Fold over elastic: you either love it or hate it. I can understand why some sewists have a hard time wrangling this elastic. But it is widely available and comes in many colors, and even printed patterns. I'll show you two different methods of sewing, the typical two-pass method, and a single-pass method for the more adventurous sewists! 

Matte elastic is my favorite elastic to use when sewing panties.  It is thin and soft, but provides enough stretch to hold the panties in place. If you'd like to try some out, you can find matte elastic in colors from Sew Sassy, and black and white from Fabric Depot.  Both vendors can be found on my Resources page.

Piping elastic makes a subtle but beautiful edge to your panties.  Two different ways to sew it with very different results! 

Stretch lace is a beautiful way to finish the edges of your panties. So many different widths, styles and colors! In this video I will show you a few samples from my collection of lace, explain a term you might see on your pattern (lopol), and show you how to sew along the scalloped edge of lace.

In this video you will learn about what picot elastic is, how to choose the correct kind of picot elastic for sewing panties (and how it is different than the elastic used in bra-making), and two different methods for sewing picot edge elastic.

There are so many lingerie elastics available in the market today, it can be a bit overwhelming trying to choose.  Which elastics will work for sewing panties? What are the different characteristics of each elastic?  How do I sew with them? 

I'm here to share with you my five favorite types of lingerie elastics for sewing panties.  Over the next week I will share videos with you explaining each elastic, and showing you sewing techniques of how to apply these elastics to your panties.

If you have questions about any of these elastics, don't hesitate to comment.  I'm looking forward to sharing my videos with you.  Happy Sewing!

Yesterday I made my first partial band bra! Back when I wore store-bought bras, partial band styles were what I usually went for.  So why did it take me so long to make one? Well... I guess I wanted to perfect the fit on my full-frame bra before jumping into more patternmaking with a totally different style.

I followed Beverly Johnson's instructions (from her Bluprint class "Sewing Bras: Designer Techniques") for making the partial band pattern, and I have to say it made me nervous.  I understood adding an allowance for the channeling to the cups, but removing the seam allowance from the bridge just didn't seem right.  But Beverly must have read my mind because she even said it might not seem right and to just trust her.