Lingerie – Make Your Own
Manufacturers of lingerie would like you to think that there’s a whole lot of high-tech engineering and design involved in their incredibly expensive lingerie.
There isn’t.
Once you understand a few basic design concepts — the primary one being proper support in a bra, then making your own lingerie is an absolute doddle. You don’t need anything more than a simple sewing machine that does zigzag, and a modicum of sewing talent.
No serger, no fancy equipment. You don’t even need to make lingerie out of expensive materials, if you’re really strapped for cash — you can recycle, use teeshirts (yes, you can), and even a bra can be made out of non-stretch materials if it’s made to your measurements.
But there’s very little fabric and a wisp of lace edging and tricot in the average bra, pantie, or garter belt. You could buy a quarter of a metre of the most luscious and luxurious stetch/non-stretch fabrics and finishes out there, in exactly the colour you want. Made to exactly your sizing, you’ll end up with a matching bra, pantie and garter belt set at about 10% of the price of anything you would pay for at the stores –if you could even find something like it at the stores.
The most challenging part of making lingerie is finding suppliers for the hardware; the buckles and slides and clips that go on bras and garter belts, etc. But once you’ve hunted down those, you’re set.
The first bra you ever make will probably take you a few hours, but after that, you should be able to knock a bra and panty set together in under two hours, from cutting to finishing. And it will fit you perfectly, wear super-comfortably, be in the exact colour you want, and the price can’t be argued with.
Considering some of the crap that comes off the assembly lines these days and falls apart in three weeks, and that we’re told we should be replacing our bras every three months for proper support, anyway, and that a good bra can cost nearly a hundred dollars, if you want it to fitand look nice… If you can sew at all, think about sewing your own lingerie. It’s worth it, even if you sew nothing else in your wardrobe.
Here’s some links.
Sewing Lingerie that Fits: Fitting and Creating Patterns
How to Make Hot Lingerie (Threadbanger — Video)
General Instructions for Sewing Underwear from MakeBra
DIY Design: How to Make Your Own Lingerie – From Stylelist
Also try your own search on Google — and brace yourself for the deluge!
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