Essential Stitches for Sewing Bras & Panties

When I talk about sewing my own bras and panties, one of the comments I hear most often is, “I can’t do that, I don’t have a serger!”

Well, I’m here to tell you that you don’t need a serger to sew knits!  Is it nice to have a serger?  Of course!  But, if I can be honest, most of the time I don’t use a serger when sewing panties; the raw edges are usually (but not always) covered with elastic and only the side seams have exposed edges.  Since I can sew a basic pair of panties in under half an hour, it doesn’t seem worth the trouble changing out the threads on my serger.

​So, if not a serger, do you need any special stitches?  The answer is yes, and I’ll bet your machine has them!  Below I’ll share the two essential stitches needed to sew your own bras and panties, and two other stitches that are nice to have.

Straight Stitch

​I’m sure you are gasping in horror right now thinking, “You can’t sew knits with a straight stitch!”

Yes, you can, if it is a vertical seam. 

When working with knit fabrics, we place the direction of stretch around the body, horizontally. 

If a seam is vertical, there is no stretch along the length of the seam, so no stretch stitches are necessary. 

​An example of this would be the side seams for a pair of panties, or the cradle/band side seam on a bra.

Zigzag Stitch

Now, how do we sew seams that require stretch?  With stitches that will stretch along with the fabric.  You have several choices, and the most basic one is a zigzag stitch.  Most sewing machines have options for adjusting the width and length of the zigzag stitch. 

For sewing seams, you will want to use a narrow width and  length.  If you use a stitch that is too wide, it will add to the seam allowance and make puckers in the seam when opened.
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​Shown at left is a narrow zigzag with 1.4 width and 2 length. Shown at right is the seam opened. 

Zigzag stitch is also what we use when applying elastics.  While the width of the zigzag stitch used can vary with the width of the elastic, I usually use a medium width and length. 

​Shown at left is 3.5 width and 2.4 length.  If you want to learn more about applying elastics, you can find the video series here on my YouTube channel 
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​Those two simple stitches are the very basics for what you need to start sewing your own panties and bras.  Here are two more stitches that, while not necessary, are very helpful for these projects.

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Lightning Stitch

The lightning stitch is a stretch stitch that, unsurprisingly, looks like little bolts of lightning.  If look closely at the stitching, you will see that it is really just slanted zigzags. 

The advantage of lightning stitch is that it has a narrower profile than a narrow zigzag, and will look nicer when the seams are pressed open. 

This is a good option for side seams (if you are still concerned that straight stitches will pop open), and for sewing seams that go horizontally or diagonally across the body.  An example of this would be the inset seams in my Dahlia Hipster.

Shown at left with my machine's automatic settings for width and length, and at right with the seam opened.  Compare this to the opened seam of the narrow zigzag, and notice that the seam for the lightning stitch is much flatter and does not have the puckers.

3-Step Zigzag Stitch

​Lastly, we have 3-step zigzag.  While not used for sewing seams, this stitch is very good for sewing the second pass of elastic and is also an option for hemming knits if you don’t have a twin needle. 

I tend to use 3-step zigzag on wider elastics(such as a bra band), and on fold over elastic to reduce stiffness.

​That’s it!  Do you feel ready now to sew your own bras and panties?  Are there any other special stitches you use?