Venturing Into Underwear

 My two prompts for making undies were Helen and Caroline on Love 2 Sew, and Love_Lucie. It seemed a new challenge, and also one small way to address some of the leftover knit fabric which is starting to mount up.

Three pairs in I was hooked. A year on there is an opportunity for some performance reviews. 

Pattern: Megan Neilson Acacia Undies.

Fabric: I learned early that more stretch is better, much better. And in 2023 I fell in love with some rayon knit. This was leftpver from mighties, so soft to wear. But I must confess that this fabric has not withstood the rigours of regular washing - even in my front loading machine.

Elastic: At first this seemed tricky to find, but then, courtesy of a 10 minute search I managed to order a bunch of different colours, and some patterned. And get the sense that like so many sewing 'materials' it is easy to build up a stash which realistically may last quite a while! At the time of writing I have just released some of the earlier purchased patterned elastics, as this do not equate to comfort, especially around the legs. Fortunately there is a perfectly timed Fabric Rescue event in my area . . .let it go . . . let it go.

As everyone acknowledges, size is always personal preference, and adjustments may be required in only one dimension. 

1 I made S14 to start - slightly volumous in a very stretchy rayon. 

2 Then a pair same size in a less stretchy cotton knit. Same deal, slightly large.

3 But downsizing in the same fabric and using a lingerie elastic which required folding the fabric in created a pair which are possibly a little brief for my taste.

So I have a wee pile of fabric and an opportunity to play with the sizing. 

My 2024 batch of 8 pairs, all from leftovers, has taken my making process up a notch. Starting with the pattern I made a pair in S12, and another in size 12 tapering to S14 in the back, matched with a size 12 front. Small modification to the leg elastic, 1cm longer, and I reckon this is about perfect for the 2024 me.

Fabric for this batch was cotton, cottom/lycra, merino, and unknown. Matching elastic colours worked well for 3 of the fabrics and was more challenging for my pea green merino. I found a cool hot pink FOE at the local Emporium, and liked the colour combo. Sadly though this did not have near enough stetch.

I can see that finding the optimum fabric will always be a bit hit and miss. But this will not deter me from continuing!

The pleasure of small sewing projects in batches.

 Do you ever want to sew, but find when you are on the cusp of a large project actually starting is a bit daunting? This definitely happens for me. Currently I have fabric and patterns set to go for a dress and shirt but to begin, well it seemed to need more energy than I had this past weekend. So a small project is a perfect distraction and a sideways path into sewing!

I made 3 door stops. The need arose as the fabric on an earlier model split, released the sand filling - messy! The pattern is copied from a doorstop made for me by a friend. A wonderful idea, very handy in our climate with wind gusts which can change direction rapidly and often. 

These take a small amount of fabric. This is a floral recycled curtain, which I recall a long time ago purchasing at an op shop. I have mostly made aprons with it to date, but still have several largish pieces left. (I 'rediscovered' these in the ongoing process of moving and organising and shifting things around which seems to be my life. Made worse throurgh a lengthly house renovation and student sons moving in and out of home for the holidays.)

I like batch sewing. The way I can organise the piles and process and see my construction methods evolve, and hopefully improve, through sewing the same things multiple times over.

A modification to these ones are the filling. The last batch I filled only with sand. Once finally stitched up and complete I observed they did not have the same erect shape as the original. Some research revealed I have missed the vital final step of filling the base with sand, and the top with some 'regular' stuffing. For these I recycled some possum wool from a much loved jumper which had shrunk.