Remember, ages ago, when I said I was going to try making my own underwear? I didn't forget, I just got distracted by other things. I bought the book,
Kwik Sew's Beautiful Lingerie from Trademe a while ago
. Some of the patterns in it are questionable and they are all sewn in some pretty dreadful late 80s/early 90s fabrics but I tried to look past that and found some of the patterns are actually quite good.
I had been thinking about drafting a pattern for a pair of high-waisted knickers (I refuse to use the word panties. It makes me shudder.) because almost everything I wear is high-waisted and modern knickers always sit way too low. All the high-waisted knickers you can buy here are granny type ones that are beige and usually made of something synthetic (double shudder).
This pattern from the Kwik Sew book was pretty much the exact shape I had in mind.
I made them from a stripey stretch cotton from the cheap table at the fabric shop. The edges are bound with fold over elastic which was $8 for a bag with 20 metres in it (bargain!). They were so quick and easy to put together. I used
Zoe's tutorial for the construction. I've made three pairs and they have fast become my favourite underwear. They are really comfortable and they look cute on.
I wanted a matching bra so the
sew-along at
A Few Threads Loose was perfect timing. The pattern is the
Pauline Bra from Anna's Etsy shop,
Mrs Depew Vintage. It's a pdf copy of a bra pattern from the 1940s. I used the same stripey cotton and some black stretch cotton of a similar weight.
I used the unfolded fold over elastic for the straps because it looks similar to the wide ribbon used on my vintage bras. There's no underwire or anything but, let's face it, I don't actually need it.
I'm really happy with the way it turned out. They kind of look like a bikini but a cute one, so I don't mind.