Lingerie has been my favorite sewing niche for over a decade.
I love the way undergarments can be lovely and delicate or utilitarian and sleek—there is a style and a fit for everyone!
Sewing underwear has many technical differences to most garment sewing, especially if you don’t work with knits or elastic very often, and there’s definitely a lot to know to make underwear pieces that deliver just what you’re looking for.
The good news is that none of it is complicated!
A successful garment starts with the material you use, so we will learn all the ins and outs of what to look for when you need stretch fabrics for making lingerie.
I’ll explain how knits are different than wovens and how to understand stretch and recovery—including how to calculate and use stretch percentage.
Then, I’ll share all the best fibers to use for your underthings and how to combine them within one garment. I’ll also include some rules for shopping, in-person and online.
Plus, I’ll share some tips for selecting a size when you’re working with these stretchy fabrics.
And if you want to hear even more of my tips for lingerie fabrics, listen to epiosde 209 of the Seamwork Radio podcast that I recorded with Sarai! The full transcript is also at the end of the article.
Understanding Knit Lingerie Fabrics
How Are Knit Fabrics Different From Wovens?
Stretchy fabrics are constructed differently from non-stretch or woven fabrics. Woven fabrics have threads traveling vertically, called the warp, and horizontally, called the weft.
The way these fibers interact is called the weave of the fabric. When working with wovens, pattern pieces will have a directional layout arrow indicating where the grainline should lie.
For stretch fabrics, the threads do not travel in multiple directions, but are knitted together—very often in the same way as regular knitting!
This looping of the threads creates opportunities for the fabric to stretch as a whole.
Knits Don’t Have a Grainline
Knit fabrics do not have a grainline in the same way that woven fabrics do, but they do have a “directionality,” so you need to pay attention when cutting out your pattern pieces.
Because the threads do not travel like the warp and the weft, there is no grainline to align your pattern pieces with. Instead, the layout direction will indicate something called the Direction of Greatest Stretch, often shortened to DOGS.
The DOGS is the direction, horizontal or vertical (or across the bias if you’re working with a stretch woven) that will allow the fabric to stretch around you once your project is assembled.
If your pattern pieces do not specify, align the grainline marking with the Degree of Greatest Stretch for your fabric.
How is 2-Way Stretch Different From 4-Way Stretch?
2 -way stretch means that the fabric stretches either side to side or up and down, but not both.
This type of fabric will be most suitable for projects where you want the garment to stretch around you, but not stretch down.
You can use 2-way stretch fabric for stabilized underwire bras, regular T-shirts, or knit dresses, skirts, and sweaters where you may have a lot of material that becomes heavy. You don’t want a sweater to stretch longer and longer every time you wear it!
4-way stretch is a fabric that is stretchy in all directions. This type of fabric is great for leggings, swimwear, underwear, and bralettes.
It might stretch further in one direction than the other, so make sure you look for stretch percentages or measure to be sure.
Recovery: What is it and Why is it Important?
Recovery is a very important property of stretch fabric that is rarely listed online, but can be inferred through the fiber information of the fabric.
It refers to a fabric’s ability to recover its original shape and size after being stretched.
All fabric recovery degrades over time. Like hand knits, fabric that is 100% natural fiber will stretch horizontally, but have difficulty returning to its original, unstretched shape.
Because of the fiber properties, 100% cotton knit fabric will stretch out very quickly. You will see these spots most around knees, elbows, necklines, and the seat of pants and underwear.
If a fabric has elastic fibers included, it will be able to retain elastic recovery for much longer.
However, like old waistbands or swimsuits that lose their shape, over time the elastic fibers in a fabric stiffen and break. When too many of them have broken, the fabric loses its ability to return to its former shape.
Often, stretch fabric will get a bit wavy when you’re sewing it, just because of the stress of being put through the sewing machine.
This can many times be solved with a bit of steam or with a warm wash and dry cycle—the heat will return the elastic fibers to their original stretch. Be careful though! Regular heat application will speed the lifecycle of the elastic fibers, so for longest lasting garments, wash on cold or cool and hang to dry.
The Best Fiber Content for Stretchy, Comfortable Underthings
You’ve learned about stretch and recovery, which are two important terms to understand when you’re shopping for lingerie fabric.
It’s also important to understand the different fibers that make up your fabric.
Read this article for an overview of each of the fabrics listed below.
Natural Fibers
Natural fibers are materials that come from naturally created sources, such as plants and animals.
It is important to get materials with a relatively high natural fiber content, as they are the most breathable and help your vaginal pH stay comfortable.
These fibers include cotton, linen, hemp, silk, and wool. Merino wool is especially popular for underthings. You can read all about it in this Guide to Merino Wool.
I always recommend using a natural fiber, specifically cotton, for gussets. Even if you use a different fabric for the rest of your garment, cut out the gusset pieces in cotton. You need that breathability against your skin.
Semi-synthetic Fibers
Semi-synthetic fibers are materials that originated from natural sources, but have been processed to form more uniform fibers for longer and softer threads.
These are typically plant based, like soy or bamboo. In fabric stores, you’ll find them called rayon, Tencel, viscose, modal, or Cupro.
Because they are plant based fibers, they retain properties of natural fiber fabric, and are suitable for undies.
Read How to Sew With Rayon to learn more about the fiber. Here’s a guide to lyocell, brand name Tencel.
Synthetic Fibers
Some common synthetic fabrics are polyester, acrylic, nylon, or Lycra—which is the name brand for spandex or elastane.
Synthetic fibers can be great for underwear, especially swimwear, sports bras, and wicking material for period panties.
Here’s a link to my period panty kits. And here’s a link to the Seamwork’s How to Sew Period Underwear.
But be careful!
Synthetic fabrics are not ideal for everyday wear, and should be changed often when they become wet, as they can irritate the skin and affect vaginal pH.
Remember, you can always use cotton for your gusset pieces.
Elastic is important! But how much?
Elastic content is very important in lingerie fabric, as you want the garment to move with you easily throughout the day. Too much elastic, however, and you begin to lose the lovely natural hand feel and properties of your natural fibers.
The ideal amount of elastic content is about 3-12%, unless you’re making specialty items such as swimwear or sports bras.
Elastic content will typically be listed as Lycra, spandex, or elastane, and the smallest amount you can find is 3%, as that is the lowest percentage to be legally required to be reported on fabric labeling.
All About Lace Fabric
Lace can be either stretch or non-stretch, and comes in several widths. So, the number-one tip when you’re shopping for stretchy lingerie fabrics, is to make sure you are shopping for “stretch lace.”
Lace bands from 1/4” to 3” are used as trims and edging for all kinds of lingerie garments.
Lace bands from 4” to 12” can be used for garment construction, typically for bralettes and panties. You can use this for any pieces that mostly utilize the decorative lace edge and not much interior material, like a cupped bra, tanga panty, or a garter skirt.
Lace yardage may or may not have a decorative lace edge, and can be used as regular fabric. Hems and necklines are typically finished with lace bands or other trim, organza or lightweight bias tape, or elastic edging.
Normal turned-under hems are not typically used with these garments, as the irregular nature of the material doesn’t always create a smooth hem.
All About Mesh
Mesh is a lightweight, breathable fabric with a net-like structure, made from fibers like nylon, polyester, and spandex for stretch.
In lingerie sewing, stretch mesh is perfect for creating soft, flexible panels or overlays on bras, panties, bodysuits, garter belts, and camisoles.
When shopping for mesh, consider its properties. Lightweight mesh is great for delicate overlays or panels, while more structured mesh can provide support and a smooth silhouette.
For bras, mesh often serves as an inner lining or a decorative outer layer. In panties and bodysuits, it adds comfort and breathability, either as an accent or as the main fabric.
Its sheer or semi-sheer quality makes it a popular choice if you want a delicate, sensual look. This means you can use stretch mesh alone for a sheer effect or layered over other fabrics to add dimension and visual interest.
What About Stretch Wovens for Lingerie?
A stretch woven is a woven fabric with added elastic fibers to make it slightly stretchy and add recovery.
If you want really luxurious lingerie, look for stretch silk or stretch handkerchief cotton and cut your project pieces on the bias. See Angela Friedman’s luxury silk lingerie for inspiration!
Stretch silk and silk cotton blends also make lovely sleepwear, like T-shirts, camisoles, or boxers.
Silk cotton blends are generally pretty affordable, and sometimes they'll be double-sided. So one side will have a matte side and one side will have a satin finish.
The introduction of the cotton makes it really easy to work with. They feel really luxurious and soft on your skin, but because of the cotton, they're easy to take care of.
Shopping for Stretchy Materials
When you’re looking for stretchy lingerie fabrics, the first property to consider is the stretch percentage.
However, if you’re working with a knit you’ve thrifted or one you’ve had in your stash forever, you might not know the stretch percentage. Luckily, it’s easy to calculate the stretch percentage of any stretch fabric.
How to Measure a Fabric’s Stretch
To measure the stretch of a fabric, mark out 4” of fabric across either the horizontal or vertical direction.
Stay away from the edge of the fabric, which may be stabilized or extra stretchy—you want to measure the stretch of the interior of the material as it will perform in the garment.
Hold the 4” section without doubling up the fabric, and stretch it next to a ruler. Every inch it stretches comfortably equals 25% stretch. Every centimeter it stretches is 10%.
If you have your 4 inches and it stretches 2 inches, then that's a 50% stretch.
Mark and measure the stretch for the other direction, and you have the stretch of your material!
It is common for the stretch percentages to be different for the horizontal and vertical directions. The direction that stretches more is your Direction of Greatest Stretch.
To know how much to stretch the fabric when measuring, especially if it is very stretchy, imagine how it would feel to wear a garment that was stretched that tightly.
There is a point, when stretched, that a fabric would feel comfortable when worn. If you apply more force and stretch it past that point, it would feel uncomfortable and overly tight to wear, and very likely break the seams.
Only measure the stretch to the point where it doesn’t require too much force to hold it stretched.
Fabrics listed online will very often have the amounts of stretch listed. If not, you can order a sample and measure it for yourself!
You Know the Stretch, Now What? Using Stretch Percentages in Sewing
Fabrics suitable for different lingerie projects can vary widely. This is why it’s important to be familiar with the stretch percentage that’s required for your pattern and ensure that it matches your fabric.
Your sewing pattern will usually tell you how much stretch the pattern is designed for. If you find a fabric you love that has a different amount of stretch, don’t worry! We can figure it out.
Most stretch fabric for projects like bralettes, undies, and bodysuits will be 50-75% stretch across, and at least 25-50% vertical.
If you want to build a stash of good fabrics that will mix and match well for colorblocking and scrap busting, this is a good measurement to look for.
If you fall in love with a fabric that is less than 50% stretch across, you can generally go up a size and get a good fit.
If your fabric is greater than 75% stretch across, you can generally size down.
If your fabric has good horizontal stretch but has less than 30% vertical stretch, as is the case with many mesh and lace materials, you can add additional length to your garment to make up the difference.
Sizing Considerations for Stretch Fabrics
When pairing your fabric and pattern project, the best way to choose your sizing is based on the finished measurements. This is the same for garment sewing.
If your pattern doesn’t include finished measurements, you can measure the pattern pieces themselves, subtracting the seam allowance to find the finished measurements such as bust, underbust, waist, and length.
Choosing the Correct Size for Your Lingerie
First, measure the stretch of your fabric vertically and horizontally, and compare it to your pattern requirements, if they are listed.
Calculate the maximum stretch the garment will have with your desired fabric as follows:
Finished Measurement x (1+ Fabric Stretch Percent)= Total Amount of Stretch
(1+Fabric Stretch Percent) = 100% of the original fabric measurement + the additional amount added by stretching the fabric
Example:
Here’s an example calculation.
Finished Measurement: 50 inches
Fabric Stretch Percent: 75%
50 x 1.75 = 87.5 inches
Use this information to calculate how it will fit you!
To assess fit in a more tactile way, mark out the finished measurement on your material, and hold that amount of fabric around you to test out how it feels.
Mark out the waist measurement along the horizontal stretch of your fabric and hold it around your waist, the hip around your hip, etc.
Mark the length and rise measurements on the vertical stretch, and hold against and around your body to see if you like where the pieces hit you.
What About Trims?
Do the same with the trim measurements! When using an elastic underbust for a bra, or elastic trim for undies, mark out the trim measurement on the intended trim, and hold around you to see which length feels best to you!
If the pattern doesn’t include trim lengths, use the pattern piece and any instructions they give you to determine this length.
Bra Fitting Tip: Make a Mock Cup
When making a bra, the best thing to do is make a mock cup to try on to see which size fits you best.
Bras often have very involved construction, and the best way to get to the end with a well fitting garment is to test the cup first!
Always pin or baste and fit test the location of the straps and the positioning of the cups before you attach them as well, as these are things that are easy adjustments to make during construction, and make a real difference in the fit of the end piece.
Using this information, you can find which size works best for you for your intended materials, without guessing or making the entire garment first!
Working With Stretch Lingerie Fabrics
If you’ve sewn a knit fabric or even made a few T-shirts, you have most of the experience you’ll need to work with lingerie fabrics.
If you’re totally new to knits and lingerie, here are some guides to help you learn the essentials:
Here are a few more essential things to know.
How to Combine Lingerie Materials
You’ll often see underwear or bodysuits that are color-blocked with a mix of materials, like mesh and lace.
The best way to combine panels of different materials is to choose fabrics with similar stretch and weight. Avoid pairing fabrics with very different stretches, or very lightweight with heavyweight fabrics.
You can get away with using fabrics with less vertical stretch, or more stable knits, or decorative low stretch laces by implementing colorblocked panels in strategic places.
Over the hips or on the side of the body is a great place to insert a decorative material that doesn’t quite match the properties needed for your garment.
The Altitude Thong shown above utilizes color blocking to place low stretch mesh over the hips, which does not impact the fit through the seat or rise of the panty.
You can see the way Stephanie Bodnar combines silk, lace, and velvet in her brand Evgenia, photographed by Kelly Puleio. Note how she successfully integrates panels of sheer lace by combining them with lightweight silk blend velvets.
My 3 Favorite Tips for Sewing Stretchy Lingerie Fabric
When you first start sewing lingerie, you might be surprised at how fast (and fun) it is, but you also might feel intimidated by how small some of the pieces are.
Here are 3 of my favorite tips for sewing all these lingerie fabrics you just learned about.
1. Watch out for hungry feeddogs. Your feeddogs really want to eat delicate knit fabrics. There are a few ways you can mitigate this.
Try not to sew right on the corner edge of the fabric. When you start your seam, hold the thread tails enough to create a little bit of tension. This will prevent your fabric from getting sucked down into the feeddogs.
If you have a very short seam, don’t bother starting at the edge. Instead, start in the middle of the seam and sew out to each edge.
2. Use a 3-step zigzag. This is my favorite stitch for lingerie. A three-step zigzag is the same as a regular zigzag, but with every step of the zigzag, there are three stitches instead of just one.
You use a lot more thread in the seam, which helps keep it stronger and stretchier.
Because it’s reinforced, you can also increase your stitch length and stitch width. This keeps your knit fabric from lettucing as you sew
3. Try some steam. When your seams are lettucing no matter what you do, apply a little bit of heat to your seam. A tailor’s ham can help with curved seams.
If you're working with high synthetics, like mesh or swimwear, I don't recommend the iron. But you can use steam or throw it in the dryer. The heat will help reinvigorate the elastic fibers.
One Last Tip: Don’t Worry. It’s Just Underwear.
I have one last tip for you.
Don’t Worry. It’s just underwear.
When you’re first starting to sew lingerie, try new styles, fabrics, and trends—at most, you’ll be out under a yard of fabric.
Make one pair of underwear and wear-test it to see if you like it. If you don’t, try a different pair. And if you do love it, sew it in a bunch of different colors.
Sewing lingerie is really easy way to hone your knit skills—or if you're working with lace or silk, your finishing skills.
Plus, you’re practicing all these new skills underneath your me-made clothes, where nobody has to see!
Show Notes
Podcast Transcript
Sarai
Welcome back to Seamwork Radio, where we share practical ideas for building a creative process so you can sew with intention and joy. And Haley's out on parental leave with her new baby right now.
So I'm flying solo, and I've invited some really fun guests to join me on the podcast. And today, I'm joined by Sophie, Sophie Hines, she's a linger designer who creates minimal linger sewing patterns and period panty sewing kits.
Sophie studied textile and fashion design at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. Now she develops easy-to-sew linger and loungewear with professional-level finishing available in sizes extra, extra small to 6X.
And her dog has just joined us as well. Sophie, what's your dog's name?
Sophie
This is Melba, like the toast.
Sarai
Melba is kissing Sophie right now, for you who are listening.
Sophie has a really strong passion for soft, silky fabrics, but she's also especially interested in eco-friendly options for sewing lingerie.
She's here to share 10 tips for buying and sewing linger fabrics.
Thank you, Sophie and Melda, for joining me today.
Sophie
Thank you so much for having us.
Sarai
I wanted to start just by talking about lingerie making and what do you like most about it? What draws you towards that?
Sophie
Oh, that is such an easy question to answer because I love how quickly you can just sit down and have something made in a couple of hours. I feel so productive. I got a pair of underwear made today.
Sarai
Yeah, it's so practical. It's something you can wear all the time. If somebody's new to sewing linger, what projects do you think should start with?
Sophie
I always recommend just whatever underwear you like to wear, just an easy style of panty because you can get in a lot of practice and a lot of build new skills with that intro to lingerie item. But also the stakes are so low. If it takes you a few pairs to really get to a place where you like the way that your finishing is coming out, who cares? It's on your butt. Nobody's going to see it.
Sarai
Yeah, that should be the quote for this episode. “Who cares? It's on your butt?”
Sophie
When I'm teaching sewing classes, anytime anybody is frustrated that it's not coming out as they want it to, I'm like, “Hey, listen, if anybody can see it, their eyes are way too close to you, and they're not worried about the quality of your underwear.”
Sarai
You'd recommend starting with a pair of panties. What is your most popular pattern? What are the patterns that people are drawn towards the most?
Sophie
I think the best selling is the Axis tank because, oh my gosh, it's so simple and so fast. I think the more seamless option only has one piece for the full body, and the only seam is up the back and the shoulders.
Then after you apply the edging bands, it's done, and you can really get it done in a couple of hours. Then it's just so comfortable, and it's a great layering basic. A lot of people love it.
I designed it to be a bra, wear around the house bra. Then I go on Instagram and everybody's wearing them out of the house as a shirt, and I'm like, “You're outside in your underwear!”
Sarai
Well, I'm a child of the '90s, so wearing your underwear is just something you do.
Sophie
You really can and you really must. The other pattern that people love is the altitude thong. It's a high-waisted thong with a ruffle option around the legs. I'm really excited that that's been so well received because it's so fun. A ruffly thong, how can you even? It's so exciting, and it's really pretty.
Sarai
Yeah. Have you been surprised that people are more interested in something that's a little bit fancy like that versus something that's more practical?
Sophie
Yes. When I designed it, I really just wanted to make something silly and floaty and pretty. I was like, How can anybody actually wear this, though. What do you wear it underneath? What do you wear roughly underwear with?
But people use it as swimwear, which I never even thought of.
Sarai
That’s smart.
Sophie
Before I was in sewing patterns, I had a ready-to-wear lingerie line. The most exciting thing about transitioning to sewing patterns is the way I get to see people use their creativities with my garments in ways that I never thought of, and colors that I would never put together, and just styling and hacking. Like, oh my gosh, people make the coolest stuff.
Sarai
Yeah, it's so inspiring to see people using the things you're putting out there in their own way and doing it for themselves and using it to express themselves.
Sophie
Yeah, I get so excited when I see these pictures. Oh my gosh, this is so cool.
Sarai
I imagine that's especially fun with lingerie because it's something that's so personal and you can do so many fun things with it. I feel like with lingerie, and for me with active wear, too, it's something where I'll get a little bit, I don't know, silly or different, or it doesn't really have to fit in with all my other style, my wardrobe. It's just something that can stand on its own.
Sophie
Yeah. Especially with bras, where there are so many different straps and components, throwing together whatever you've bought and just seeing how it comes out. I never would have put these things together and, wow, they look really cool.
Sarai
Yeah. It's fun to use up your straps and things for them, too.
Sophie
Same as the panties. Just a few inches square and you're like, that could be the side of a bra.
Sarai
You brought some tips for us, and we're going to talk about some tips for choosing fabric for your linger. I'm really excited to hear your ideas and tips for this.
Sophie
I am so excited to share them. I'd love to pull up my notes if I knew where it was.
Number one is a four-way stretch. There are a lot of different ways to make stretch fabric, a lot of different a lot of different fibers and a lot of different knitting techniques.
I always recommend that you look for a four-way stretch fabric, which means that it stretches both vertically and horizontally, which means it will stretch around you, but also up and down, which is great for just really moving with your body as you're active throughout the day.
A two-way stretch will not pull up high enough if it's used in underwear, which is a common issue that could happen to you.
Sarai
Yeah, it kind of pulls down.
Sophie
Yeah. It looks great standing up and then you sit or squat down and, “Oops!”
Sarai
Yeah, there's your butt.
Sophie
This is very short now. My second tip is to look for a fabric that has at least 50 to 75% stretch horizontally and 30 to 50% vertically.
There's all different kinds of stretch amounts depending on the project that you're looking for. But if you want to just build up a stash of knit fabrics that will work for almost any project, those are my stats to look for so that any lingerie or layering option or leggings or body suits, that percentage of stretch will work for all of those different projects.
Sarai
If you're shopping online and it doesn't say the stretch percentage, let's say you order it, is there a way once you have in your hands for somebody to know how much stretch a fabric has if they're not sure?
Sophie
Yes. I do find with shopping at indie fabric stores online that I have several times e-mailed them to double-check the stretch of a fabric, and indie fabrics players are so generous with their time.
If you don't have that information, you can order a swatch. The way to test or measure stretch is to mark out 4 inches or 10 centimeters of your fabric and then just stretch it along the ruler.
Every inch that it stretches is 25%, every centimeter it stretches is 10%. If you have your 4 inches and it stretches 2 inches, then that's a 50% stretch.
A great question that people ask me is, how do I know how far to stretch this fabric? Because if you pull really hard, you can get it to stretch a lot further. My suggestion is to think about how the fabric would feel on your body if it was stretched that tight and only stretch it as far as would feel comfortable on your body.
There will be a point where it goes from a nice easy stretch to you're pulling the fabric.
Sarai
Awesome. That's super helpful. That's really helpful because I think a lot of people don't know what that means, those stretch percentages. So having a way to test that is really helpful.
Sophie
And then you've got the data. You do want to do that horizontally and vertically on the fabric because depending on the way the fabric fabric is manufactured, when you're working with stretch fabric, instead of a grainline, you work with the direction of greatest stretch. That can be horizontally or vertically, depending on how the fabric was made. You want to see which way is the stretchiest, and then that is the direction along which you align your pattern pieces.
Sarai
Is that usually marked on your pattern pieces? So that would be in place of the grainline, we would say, this is your direction of greatest stretch.
Sophie
Yes. You'll always see that alignment line, but it will be noted as “Direction of Greatest Stretch” instead of grainline if you're working with the stretch pattern.
My third tip is that I love natural fibers so much. I love the way natural fibers give youan excellent comfortable hand feel, but they are a lot easier to work with than synthetic fabrics. They're not so slippery, and so they're much easier to sew. The pieces will stay in place as you’re sewing them.
There are so many qualities to natural fibers that are extra desirable when you're making lingerie. The breathability is a really key component of underwear that will keep your vaginal pH happy. Synthetic fabrics really maintain a lot of moisture and heat, which is not great.
So natural fibers that you will see in lingerie are a lot of cotton, silk blends. People like to use Moreno wool. Semi-synthetics that I like to use is bamboo or rayon fabric, which is derived from cellulose fibers, which is plant fibers. It has those natural qualities, and it's easy to work with. My favorite fabric is bamboo rayon.
Sarai
Yeah, it's nice. It drapes well, too.
Sophie
It's so soft. It's not quick to pill like cotton is sometimes.
Number four is I stay away from 100% cotton fabric. A lot of people want to be in natural fibers and sustainability and all of these things. But when you're working with stretch garments, 100% cotton fabric stretches out quickly and doesn't have any elastic to be able to retain its shape so it bags out very quickly. Then your garments will become too loose and not be close-fitting the way you want them to. I do recommend a percentage of elastic fibers, which is my tip number five, actually.
Sarai
I've often seen 100% cotton used for the gussets in panties. Is that something that you would recommend?
Sophie
Yes. I always design my underwear to have a full double-layer gusset. There are so many different kinds of construction options for the gusset to add in that second layer. But you can add in the internal layer, you can do 100% cotton, and that will really allow great breathability in a way that isn't contributing to the fit in the main part of the garment. It doesn't affect the long-term fit anyways.
Sarai
Yeah, because that's an area that you don't really have to worry about stretching out.
Sophie
Yes. There's so much science in underwear who could have known.
Tip number 5 is my guidelines for how much elastic fiber you want to use. My preferred amount is 3-5% elastic fiber, which will be listed as spandex, lycra, or elastane. You won't see anything less than 3%, typically, because that is the lowest percentage of fiber content that is legally required to be reported in a fiber or garment.
So you won't see anything less than 3%. The more elastic content you add into a fabric, the higher percentage of synthetic material. So it will have a smoother hand feel, be a little bit more slippery.
I like to top out personally at 12% because I feel that beyond that, it begins to lose that natural fiber quality in the hand feel and begins to retain a little bit too much moisture for my preference.
Sarai
Is there a difference between those different Lycras? If you see Lycras, Spandex, Elastane, is there a difference between those things?
Sophie
A couple of them are just brand names only, specifically. Then elastane is just generally an elastic fiber.
Sarai
Elastic, okay.
Sophie
To my knowledge. Don't quote me on that.
Sarai
I think they all pretty much behave the same anyway.
Sophie
Yeah, it just means an elastic fiber.
Something that I don't work with a ton, my style is a little bit more sporty, but a lot of people like to introduce lace into their garments. It’s a really easy way to make something really beautiful and look really luxurious.
There's a lot of different kinds of lace and a lot of different applications. If you are shopping for lace, there are four main categories.
Lace trim will come between a quarter of an inch to about three inches wide, and that will be a lace band, which you can use for lace edging around your underwear or along your bra edges. You can insert it into your seams and just make these little decorations.
All lace comes in stretch or non-stretch, so you want to be really careful, especially when you're shopping online, that you check both the fiber content and the product description, because for some reason, shopping for lace online is just… may God go with you, because sometimes it's a little bit crazy.
Elastic bands between 4 and 12 inches are great for or anything that you want to make a full project out of. You can make underwear or bra cups, anything that you want to use as fabric, but you're really focusing on the lace edge, and you don't need a lot of the internal material that you would get with the lace yardage.
Lace yardage comes either with a lace edging or just as fabric with a selvedge. The lace fabric yardage, you can use just in place of any stretch fabric, as long as it's stretchy, any fabric for your garments you can make with lace. The lace yardage with decorative edging, people typically use for slips or chemises or anything that you really want to make high-end and a little bit amorous.
Sarai
Do you have any favorite sources for buying lace for lingerie?
Sophie
Etsy, probably.
Sarai
That's where I've looked.
Sophie
There are a ton of sellers on Etsy. My favorite place to buy mesh fabrics is Spandex World, and they have stretch meshes on their website. Spandex World and Spandex House, both are out of New York. If you're local, they have great stores. The websites are…
Sarai
They’re crazy. They're also straight out of the '90s.
Sophie
That's what makes it great. It's always an adventure. Yeah, Etsy, just looking for stuff on Etsy, I think. Yeah, it's one of those things that, weirdly, it's hard to find online.
Sarai
Yeah. There are a lot of great sellers on Etsy, though. For this, specifically, I found some great lace sellers, just with a simple search.
Sophie
I haven't shopped with them for a few years, so I don't know if they're still up, but I had a lot of great luck with a seller called MaryNotMartha on Instagram, on Etzy.
Sarai
I have her bookmarked.
Sophie
Perfect. You already got the goss.
My tip number seven is stretch silk. There are really lovely silk fabrics that have elastic content in them. So they are woven, but with the elastic content, they have a little bit more stretching recovery, so you can cut those on the bias and get some really lovely pieces out of that.
I have a friend, her name is Angela Friedmann. She makes made-to-order luxury lingerie in England, and she uses bias-cut silk for her panties and camisoles and slips and really lovely pieces if you want to make really, really luxurious pieces.
Sarai
By making it yourself, you can really save a lot of money compared to buying something off the rack because you can use those really luxurious materials.
Sophie
I also love using silk cotton blends. They're generally pretty affordable, and sometimes they'll be double-sided. So one side will have a matte side and one side will have a satin finish.
The introduction of the cotton makes it really easy to work with. I like to make woven T-shirts out of that for sleep. Just garments that just feel really luxurious and soft on your skin, but because of the cotton, they're easy to take care of.
Sarai
I love that idea, especially for sleepwear, like you're saying.
Sophie
Yeah. Well, sleep shorts, who couldn't want it?
Sarai
A little pair of boxers, that'd be fun.
Sophie
Yeah. My tip number eight is to stay away from high-content polyblends. This is a write-in from my housemate, Anne, who said to tell everyone to stay away from double-brushed poly.
Every time she's fabric shopping, she always picks it up and says, “Oh, this is so soft and lovely.”
Every time she brings it home and makes something out of it, she comes out and it's like, “Oh, my gosh, I'm so sweaty.” She said, “You have to tell them. It's a trap.”
Sarai
She's been burned too many times.
Yeah. Anything that's a really high content of mostly synthetic materials, unless it's been engineered to be specifically wicking or to have an open, breathable structure like a nylon mesh, it will not be comfortable long term.
Sarai
Yeah. Actually, I wanted to ask you about nylon. Is that something that you use very much?
Sophie
I do use nylon stretch mesh. I love the visual interest you get with color blocking, to have sheer panels. I think that's such a fun way to add visual interest to your garments without adding anything too crazy that you can see through your clothes.
It has a nice smooth texture that blends in really well across garments, so it doesn't create any bumps or texture under your clothes, which is one of the reasons that I don't use lace a lot because you can see it through lightweight clothing.
Sarai
Yeah.
Sophie
Just because of the texture.
Tip number nine is to try using anything you like. If you are the fabric store and you pick something up and like, Oh, this would be so pretty in underwear, then try it and do it. Maybe you'll find your new favorite fabric. Who knows? As I said before, it's underwear. It's not high stakes. You'll find out.
Sarai
I love that, tip, because I've come across some really beautiful, luxurious stretch silks and things like that. I see them, and they're rather expensive by the yard. But then if you're just making a pair of panties or you're making a little half slip or something small like that, you don't really need that much.
It's a great fallback for those really special fabrics that you come across.
Sophie
Yeah, you can fit a lower mid-rise panty on half a yard of fabric. So especially if you're shopping remnants or second-hand fabric, you can really explore a lot for not that much money.
Sarai
Yeah. It's a great tip.
Sophie
My tip number 10 is, don't worry about it. It's underwear.
Try new styles and new fabrics and new trends, and you only have to make one pair and wear-test it to see if you like it or don't like it, and then you can change it up, try something new.
It's a really easy way to hone your knit skills—if you're working with lace or silk, your higher quality finishing skills—in a way that nobody has to see. You can keep it private. Yeah. And they're so fast.
Sarai
Sophie, I think that's a great philosophy for a living. Don't worry about it. I think if you could apply that sewing lesson to the rest of your life, you'll be in good shape.
Sophie
That would be, man, I could be doing so great.
Sarai
Easier said than done.
Sophie
If only everything was as easy as underwear.
I think that elastics and knit fabric can be a little bit intimidating to people, especially if you mostly work in woven fabrics. It can be a little bit daunting because it's different settings on your sewing machine.
It's different stitches than you're used to, and those stitches need different, like playing with length and width. It's a lot of different little things that you have to find out with the fabric you work with and sewing machine, and putting all of those little steps together to create a successful garment or seam treatment. It can be overwhelming if you don't know where to start or what to change. And yeah, sewing underwear, your seams are two or three inches long. The pieces are small.
If your sewing machine is chewing up your fabric and you get frustrated with it, it was a tiny amount of fabric. You can throw it away and start over again. No worries.
Would you like some tips about sewing stretch fabrics?
Sarai
Yeah, absolutely. Let's throw in some bonus tips.
Sophie
Yeah, I have three tips that I always tell people about sewing knits on your sewing machine.
The first one is to not so right on the edge because the cut edge of your fabric is going to have a lot less surface tension than normal because it stretches, it can get pushed down into your machine, and then the thread gets all tangled up and creates a bird's nest, which is that's the biggest issue that I find people run into.
If you come in a little bit from the edge, it'll be less likely to get sucked down in there. That's a great way to keep your fabric moving through your sewing machine.
When you start your seam, I like to hold the thread tails with my hand and pull it through. Just have a little bit of tension on those thread tails as the seam is starting to help pull that corner through, and so to keep it from getting sucked down. Just a little bit of tension on the back threads as you're starting out a seam.
If you have a very short seam, like the side of a panty, and it's only a few inches long, and your fabric is getting sucked down no matter what you do, I like to start in the middle of the seam and sew out to the edge and then turn it around and sew from the middle back out to the other side so that you get the whole seam. You never have to start at the edge.
A lot of people like to use tissue paper, but when you're working with zigzags, like, oh, man, that's so much tissue paper to pull out of your seam. You have a seam full of paper.
Sarai
Yeah, I've always felt that way about tissue paper. It's helpful, but you go through a lot of paper that way.
Sophie
My favorite stitch on the sewing machine is the three-step zigzag.
I've heard a few times that people think it looks unprofessional, and I like to have words with people who say that to me, because it's a great utility stitch.
A three-step zigzag is the same as a regular zigzag, but with every step of the zigzag, there are three stitches instead of just one. You can get a lot more thread in that seam, which will help keep it stronger and stretch more. Then because it's so reinforced, you can get wider and longer
You can increase your stitch length and stitch width, which will help keep your knit fabric from lettucing, as you sell, it'll keep it from stretching out and just make it stronger. That's what I always recommend to everybody.
Sarai
I just finished sewing a swimsuit, and I did not use a three-step zigzag when I was applying the elastic that goes around the neckline. I wish I had because it bow out a little bit. I think if I'd used a three-step zigzag, it would have been better.
Sophie
Yeah, it's my favorite stitch. If you look at underwire bras, especially, and a lot of swimwear, you can see that they use three-step zigzags in professional garments. Yeah, big hate to people who don't like that stitch.
Sarai
You're going to get on Sophie's downside.
Sophie
I'll fight you.
If you find that your seams are lettucing no matter what you do, you can apply a little bit of heat to your seam. If you're working with high synthetics, like mesh or swimwear, I don't recommend the iron.
But if you use a steam or you can throw it in the dryer, the heat will help reinvigorate the elastic fibers and help it stretch or cover back to itself. That can be an easy thing to do to make it look nice after it's been stretched while sewing. But as we know, long term, if you are using a lot of heat on swimwear or elastic, it will break down more quickly. So be scared with it.
Sarai
Yeah, that's a great tip. So much science.
Sophie
That's all of my tips. Do you have any questions?
Sarai
That was awesome. That was super, super helpful. I'm really excited to sew some panties now. I think my biggest takeaway from this conversation was just thinking about all the ways that I can use lingerie as a place to play with fabric.
I feel like it's something that you can sew so quickly, and it's something where you can use a lot of fabrics that you wouldn't normally use or can't think of a good opportunity to use.
So I'm actually, excited. I haven't sewn underwear in quite a while, and now I want to do it.
Sophie
Yay. I think my favorite part about playing with underwear is that when you want to use up those pretty little straps that you've been saving, if the pattern pieces don't fit on your little straps, it's so easy to introduce extra seams and make panels on the sides, or make the front panel smaller and the sides wider, or do a contrast back, or anything.
It's so easy to really play with the pattern and just really make it your own and with what you have on hand.
Sarai
Yeah. I think if you're listening and you're new to sewing lingerie, and it's something you want to try, it's also really helpful to have great patterns like Sophie's to work with, like somebody who can guide guide you through the whole process. I think that's really helpful.
For me, I'm a hands-on learner, so I really like learning from a good pattern and just trying a project and looking things up as I go. I think that's a great way for a lot of people to learn.
So I definitely want to encourage you to check out Sophie's patterns.
Sophie
Yeah. I also recommend my patterns. I include a lot of finishing options, and I make sure there are instructions if you're using a serger or a sewing machine. All of my patterns, you can make with just a sewing machine if that's what you're working with.
I provide instructions for all kinds of finishes. If you're making underwear, there will be instructions for using foldover elastic, lace bands, picot and decorative, ruffly edging.
There's instructions that walk you step by step through any option you can think of. I really like holding people's hands through underwear because you never know what pattern is somebody's first introduction to knit fabrics.
I think it's so exciting to be able to jump into something new and come up with something that looks really nice.
Sarai
Making underwear in particular is just one of those things that a lot of people have never thought about. And once you're able to do it, you're like, “Wow, if I can make my own underwear, I can make anything for myself.” It's such a basic.
Sophie
I see on Instagram a lot, people will be like, “I made everything I'm wearing except for my underwear.” And I'm like, “Oh, did you know that you can? You could be doing that, too.”
Sarai
Yeah. You can make your own underwear, and then you just have to learn to knit your own socks, and you're good. You can do head to toe.
Sophie
I love knitting my own socks.
Sarai
Me too.
Sophie
And then I'm like, everything I'm wearing is from the store, except for my socks and underwear.
Sarai
All right. Well, thank you for joining me today, Sophie, and thank you for all the wonderful tips. Where can people find you if they want to follow you?
Sophie
I am most active on Instagram @sophie_hines, H-I-N-E-S.
I love answering people's questions about fabric shopping, about trim, about fitting, about hacking patterns.
I'm so excited to see anybody making underwear. I'm happy to walk you through any questions you have.
I have a Patreon where I post behind the scenes of my projects and my design process and what's coming up soon. Through Patreon, we have a Discord chat server and a sewing group ,we meet every other week on video chat and talk about what we've been working on and how our projects are going. That's been going on since 2020, and it's so much fun. We've made so many friends, and it's a really fun time.
Sarai
That's really cool. I love that.
Sophie
There was one winter where four of the people were getting married and making their own wedding dresses, and that was the coolest, most fun thing to check in every couple of weeks and see how all of these gorgeous choices were going. We are just following each other's lives in a really fun way.
Sarai
Yeah. Yeah, that's really cool. That's what I love about the sewing community. People just support each other like that. It's awesome.
Sophie
Yeah. It's such an exciting time on the internet, where you can follow people on Instagram and virtual sewing groups and communities like Seamwork, and just really find people who love making what you love to make. It's fun to be with each other.
Sarai
Yeah, and getting that support that, at least when I was learning to sew, I didn't have anybody to ask questions about. I figured out everything on my own. I think it took a lot longer to learn because of that.
Sophie
Oh, you have a sewing machine? Can you hem my pants?
Sarai
Yeah. That's about the extent of conversations about sewing.
Sophie
Oh, good. You can fix this.
Sarai
All right. Thank you so much, Sophie.
If Sophie's tips made you want to buy some lingerie fabric, be sure to check out our fabric discounts. Seamwork members get discounts at some of our favorite indie fabric stores. I know Sophie mentioned shopping indie, which we also really recommend.
You could save anywhere from 10 to 20% off your purchase if you're a Seamwork member at these stores. A lot of people say that these discounts pay for their membership.
If you want to see a list of participating fabric stores, you can at Seamwork.com/deals.
And that will do it for us this week. Thank you again, Sophie, for joining us. It was lovely to talk to you about lingerie.
Sophie
Thank you so much for having me. I had a fantastic time.
Sarai
All right. I'm Sarai, and this is Seamwork Radio.
Sophie Hines
Sophie Hines is a lingerie designer who creates minimal lingerie sewing patterns and Period Panty Sewing Kits. Sophie studied Textile and Fashion Design at the University of Nebraska Lincoln and now she develops easy to sew lingerie and loungewear with professional level finishing, available in sizes XXS-6X.
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