EXPERIMENTS IN UNDERWEAR – MAKING THE FITIYOO HIGH WAISTED MANHATTAN KNICKERS
I’ve been putting it off making underwear for the longest time. To me it always seemed a bit fiddly and complicated. But I wear underwear everyday, as I’m sure most people do, its such a necessity. So I decided it was important to learn and the Fitiyoo Manhattan knickers looked like the perfect starting point.
SELECTING A PATTERN
Now Makerist has a large selection of underwear patterns, from briefs to bras. One of the main pattern brands that stood out to me was Fitiyoo, I loved the style of all of their patterns and they had a good selection of styles. I decided to start with a pair of knickers as some of the lingerie techniques can be transferred to other pieces. Eventually I’d like to make a bra too. If you choose pattern from the same company you can be surer of how their sizing works, and what fits you best. I chose the Manhattan knickers as I’ve always wanted high waisted knickers. These also have interesting side panels, and I’m imagining all the fun combos I can make
Manhattan knickers PROCESS
As I’ve never made knickers before I decided I would start with a toile, but a more wearable one. I searched through my jersey stash for some complimentary pieces and found this red and blue and white stripe. I love finding projects to help use up my scraps, you can see the previous projects they have been used on here:
Pattern Testing – The Tulia Tee
Making a size M as I wanted them to be comfy and not too tight. I started by choosing my panels and then cutting out all the pieces. I then attached the two gusset panels to the front centre panel, trapping it in-between. This means you don’t get uncomfortable overlocking down there. I then attached the two side panels, then attached the singular back panel and the sides. I then gave everything a good press. So far these knickers I decides to create jersey bands at the waist and legs, rather than use elastic. I found a tutorial by @betterhalfhandmade that she shared on Instagram.
I used the elastic measurements and cut jersey bands before folding and overlocking them on. Being careful to trap the gusset panels on the legs. I was really pleased with my wearable toile but the final version needed some adjusting. My final pair were made with this beautiful ribbed organic cotton jersey and leopard jersey both from Good Fabric Store.
ADJUSTMENTS
My first version of the Fitiyoo Manhattan knickers were pretty much perfect, and just needed slight adjustments. The first version was a little loose on the waist. So I adjusted this by tapering in the front panel and side seams. This meant the next pair were a perfect fit.
WOULD I MAKE THE MANHATTAN KNICKERS AGAIN?
These were such a success and I’m so pleased they turned out so well. I will definitely be making more and exploring the rest of the Fitiyoo range on Makerist.
As usual if you want to buy anything from the Makerist website you can use my code ruby-rose-15 for 15% off
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Thanks for reading
Ruby x
