Knickers. Easy to sew and good scrap buster

Remember when Mary Portas did a TV prog with a group of young people. They had to design, make, brand, package and sell their knickers.

Around the same time a sewing shop not far from here did machine sewing classes making knickers. I am usually up for trying anything but I gave this a miss.

70 years ago, in the first year of secondary school, we had to make a pair of knickers. The teacher helped us to cut them out. I think we all had the same size! She showed us how to make a french seam, which I can't remember ever having done in the years since then. As I wasn't in school the day she allocated materials, I had to settle for a sort of mauve lawn. They were a horrible design, out of date even then and I never wore mine. Don't think anyone else wore hers either.

Re the knitted swimsuits or bathing costumes as they were called in my childhood.
Just after the war my mother and her friend who was our neighbour took her son Hayden and me to Skegness in a caravan.
Mrs Woolley knitted us both bathing costumes in an oatmeal coloured DK wool.
Incidentally Hayden’s was the same as mine with built up
shoulders as was the fashion then.
I can’t say we ran down the beach and into the sea as anyone who knows Skegness also knows the sea is about a mile out.
But go into the sea we did and came out minutes later with the costumes hanging off of us.
The mums were in absolute fits the costumes were so heavy ., wet wool was almost on the floor.
That was the end of that.

One of my friends was researching their family tree they found someone who was a knicker elastic threader!!!
Talking of French Knickers, my dear departed MIL thought I was not producing babies fast enough, so I got a pair of French knickers and a huge bottle of Charlie for my birthday. For Christmas I got puce camiknicker .DH took one look and said I looked and smelt like a large lump of bubblegum. No babies that year either .

There’s a bit of me thinking ‘why’???? While another part of me is envious of anyone who can make anything with a machine and actually wear it.

My last sewing attempt with a machine - in 1975 - saw me get a machine needle in one side of a finger and out the other. No, I don’t know how I did it either. Very pregnant as I was Mr C declined to get pliers and pull it out as I asked. Off to A &E where a bemused young doctor used what looked suspiciously like pliers to liberate the needle. It was followed by professional cleaning and dressing so Mr C felt vindicated.

Hand sewing I enjoy, not undies though.

I’ve made lingerie and have been to classes. It’s reasonably easy, but you really need an overlocker to put the elastic in properly and to finish off. You can make silk French knickers fairly easily and a matching camisole, luxury for a fraction of the price it would be to buy.

AskAlice, your last paragraph 🤣🤣

I think it's a lovely idea karmalady. Pants to the derisors. 😂😂

Perhaps I will be inspired to use up my leftover knitting wool to knit or crochet a new swimsuit for next summer

karmalady, I am nowhere near as good as you! An enthusiastic amateur but I did pick up a few tips as a youngster from my mum, who was a Court dressmaker

If I try to sew knickers and they don't come out right, I'm going to use them to line my hanging baskets next Spring!!!

One of my clients made underpants for Harrods. Back in the day underwear for men was very unexciting so she went in with some samples and they agreed to take a few. She soon had a group of home workers sewing away.
Who knows where your knickers will take you!

My goodness, none of my scraps are big enough!

AskAlice

Foxygloves - just because we can?!!!

I find sewing very therapeutic, and would have a go at knickers just to see if I could do it. I like a challenge!!!

Alice is right. We are good at sewing and make much better than can be bought

oops it is megan nielsen site for the free pattern. This is an excellent sew a long

www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYk7q_rqpR0

Due respect indeed! but sewing your own knickers is not something I aspire to . I wish you luck though!

Each to their own but I can’t think if anything worse than making my own knickers !!

First I gathered my patterns, jalie, jennifer lauren, kwik sew and the new sinclair bliss. Last time it was the fit and all the patterns are a bit different, btw helens closet do a lovely free pattern, called acacia, not my style though

I started today by tracing from kwik sew, a size smaller than last time and that is what I have been sewing this afternoon. I already have lots of pretty picot edgings and fold over elastic. I used picot and followed instructions to the letter. Result!!! after all this time, I have made myself perfect and pretty knickers

I want to use this cotton jersey up and will make three more pairs, to replace horrible over-large m and s knickers

I am not going to mess about with different styles now that I am happy but I will be using fold over elastic at my next attempt as I have loads. I recommend it, if you ever have a small amount of excess fabric or even old t shirts

Foxygloves - just because we can?!!!

I find sewing very therapeutic, and would have a go at knickers just to see if I could do it. I like a challenge!!!

Why would anybody (with all due respect) want to sew their own knickers?
Maybe with parachute silk in WW11 ....