Are you interested in trying out a harness style?  This trend seems to be going to the extreme with whole-body harnesses, but I wanted to just dabble with one at the waist.  If you can make a bra strap, you can easily make this sexy add-on to the Dahlia Hipster for Styles C & D. Watch the video below to see how it's done.

Do you prefer the contrast insets over the lace for the Dahlia Hipster?  Come along with me, and we'll go step-by-step through the sewing instructions for Style B.

Confused about cutting lace?  Wondering about how to sew the insets? With a few carefully matched points, I'll show you how easy it can be.
​
Learn how to cut mirrored lace pieces, and go step-by-step through the instructions for sewing Style A of the Dahlia Hipster.

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! 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!

Do you find sewing an enclosed gusset confusing? Or are you wondering just what the heck the burrito method is? 

Today I filmed a video to show two methods for sewing an enclosed gusset.  The first method, which I use in my Daisy Briefs pattern, attaches the gusset and gusset lining in separate steps to help you understand what it going on and (hopefully) end up with all the right sides of the fabrics facing outwards.  In the second method, I show you how to attach both the gusset and gusset lining at the same time, making this method a bit faster and more efficient.

Let me know if you have any questions!  Happy Sewing.

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!