes with the world, Sophie’s blog received the Best Sewing Blogs award in 2014 & 15. Her new year’s resolution is more sewing, less scrolling.
I assume the Cotton Spandex Jersey will work just as well for men’s underwear? I’ve tried to compare this fabric with some of the other knits, and everything points here it seems. Would you say the synthetic alternative of this is “Modern Jersey”? The benefit of synthetic being brighter color?
Cotton Spandex would work great for men’s briefs! Spoonflower carries a few different knits with a cottony feel. The organic cotton knit which is 100% natural doesn’t stand up as well to repeated washings and is a bit thicker than traditional undergarment weight knits, and the Modern Jersey as you mentioned is 100% synthetic, which does make it brighter and more colorfast, but it is less breathable. The Cotton Spandex is a natural synthetic blend that combines the benefit of both materials to create the perfect fabric for briefs and undergarments. I hope this helps!
I also noticed Whitney above wanted to make bathing suits what is best material u advised her …?????
Judy, we advised Whitney to use Sport Lycra. Let us know if you try it!
Please advise what is best fabric to use for undies and bras .. ..?. And which is best for me to order from spoon flower. . ????
Do they have fabric available as I want to try out all my designs
What a fab idea!!!!!!!!!!
Unless u r my person who does the sewing… I create I do not sew
Judy, the fabric recommended by the author of the post is Cotton Spandex Jersey. With the softness of cotton and a 5% stretch, it makes the perfect fabric for intimates.
Spoonflower is a creative marketplace, so you can upload any of your designs and have them printed on any of our fabrics. Click the link to learn more.
While we do print the fabric, we don’t do any sewing. Our sister site, Sprout Patterns, currently offers patterns made using Spoonflower designs and, for an additional fee, provides white glove service for constructing garments after you order them. Hope this helps!
These are so cute! It seems to me like they would be able to be made as swimsuits as well…do you think this would be doable? If I were to try to do that what material would you suggest using?
Thanks for sharing!
Whitney – we agree, they would look great as swimsuits. For swimwear, we recommend using Spoonflower’s Sport Lycra. Let us know how it turns out!
Hooray! It’s something that all of us at the Spoonflower office have been wanting to try, so we figuring lots more people would probably want to as well! Stay warm and please do share your makes with us when you finish your sewing projects!
That’s a great point about not needing to destroy an existing pair, thanks for sharing, Taylor! Have you ever sewn with our Performance Pique or Performance knit? http://www.spoonflower.com/performance_pique These fabrics have wicking/ performance properties and might be awesome for the type of underwear you’re talking about.
it’s such a lovely design!
This is something that I have wanted to do for a while thanks for the encouragement. This would have been a great “too much snow out there so I will stay in and sew project”! We just had the big snow so now I have to have a “too cold out there so I will stay in and sew project” Thanks for the inspiration!
I started making my own underwear (boy shorts especially) because I am active and sweat a lot (there’s nothing worse then drenched cotton that won’t dry. But well made undies with wicking and performance properties can run into $30 or $40… Not practical unless you want to wash them everyday. I made my own pattern from a pair that fit well (no need to destroy them just iron each piece seam to seam and trace it and then move into the next panel. Because you can match the waist measurement to exactly your own too, I can get away with putting just a few inches of elastic on the back to keep them on and then you don’t have chafing in the front or sides…. 🙂
Thank you for choosing my Palm Trees fabric design! 🙂
[Ornaart]