Sewing with knits: bands vs binding

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!