My pattern testers are busy working on my new panty pattern, which has finishing options for elastics, bands and binding.  Have you every wondered what the difference is between bands and binding? Today I'm going to share with you some pictures of bands and binding, go over the pros and cons of each, and share a video that shows how I sew them.

​Bands and binding are good options for sewists who don't wish to use elastics. Some may find elastics uncomfortable or have a latex allergy, while others may not have access to lingerie elastics.  Whatever your reason, bands and binding need to be made from fabrics with excellent  recovery--meaning they don't stretch out easily.  Cotton/spandex jersey and nylon/spandex jersey are generally good options.  Fibers like rayon, bamboo and modal are not suitable for bands and binding but can be used in the main body of the panty.  This is a good opportunity to experiment with contrasting colors and use up scraps from previous projects.

In the photo above are two panties with knit bands.  Both are made from cotton/spandex jersey and have self bands. The example on the left shows the band attached to the panty with a lightning stitch and topstitched with zigzag.  On the right, I attached the band to the panty with my serger, and topstitched with zigzag.  Knit bands are thin and soft, but the downside is that the seam allowances are exposed on the inside of the panty.

The photo above shows an example of knit binding.  The main body of the panty is made from a rayon/spandex jersey, while the binding is a contrasting cotton/spandex jersey. Binding encases all the seam allowances, so it makes a nice clean finish.  The downside of binding is that it can be a bit thick, and would probably create a visible panty line.  I used a lightning stitch to attach the first edge of the binding to the panty, then used my coverstitch machine to stitch down the top edge.

Check out this video for step-by-step instructions for sewing knit bands and knit binding.  Happy Sewing!

Hello, sewing friends!  I have the last post of the Daisy Briefs tester roundup for you today.  If you've missed the other posts, you can find them here: roundup 1, roundup 2, roundup 3, roundup 4 .  

Today I'm sharing with you a couple briefs made by Zarina, @zarina_craft.  Zarina lives in Malaysia and has her own sewing business, so it makes me really happy to provide a pattern she can make for her customers.

Hello, sewing friends!  In case you've missed it, here are the previous posts for the Daisy Briefs tester roundups: roundup 1, roundup 2, roundup 3.

Today I'm sharing with you the work of Susan, @sukie_b_123.  She has a great sense of style, and I love all the pretty florals she chose for her Daisy Briefs.

Hello, sewing friends!  Today I'm sharing with you another tester roundup for the Daisy Briefs.  If you missed the previous parts, you can find tester roundup 1 and roundup 2.

Today I'm sharing with you the work of Sherry, @toffee_apple_sweet_kreations.  She has made quite a few Daisy Briefs for her daughter, and I love all the prints she has chosen!

Hello, sewing friends! I'm back again with more tester photos of the Daisy Briefs.  If you missed the first roundup, you can find it here.

Today I'm sharing with you the Daisy Briefs made in solid fabrics.  Plain doesn't have to mean boring, and there's always room for pretty details.

I've been a busy bee behind the scenes working on my next pattern.  I realized that while I've been sharing Daisy Briefs tester photos on social media, I forgot to share them here!  Whoops!  So let's get to it, shall we?

Some of my testers have been very prolific and made themselves quite a few pairs of Daisy Briefs, so I'll share those in upcoming posts.  

Hello, sewing friends! Today I want to share with you a new (to me, anyway) method for sewing fold over elastic.  I recently read a comment in the Bra Making group on Facebook from someone who uses basting in the first pass while sewing fold over elastic, instead of using zigzag.  I tried it out, and I think I like it much better than using zigzag on both passes!  Here is a video, showing this method in detail.  Enjoy!

Yesterday I sewed my first Darcey Bra by Evie La Luve.  My feelings about it are a bit mixed, but I think I will sew myself another Darcey Bra in the future with some modifications to the fit and the fabric choice.