April 27, 2016

Panties

This post doesn't have nice pictures. I'm not going to model my panties on the internet and they don't really look good when photographed flat on the table. However, I made a new pair of high-waisted panties today. 

I have made high-waisted panties before but I was never quite happy with them. Usually, I would either end up with visible panty lines at the back or the legs would cut at the front.

Then, last month, I bought some lingerie from What Katie Did (known for there great retro styles). A bra (I tried the bullet and cone bras which I was really curious about but ended up getting the Glamour Nouveau underwired bra. It's a more "normal" style but it worked so much better on my small bust), a suspender belt and high-waisted panties
And those were a bit of an eye-opener. I tried another style, with a lower rise but vastly preferred this high-waisted pair. I've worn them normally, for full days, since and I haven't been disappointed. 


These are the What Katie Did panties. They look particularly bad in a picture like this because they are made from less stretchy materials than most panties you come across. The black satin has no stretch at all and the rest is a mid-weight powernet (which, I suppose, means they would also work as light shape wear if you have squishy bits in the area covered by these). As a result, they have to be more gathered by the edge elastics. 
I'm just including these pictures because they also kind of show the other details that make these work so well: The side seam has been moved to the side back which allows it to be shaped a bit more in a place where people are shaped and there is is a slight corner in the leg line which allows the leg openings to be cut high in the front (so they won't cut) and low in the back (so they won't cause panty lines).

Obviously, I'm not trying to copy these but I would like to learn from them to make my own, self drafted and sewn, panties better. 
So, I tried to apply these two great details to my own basic high-waist panty pattern to see if that would improve it.


My materials are lycra and a thinner mesh which is about as stretchy. So, the panties lie much more flat on the table. Making the corner in the leg elastic was a bit fiddly but after one half-failed attempt, I got it to work. Other than that, the construction was pretty standard. And you know what? I think it worked!
The fit is different than that of the WKD pair, but I could have told you that just by looking at these pictures. But they are comfortable and don't seem to cause lines... Now I just need to try and wear them all day to be sure.

P.S. I am in no way affiliated with What Katie Did. I have just bought their products more than once and I love them. If you are in the market for retro-style lingerie, I heartily recommend this brand.
I am also not trying to rip off their product. As a seamstress and pattern maker, I am always looking at RTW items from a construction point of view. I try to understand what manufacturers are doing and why and incorporate that understanding in my own (private) work. 

1 comment:

  1. This is how we learn stuff. There is no way I can make those bras, but I can learn new techniques to make other ones. As one does.
    Your 'no modeling' made me giggle.

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