Sewing Swimwear and Lingerie

Dear community,
Do you ever sew your own swimwear and lingerie? Does swimwear count as functional clothing?

I sewed three swimsuits once; the multicolored one was the last one I made. And it still fits—the others are long gone.

Love, Inge

I used to sew my own lingerie for a while, and I also made pieces for my daughters when they asked.
This thong set was for one of my daughters

There are special fabrics for lingerie and also for swimsuits and swim bottoms that have nothing to do with functional underwear. OK, you can also sew lingerie from these fabrics, but they’re special fabrics that are thinner and lighter than the functional fabrics used for outdoor clothing, etc.

Best regards, Inge

Wow, Inge, you’re so talented!

If there’s one thing I can’t stand about bras, it’s a seam running right across the bust. 

Anja, back in the ’90s, I took a class with my oldest daughter to learn how to sew lingerie—it’s actually a specialized training program, but since we’re both trained seamstresses, it wasn’t too bad :-)

Best regards, Inge

This is only for experts!!! And Inge is an expert. But she learned it professionally, has her daughter to exchange experiences with, and decades of practice. Few can keep up with that. But I’m still happy with my creations and progress.

Yesterday I finished my first pair of self-sewn panties. Since the ones from the store rarely fit me, or I don’t like them, or they don’t sit well somewhere, or the material is no good, I’ve now tackled it. I do have some lovely, soft, skin-friendly, stretchy cotton jersey fabrics.

I sewed the first pair of panties in my normal clothing size just as a test. But even so, they didn’t fit quite the way I’d imagined here and there. We all have different bodies and different preferences when it comes to fit.

Then I made my adjustments to the paper pattern and sewed a new pair of panties. And lo and behold, they fit me like a glove. Now that I’ve worked out exactly MY pattern, I’m going to sew more for myself. With every project, you learn new techniques and tricks. Oh, sewing really is a wonderful hobby!

Best regards, Ina



Even with a gusset

WOW, Ina! You’re a real natural when it comes to sewing—those two pairs of panties are AMAZING!!!

Love, Inge

Yeah, Ina—that’s totally awesome!
Great idea with the panties. I’m pretty happy with the pattern I’m using for mine, but they could sit a little higher on my belly. Maybe I should give that a try too... Though I haven’t tried using jersey yet, and I don’t know how to sew elastic on just right either. AND: How much you’re supposed to stretch the elastic.

Where can you find such pretty elastic? Is that what they call lingerie elastic?

I just made a vaccination card holder following a video tutorial. It’s a bit crooked, but not bad for a first try. AND, of course, I sewed the sides together the wrong way again—argh. 

Thank you so much for your praise, you two :-) That makes me very happy.

Dear Anja, please be patient just a little longer. I’ll answer all the questions you asked in a blog post that will be published this week. Whenever I work things out for myself, I always write a blog post about it. That helps me and others.

You can find the pretty bindings at the waist and legs, for example, on Etsy if you enter the following terms: "fold-over elastic binding elastic lingerie elastic picot edge".

They are extremely practical because they already come pre-folded down the middle. You basically place the cut edge of the fabric into the middle of the fold-over elastic and sew the elastic band in place. I’ll show exactly how that works and why it looks so neat in the end in my blog post. It’s very easy once you know how. I for one am very enthusiastic.

Best regards, Ina

Oh, I’m really curious to find out. Hopefully I won’t miss the blog post.
I don’t read blogs at all. 

Well, unfortunately, I’m not allowed to link to my blog or that specific blog post here—that would be unauthorized advertising. Sooner or later, you’ll surely come across it. Until then, you won’t get bored. In my opinion, it’s worth checking out the blog; there are lots of posts worth reading.

Now that I’ve perfectly tailored the pattern to my body, here’s version #2:

I want it♡

WOW!!! Great job, Ina! :-)

Best wishes, Inge

:-)
I’m glad you like No. 2. No. 3 is up next tomorrow. And you need so little fabric! It’s really fun—and it’s practical, too. Oh, what wonderful hobbies we have!

Best regards, Ina

@Ina
How did you learn to do that? Are there any tutorials???

Dear Anja,

Three years ago I bought myself a sewing machine and simply started with small sewing projects. With every sewing project, I learned something new. And whatever I didn’t know or couldn’t do, I watched as a video on YouTube. But when someone else does it on the screen, that’s just theory; you have to sit at your own sewing machine and work through the techniques yourself. That’s how we all keep learning.

I like to record the bits of wisdom I’ve learned in my blog posts here on CP. That way, they might inspire other sewing enthusiasts to try making them too. For example, anyone could recreate a small (or large) bag or these practical sewing weights . It’s not advanced sewing, but it helps build your own skills and sewing abilities, and it’s also a lot of fun. There are so many beautiful fabrics and patterns and designs; it’s a hobby I’ll probably never get tired of.

I recently saw that you also do patchwork on the sewing machine. That, for example, is still on my to-do list too. But new ideas always push their way to the front, ones I find more tempting at the moment. For now, I’m still busy with my panties.

Best regards, Ina

I’ve sewn a few bras myself, as well as tankinis and bikinis.
However, it’s been a while, and the online store where I used to buy my supplies has since closed.
Back then, I took a class at the adult education center, and a pattern designer showed us how to best adjust bra patterns to our own measurements. That was really great.

@Ina—Where do you get your supplies?

I wouldn’t feel confident enough to just sew a bra out of the blue. For that, you really need—like you or Inge (Akela)—a special course that’s specifically geared toward that.

Otherwise, I always gather my materials online for each project. There are great shops on Etsy (e.g., lingeriememade) that sell individual materials or even complete bra-sewing kits, which include everything you need for a specific model.

So if I wanted to sew a bra, I’d probably start with one of those complete kits plus a pattern. That way, you can get familiar with the individual components—and you’ll have the right materials right away. As a beginner, you really don’t know what you need or how much of each.

Best regards, Ina